27^th World Nursing and Nurse Practitioner Conference

Surgical Nursing Practitioner

Surgical nurse practitioners (or SNPs) are registered nurses who work within an operating theater alongside a larger medical team. Surgical nurses perform a variety of duties before, during, and after a surgery in support of the surgical staff as well as the patient.

The goal of surgical nurse practitioner programs is to educate and train advanced practice registered nurses to become well-prepared, qualified surgical practitioners. Surgical NP programs are designed to equip students with the ability to practice with a high level of autonomy and within acceptable standards of care for surgical patients. Students in these programs participate in didactic coursework and clinical rotations in various surgical settings, including vascular surgery, surgical oncology, transplantation, reconstructive surgery, surgical intensive care. The exposure to diverse surgical opportunities gives program participants the chance to see first-hand the different types of surgical specialties available and prepare them to make decisions about their careers moving forward.