It is my pleasure to welcome you to an actual operating room in an Alberta Health Services facility.

I hope by showing you what the operating room looks like, and by introducing you to the people who be part of your surgical team, we can help reduce any anxiety you might be feeling.

Your operating nurse will first meet you in the pre-op holding area and will ask you a number of questions for patient verification: your name, date of birth, what surgery you are having, and the name of your surgeon

Your anesthesiologist will also talk to you in the pre-op holding area prior to your surgery to talk about how you'll be kept comfortable during your surgery.

From the pre-op holding area, you will be wheeled on a stretcher into the operating room.

You'll be asked to slide from your stretcher onto the operating bed. If you need assistance, we'll be happy to help you.

A safety belt, much like a seat belt, will be placed across your thighs. This is an important safety measure because the bed you are now on is very narrow, and there's no wiggle room.

We will position you comfortably, keep you warm, and maintain your dignity and privacy.

When you first arrive to the operating room, there will be a flurry of activity with many people working around you to get things ready.

You might see a member of the nursing team set up the sterile components needed for your procedure.

2 or 3 people will be attending to you, preparing you for surgery.

You will be hooked up to monitors that will measure your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels.

Actually there may be as many as 7 people in your surgical room attending to all of your needs.

Safety is a priority in the operating room.

Prior to your anesthetic, you will be included in part 1 of a safe surgery checklist.

The safe surgery checklist is a 3-part set of questions and checks designed to help keep you safe as you go into surgery.

Your surgeon, anesthetist, and nursing team will be present during the checklist where you'll be asked some of the same questions you've already answered, including: your name and birth date, what surgery you're having, any allergies you may have, your health history, when you last ate and drank.

The team will perform parts 2 and 3 after you are asleep.

If you do not already have an intravenous started, the anesthetist will now start one. This is how the medications are given to you for your anesthetic.

Shortly, you will be going off to sleep and the surgical and anesthetic team will take excellent care of you.

We will perform what we call a prep of your surgical area by gently scrubbing the skin and cleaning it with an antiseptic solution, all to decrease the risk of infection.

After the prep, we will apply sterile drapes, leaving uncovered only the surgical area.

Draping prevents infections and helps keep you warm.

We call these the prep and drape parts of the procedure.

All in all, it takes about 30 minutes from when you enter the operating room until your surgeon is ready to start the procedure.

Please be assured that even though we are performing multiple functions, you are always the most important person in the operating room.

When the surgery is finished, the incision is covered in a sterile dressing.

You will be carefully transferred back to your stretcher and taken to the recovery room.

Here you will receive nursing care as you wake up from the surgery.

They will take your vitals and ensure you are safe for the return to the surgical unit where you will begin your recovery.

We take pride in delivering the very best surgical care and keeping you safe will always be our greatest concern.​