Not everyone is cut out to be a nurse. In addition to being a natural-born empath and having an inherent drive to provide care to others, you also need to be focused and disciplined. The importance of these qualities compounds in high-stress environments, especially for an OR Nurse.
If you’re the kind of person who can stay focused and remain calm under pressure, becoming a CNOR credentialed perioperative nurse may be the right career choice for you.
But what exactly is an OR nurse’s job? Are perioperative nurses in demand? And what qualifications does one need to become a perioperative nurse?
To help you understand the role’s requirements and what it entails to work in an operating room, we’ve answered these questions and more below.
What Does An Operating Room Nurse Do?
Operating Room nurses spend most of their workday providing patients with medical attention before, during, and after surgery. It is for this reason that having surgical and medical skills is crucial for an OR nurse.
On any given day, an operating room nurse may be required to:
- Ensure medical equipment is functioning correctly.
- Monitor the patient’s condition and ensure their safety.
- Convey the needs of the patient to the rest of the team.
- Educate the patient and their family about the procedure.
- Arrange for medical supplies that the patient and the OR need.
- Manage a patient throughout the surgical procedure including patient positioning.
OR nurses also have other responsibilities, almost all of which demand a calm demeanor even if the circumstances are stressful. Perioperative nurses have a thorough knowledge of medical technology. They also pay great attention to detail to ensure that every patient gets the care they need, especially during surgery.
OR nursing is one of the only jobs in healthcare where an RN must care for only one patient at a time before, during, and after surgery.
The most common surgeries an operating room nurse helps with include:
- C-section surgery- Lower back surgeries- Appendectomies- Coronary bypasses- Mastectomies- Breast biopsies- Tonsillectomies
The role may sound difficult. However, while demanding, the job can be highly rewarding as most patients undergo procedures that are life-changing or even life-sustaining.
Where Do Perioperative Nurses Work?
A perioperative nurse will typically work in an operating room in various healthcare facilities. However, a registered nurse may also work in departments concerned with the operating room and the surgery that takes place in it.
Hospital Operating Rooms
Most OR nurses, especially scrub nurses, work in general hospitals and assist other healthcare professionals in orchestrating various surgeries. The majority of general service hospitals handle mild surgeries and also surgical procedures to correct developing conditions in patients.
Outpatient Centers
These are also known as ambulatory centers, but they’re fundamentally the same as hospitals. The key differentiating factor is that these prioritize treating patients who do not need overnight care. In this work environment, scrub nurses may help with outpatient surgeries.
More than 50% of elective surgeries are performed in outpatient centers. As a result, OR nurses can expect to have densely packed schedules. However, most of the procedures performed at outpatient centers are minor procedures.
An operating room nurse at an outpatient center will mostly be involved in limited ear and nose procedures. They may also help with tonsillectomies, nerve ministrations, and surgeries that involve the extremities of the human body.
Cancer Centers
These healthcare facilities explicitly treat advanced stages of cancer in patients. OR nurses at these facilities are involved in assisting a surgeon(s) with diagnostic, curative, preventive, and invasive surgical procedures.
One of the best things about being a perioperative nurse is that you don’t have to be tied to one employer. You can move from one medical center to another. You can also become a travel OR nurse. Travel nurses stay at medical centers for short periods of time before moving to another facility.
How Much do OR Nurses Make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for registered nurses at $97,550 (OEWS, May 2025), with a mean of $101,420. Those two numbers are not interchangeable: the median is the midpoint nurse, while the mean is pulled upward by high earners in California, Hawaii, and travel contracts. BLS does not publish a separate wage estimate for perioperative nurses, so treat the RN figures as the baseline your OR pay is measured against rather than as an OR-specific number.
Charge nurses typically make a lot more than a regular OR nurse, so if you want to increase your salary, that is the role to pursue in nursing.
You may be paid more or less depending on your experience, work environment, location, and education level. For example, OR nurses with a BSN earn significantly more. See our OR nurse salary guide for detailed pay data, and compare related surgical specialties in our cardiac surgery nurse salary and plastic surgery nurse salary guides.
Types of Operating Room Nurses
Scrub Nurses (Intra-Op Nurses)
A scrub nurse is a registered nurse whose specialty is to sterilize and prepare the OR for a procedure. The duties of these specialized nurses include setting up and counting surgical tools along with ensuring that they are sterile.
One of the key duties of these nurses also includes handing the surgeon the tool they need during the surgery. Besides this, an intra-op nurse may also need to complete paperwork if circumstances demand it.
Pre-Op RNs
These registered nurses note the patient’s medical history and ensure that they are stable and ready for surgery. Pre-ops must also start any IVs patients require, monitor the patient’s vital signs, complete required paperwork, and educate the patient and their family about the procedure.
Circulating Nurses
The circulating nurse is a passive participant in surgical procedures. Circulating nurses are responsible for ensuring that the surgical team follows protocol in the operating room. They work to ensure that every action in the operating room is carried out bearing in mind the patient’s best interest.
These health care workers must also keep track of the sterile tools used in the operating room, and must call for a time-out when necessary.
RN First Assistants
These operative room nurses participate actively in invasive surgeries. It is their job to prevent bleeding, ensure stable blood pressure, and administer medication as necessary. These health care works must perform CPR if the patient suffers from cardiac arrest.
During the procedure, the clinical expert must also monitor the patient’s vital signs and ensure that the team takes steps to protect the patient’s well-being.
Post-Op RN
Post-op nursing is a specialty, and the nurse provides medical care to a patient right after surgery. It is one of the most in-demand specialties, and the nurses in this role are also called Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nurses.
