a. Both the circulator and the scrub must study the operating room schedule in detail to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.

A discussion of the operating room schedule is presented in Subcourse MD0923, Introduction to the Operating Room, which you should have studied prior to this subcourse.

b. Preliminary preparation of the operating room is done before the patient enters.

Cleaning the operating room is part of total patient care and is a cooperative effort involving both the scrub and the circulator, each with separate duties. The division of duties is quite specific, yet the circulator and the scrub must plan their duties so that together the sterile and nonsterile parts of the operation move along together.

c. To work efficiently during a surgical procedure, the circulator must be thoroughly familiar with the established routine in the operating room suite.

He must know instruments, equipment, and supplies — including the supplies needed for positioning the patient — to enable him to provide the appropriate items. He must also know their location to avoid loss of time in obtaining them. The duties discussed in the following paragraphs are ordinarily performed by the circulator.

Additional duties may be assigned to him by the professional members of the operating team. Definite routines are established for the preparation of an operating room for surgery. There may be some flexibility in the order in which these duties are performed, but the sequence given in the following paragraphs is generally used.