LESSON 1
ORIENTATION
Section I. INTRODUCTION
1-1.
SCOPE
This subcourse deals with various aspects of the operating room (OR) environment,
focusing particularly on the physical environment, aseptic technique, surgical
nomenclature, responsibilities of personnel, operating room team, ethics,
certain policies, and safety measures. The OR specialist should have a full
appreciation of these matters in order to understand departmental rules and
policies and to know how his important role in the OR contributes to safe and
effective patient care.
1-2.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this subcourse is to assist the OR specialist in gaining
or renewing an understanding of the area in which he is assigned and an
appreciation of the strict discipline under which members of the OR team
work in their unceasing effort to render the best possible care to the patients
entrusted to them. Accordingly, this text is directed toward the OR specialist.
1-3.
APPLICATION OF MEDICAL PROCEDURES
An OR specialist may be assigned to any one of a variety of Army
hospitals in the United States (US) or in a foreign country. The mobility of an Army
hospital determines in part the amount of supplies and type of equipment it uses. This
in turn may affect the manner in which the OR specialist applies various medical
procedures.
NOTE:
Mobility refers to the ability of a unit to move both personnel and equipment
from one location to another, using its own transportation. A fixed unit is one
that cannot change locations because the structures housing it are of a
permanent type.
a. Mobility. Some Army hospitals are more mobile than others. For example, a
combat support hospital (CSH) (see figures 1-1 and 1-2) utilizes medical unit self-
contained transportable (MUST) equipment and modular structures. The basic CSH
can be transported to a new location in four loads. On the other hand, a general
hospital is fixed.
MD0923
1-2