Introduction to the Operating Room
LESSON 2: Operating Room Personnel, Policies, and Nomenclature
2-17
2-17. NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER IN CHARGE
a. Discussion. The noncommissioned officer in charge, an enlisted OR specialist, supervises the nonprofessional personnel and maintains the physical environment of the OR. He reports directly to the OR supervisor (see figure 2-1).
b. Duties. Among his varied duties are those related to supervising the work and helping to evaluate the performance of nonprofessional personnel and conferring with the OR supervisor and with instructors (at the hospitals having training programs) when nursing service personnel time schedules (see figure 2-2) and OR schedules (see figure 2-3) are prepared. He assists with the orientationof enlisted personnel.
(1) In supervising the work, the NCOIC performs duties concerned with the smooth functioning of the surgical suite--example, he ensures that the equipment needed for a case is at hand and that preparation for operations is begun early enough so that the operations will not be delayed.
(2) The maintenance of the physical environment necessitates such duties as: ordering supplies and equipment, seeing that the surgical suite and furnishings are cleaned properly, and arranging for a periodic inspection and repair of OR equipment.
