This Beyond the Beside episode covers Taylor’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Chapter 31 – Perioperative Nursing
In this Beyond the Bedside episode, we dive into Taylor’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Chapter 31: Perioperative Nursing. We follow the surgical patient through every perioperative phase: preoperative assessment and teaching, intraoperative safety and positioning, and postoperative recovery in the PACU and on the unit. Using Molly’s vaginal hysterectomy, Marcus’s total hip replacement, and Gabrielle’s tonsillectomy as our guides, we connect real nursing actions to the textbook concepts.
We break down surgery classifications, informed consent and advance directives, anesthesia types (general, regional, local, topical, and moderate sedation), and the nurse’s role in preventing complications like hemorrhage, shock, DVT and VTE, pulmonary embolus, pneumonia, atelectasis, and surgical site infection. You will review pain management, deep breathing, coughing, incentive spirometry, leg exercises, early ambulation, and psychosocial support for anxiety, grief, and body-image changes.
The episode closes with clinical reasoning scenarios and NCLEX-style questions with full rationales, so you can practice prioritization, safety, and advocacy long before you take care of your own perioperative patients beyond the bedside.
