Introduction to the Operating Room
LESSON 2: Operating Room Personnel, Policies, and Nomenclature
2-34
2-34. NURSING SERVICE PERSONNEL TIME SCHEDULE
a. Discussion. DA Form 3872, Nursing Service Personnel Time Schedule (see figure 2-2) is used to list the days on duty and off duty for all OR personnel. The NCOIC assists in the preparation of the time schedule for the OR specialists. The schedule is posted for one week at a time and is usually prepared several weeks in advance.
b. Need for a Time Schedule. The use of a time schedule enables the personnel responsible to plan for the adequate coverage of the suite at all times and enables personnel assigned to make plans ahead of time. If the hospital has a "call system" for coverage after normal duty hours, the time schedule should indicate the personnel who are "on call" for the week.
c. Coverage After Normal Duty Hours. All surgical suites must plan for adequate coverage in the event that emergency surgery must be performed after normal duty hours. In large OR suites, or in a hospital where a great deal of emergency work is done, coverage is provided by scheduling personnel on shifts around the clock. In surgical suites not using shifts, personnel should be placed "on call" to provide coverage for emergency operations. Some installations assign call personnel as well as having shifts. Persons on call must be highly skilled in all kinds of surgery since the types of emergency operations cannot be predetermined. The specialist taking call must be available within a very short time and must inform the person responsible for calling him of his whereabouts at all times. Local policy will indicate whether personnel taking call are to sleep in a room in the hospital or in quarters. The shifts and call duty are rotated frequently so that a person does not work the same shift all the time or take excessive call.
d. Planning for the Time Schedule. The time schedule is planned and prepared in order to provide an opportunity for the specialist to have learning experiences. This is accomplished by scheduling a person who needs further training to be on duty with a person having the appropriate training and experience. Such considerations make the planning and the preparation of the time schedule a difficult task.
e. Operating Room Specialist's Requests Concerning Time Off. The OR specialist should write his routine requests for specific days off duty, for passes, and for leaves, and he should give such requests to the NCOIC before the time schedule is prepared. The specialist should not ask to have his time changed after the schedule has been prepared unless he has a true emergency. He should make all requests concerning his time to the NCOIC.
