Tech Tip
Do not depend on hearsay or someone else’s understanding or opinion regarding the limits of your practice. Use your computer competence and the easy availability of the Internet to read the pertinent legislative statutes for yourself. Ask for assistance at your facility’s medical library or from the reference librarian at any public library. Remember, professional surgical technologists should be highly knowledgeable regarding their own practice.
Institutional policies and procedures regarding medication handling and administration should be clearly understood as well. All staff members have a duty to know and adhere to established medication policies and procedures. Handling medications is a critical function in the surgical technologist’s job description. Several different types of medications are obtained and passed to the surgeon routinely during a procedure, and the surgical technologist must be knowledgeable regarding such drugs.
Note
The limits of legal authority for the surgical technologist to perform the indicated roles described in this text are controlled by each state through its statutes, case law, regulatory law, attorney general opinions, and medical licensing boards. Discussion of these sources of law is beyond the scope of this text. Except as otherwise noted, this book describes the general practice of surgical technology in the United States, not the legal authority for such practice. It is the surgical technologist’s responsibility to consult the limitations in his or her area on acts described in this book.
Surgical Technologist’s Roles in Medication Administration
Administration of drugs from the sterile field is a team effort. Each team member has a particular role in the process (Box 4-1). Most commonly, medications used from the sterile field are obtained by the circulator (a nonsterile team member) and delivered to the scrub person (a sterile team member). The scrub person is responsible for passing the medication to the surgeon for administration during the surgical procedure. Each team member is responsible for accurately identifying all medications used from the sterile field during a surgical procedure.
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