“If sufferers need me to carry their hand – I’m completely satisfied to do this. I inform them they’re crucial particular person within the room and that we are going to take glorious care of them. These are small issues – however I’ve seen them ease the anxiousness on their faces. The OR is usually a scary place, so we wish to guarantee sufferers they’re protected in our care.”
Stephanie Auxtero
Stephanie Auxtero brings heat and compassion to an in any other case sterile atmosphere. Working within the working rooms at HSC Ladies’s Hospital, Auxtero is a comforting presence, providing help and reassurance to the sufferers she cares for every day. It’s a task that enables Auxtero to channel the identical ardour for serving to others that impressed her to pursue a profession in nursing.
Auxtero started her nursing journey in HSC’s Labour and Supply unit 12 years in the past. She had a eager curiosity in Ladies’s Well being and was uncovered to perioperative nursing early on, sparking a deep love for the specialty.
“I nonetheless keep in mind the joy of my first nursing shift in Labour and Supply and being there for an emergency C-section,” mentioned Auxtero. “I used to be instantly hooked by the science of it – and my curiosity with the OR continued to develop with every C-section I used to be current for. After I noticed a chance to affix the Ladies’s OR group, I went for it.”
As a member of the interprofessional Ladies’s Surgical procedure group, Auxtero helps patient-centred surgical take care of a wide range of companies, together with Gynecology, Gynecological Oncology, Fertility, Uro-Gynecology amongst others.
“Perioperative nursing is actually a distinct sort of nursing,” mentioned Auxtero. “There’s an ideal stability of working with modern know-how and offering compassionate affected person care that I actually love. On this occupation you possibly can help many several types of care, the chances actually are limitless. However I do know that the place I’m is the place I wish to be.”
Auxtero reinforces the variety of her position, as every day within the OR affords one thing completely different. Perioperative nurses rotate by way of varied roles and tasks for every slated case all through the course of a day, working carefully with surgeons and anesthesiologists to organize sufferers and the surgical area. Devoted duties can embody direct take care of sufferers earlier than a process, aiding the surgeon with instrumentation throughout a case, anticipating their wants and subsequent steps or arranging for a affected person’s post-surgical care plan.
For Auxtero, connecting with sufferers within the temporary moments main as much as a process is without doubt one of the most rewarding elements of the job.
“We construct a rapport shortly with sufferers earlier than their process. It could be 5 minutes of time to work together with them earlier than the anesthesia is run and takes impact. If they need me to carry their hand – I’m completely satisfied to do this. I inform them they’re crucial particular person within the room and that we are going to take glorious care of them.”
“These are small issues – however I see how typically it helps the anxiousness go away their faces. The OR is usually a scary place, so we wish to guarantee them they’re protected in our care,” she added.
Every member of the Ladies’s Surgical procedure group performs their position seamlessly – from their detailed planning to the actions practiced in response to anticipated wants – they’re like a symphony enjoying their very own half however completely in sync.
“It’s the surgeon who completes the surgical procedure, the anesthesiologist who gives a consolation to sufferers so the surgical procedure could be accomplished. And the nurses who guarantee it’s a protected atmosphere for all of these issues to occur,” mentioned Auxtero. “We’re additionally the affected person’s advocate all through the case to verify they’re positioned correctly whereas they aren’t capable of communicate for themselves and making certain that medical security pointers are met.”
“The group is continually collaborating, speaking about affected person statuses, lab work and planning our procedures accordingly. All of us have the identical purpose of protected surgical outcomes for our sufferers.”
Auxtero – now a preceptor within the OR – shares her ardour for perioperative nursing with new nursing college students as they do their senior practicum rotations by way of the unit.
“It’s fairly frequent for nursing college students to have a look at the OR and really feel intimidated. There’s a lot occurring in several areas of the room, varied roles and in depth gear. However I inform them they’re by no means alone and we’ll help them each step of the best way.”
“I like sharing my information and serving to others expertise the identical ardour for the OR as I do,” she added.
Shared Well being celebrates the achievements and the compassionate care OR nurses present our communities every day throughout Perioperative Nursing Week from November 6 – 13, 2022.
In case you are fascinated about changing into a perioperative nurse go to https://professionals.wrha.mb.ca/nursing/schooling/specialty-nursing/ for extra info.
