What does an operating room nurse do?
An operating room nurse, also called a perioperative nurse, is a registered nurse who cares for patients before, during and after surgery. In the OR they usually work as the circulating nurse or the scrub nurse.
Circulating and scrub roles
The circulating nurse manages the room: verifies the patient and procedure, documents, gets supplies and speaks for the patient. The scrub nurse, or a surgical technologist, stays in the sterile field and hands instruments to the surgeon. Some nurses also serve as first assistants after extra training.
Training and certification
OR nursing starts with an RN license. Many hospitals offer perioperative residencies for new graduates, and the Competency and Credentialing Institute offers the voluntary CNOR certification after experience in the OR. See the types of nurses who work in the operating room.
Pay
The BLS does not report OR nurses separately. The median RN earned $97,550 in May 2025.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.