Some of the duties of the PACU include:
- Monitor the patient after they recover from anesthesia.
- Observe patients for complications.
- Educate the patient about how they can recover faster.
- Move the patient to another unit or discharge them as necessary.
Other Types of OR Nurses
There are some nursing roles that bear parallels with OR nurses. Infection control nurses, nurse anesthetists, and nurse consultants are some of the many specialized nurses that can help other health care workers during a procedure if necessary.
How do You Become an Operating Room Nurse?
Becoming an RN
To become an OR nurse that works at a medical facility, you must first get an RN license. The education requirements for the role of an RN are quite flexible.
You must, at minimum, have an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, which takes two years to complete to become an RN. While having a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Nursing (BSN) is optional, most employers prefer hiring professionals that hold a degree in nursing.
Some employers choose to hire those with an associate’s degree for an RN position; however, they require them to earn their bachelor’s degree by an agreed-upon time.
Getting Licensed
After finishing your nursing program, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). The exam may comprise a maximum of 265 questions, of which you must answer at least 75 correct to apply for a license.
Keep in mind that a criminal background check and a reference letter are required in most states to get your license.
OR nurse positions aren’t open to new graduates. You must either have completed an internship or have at least one year of bedside experience to get a job as an OR nurse.
While most prefer earning a degree in nursing before starting to work as a healthcare professional, you can choose to enroll in a hospital-based diploma program and kickstart your career.
While you cannot earn a degree with a hospital-based program, you will receive a lot of hands-on training, allowing you to get a job quicker. That being said, you will need to start your nursing career in the same hospital that trains you and work there for an agreed-upon period.
Certifications and Specialization
Getting certified is one of the best ways to accelerate your career and earn a higher salary. After you become an OR nurse, you can get a Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) certification.
However, keep in mind that you must have at least two years of experience as an OR nurse to be eligible for CNOR certification.
Alternatively, you could get a CRNFA, CSSM, or CNS-CP certification to become a first assistant, manager, or clinical nurse specialist respectively. You can look at your various specialization options on the AORN website.
Perioperative Nurse: Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects registered nurse employment to grow 6% over the 2025–2035 decade, faster than the average across all occupations, with roughly 180,800 openings a year. Most of those openings come from nurses retiring or moving into other fields rather than from newly created posts, which is the mechanism that keeps experienced-nurse demand high even in a market that is not expanding quickly.
The national picture is more nuanced than the “nursing shortage” headline suggests. HRSA’s Nurse Workforce Projections, 2023–2038 has national RN supply meeting demand by 2035, leaving a residual shortfall of around 3% by 2038 – but that national figure conceals an 11% shortfall in rural and non-metropolitan areas against 2% in metros. For perioperative nursing specifically, the constraint is less about headcount than about the length of the specialty training pipeline: OR nursing is rarely taught in depth at pre-licensure level, so departments recruit from a pool that has to be built rather than hired, and facilities running perioperative fellowships or residencies are consistently the easier route in.
Advancing Your Career After Becoming an OR Nurse
One of the best things you can pursue to advance your career is to earn a CRNA certification and become a nurse anesthetist. The BLS puts the CRNA median at $236,590 (OEWS, May 2025) against an RN median of $97,550 – roughly two and a half times the baseline, and the largest earnings step available anywhere in nursing. It is also the most demanding: CRNA programs now award a doctorate, run three to four years full-time, and typically require at least a year of critical care experience before you can apply, which for an OR nurse usually means a detour through an ICU rather than a direct move.
Other roles you can consider include Nurse Practitioner (median $132,300), Certified Nurse Midwife ($134,040), Clinical Nurse Specialist, and nursing administration. All of these clear $100,000 annually at the median, though each requires graduate preparation. If surgical specialization appeals to you, our guides on how to become a cardiac surgery nurse, how to become a plastic surgery nurse, and how to become a surgical NP map out the training and credentials each path requires.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Registered Nurses,” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Median annual wage $97,550 (May 2025); 6% projected employment growth 2025–2035; approximately 180,800 openings per year. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141),” Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. National median $97,550, mean $101,420. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Nurse Anesthetists (SOC 29-1151),” Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. National median $236,590. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291151.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Nurse Practitioners (SOC 29-1171)” and “Nurse Midwives (SOC 29-1161),” OEWS, May 2025. Medians $132,300 and $134,040 respectively. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291171.htm
- Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Workforce, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, “Nurse Workforce Projections, 2023–2038,” December 2025. National RN supply meets demand by 2035; 3% residual shortfall at 2038, with an 11% non-metropolitan shortfall against 2% in metro areas. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/data-research/projecting-health-workforce-supply-demand
- Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), “Perioperative Nursing Certification and Career Resources.” https://www.aorn.org/
- Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI), “CNOR, CSSM, and CNS-CP Certification.” Perioperative nursing credentials and eligibility requirements. https://www.cc-institute.org/
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), “NCLEX-RN Test Plan, effective April 2026.” https://www.nclex.com/files/2026_RN_Test%20Plan_English-F.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Ambulatory Surgery Data From Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers,” National Health Statistics Reports. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr102.pdf
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), “Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs.” https://www.aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation – CCNE approved a revised 2026 edition of these Standards on 7 July 2026, realigning them with the AACN Essentials (2026 edition); the 2024 Standards remain in effect through 31 December 2026 and the 2026 Standards take effect 1 January 2027 (CCNE press release, https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/CCNE/CCNE-Press-Release-2026-Education-Standards.pdf).