CVOR Nurses: What are their roles? CVOR stands for cardiovascular operating room nurse. They have tougher jobs compared with other nurses since they have to do extra work for the patients and team they are working with. Plus they need special skills and knowledge to do them. To know more about CVOR nurse jobs so you can qualify yourself to become one.
How to Become a CVOR Nurse?
Educational requirements and certifications are needed to be qualified as a CVOR nurse.
- Candidates should have a degree in Associate Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Nursing and graduate from an accredited university or college.
- Candidates should pass the NCLEX pre-examination for nurses.
- Candidates should have an active and unrestricted registered nurse license.
- Candidates should have 2 years experience or 2,400 hours perioperative nursing setting.
- Candidates are also advised to have Basic life support certification (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certificate ACLS) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certificate.
Responsibilities of a CVOR Nurse
- They conduct assessments and documentation for their patients’ conditions. Documentation is important since the condition is being monitored and every detail of changes counts.
- They make sure that proper protocols are followed during, before, and after the surgery. Following correct protocol can avoid any troubles in the operation procedures.
- They monitor the vitals signs of patients to make sure they are all normal before, during, and after the surgery. Vital signs are a good indicator of the patient’s condition throughout the surgery, so it is important to check them now and then.
- It is also their responsibility to ensure the patient’s safety during the surgery.
- They are responsible for applying dressing after the surgery and every time it needs to be changed. Dresses are done in different ways for every operation, so they have to know how to properly dress patients who have undergone cardiac surgery.
- Sterilizing surgical instruments is also part of their duty. They have to make sure that they are ready to use before the surgery begins.
- Educating patients and their families on the care procedures needed to be done to the patient after surgery.
- They have to update records on the outcome of the surgery and submit it to the physician in charge or head nurses.
- Cardiac patients should have a specialized treatment plan created by the medical team assigned to them. CVOR Nurses assist physicians in implementing this treatment plan.
- Administering medications are also part of the role of CVOR nurses. They should be knowledgeable in dosages and ways on how to administer specific kinds of medicine to patients.
Pay Rate of a CVOR Nurse
The average annual pay for CVOR nurses in the U.S is $93,882 higher than other nurses. Since they have more duties and responsibilities and there are certifications required for them to be qualified. Apart from the salary they get they also have benefits that can include the following:
- Free Housing
CVOR nurses that are assigned to areas away from their home can get free accommodation during the time they need to work in the medical facility they are assigned at.
- Travel Reimbursement
Plane tickets or other Transport fares can be reimbursed as long as the travel made by the CVOR nurses is work-related. They get reimbursement for the travel expenses used during their working schedule in the medical facility they are assigned to.
- Insurances
To protect nurses from having financial burden in case some unexpected things happen during their work. They are given vision, health, and dental insurance. Insurance serves as protection for the nurses, medical facilities, and agencies handling them.
CVOR Nurses: What Are Their Roles? Apart from the one mentioned above, critical thinking also is a must for CVOR nurses. Since they have to be keen in observing changes to their patients that may indicate danger or risk. One may be qualified with the level of education they have however attitude and thinking are also included in performing tasks as a nurse. CVOR nurses take care of patients who need close monitoring and special care, therefore they should be flexible enough to know the needs of the patients as well as work well with the team they belong to so they can achieve their goals which are to make their patients recover faster and have a stable condition after the operation.
