Background of the Operating Room and Anesthesia Department

The department of operating room and anesthesia was founded at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 1979. Since 1979, the department has offered associate degree courses in the field of operating room, while offering associate degree courses in anesthesia since 1986, and granting admission to the continuous and intermittent BS students of operating room and anesthesia since 2008.

Student admission at the level of intermittent BS persisted until 2015, which was discontinued due to the policies of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Currently, the department accepts students in the two levels of continuous and intermittent BS in the fields of operating room and anesthesia, with 100 students in the former at both levels, who are admitted each year for the second semester (February). Presently, students are engaged in the first, third, fifth and seventh term of continuous BS, as well as the third term of the intermittent BS courses.

In the field of anesthesia (continuous and intermittent), there are a total of 102 students, who are admitted at the beginning of the first semester each year (September), and are currently engaged in the fourth, sixth and eighth term of continuous BS, as well as the fourth term of the intermittent BS courses. 

Theoretical education for the students is provided at the Clinical Skills Training Center at Mashhad Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in order to prepare them on the necessary care procedures before admission to the apprenticeship courses. Practitioner and apprenticeship courses are offered by more than 15 sections of general and specialized surgery in the hospitals affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Faculty members of the department include experienced, young professors, which testifies to the reliability and vitality of the department. Permanent educational board consists of 6 stable members (3 faculty members with PhD and 3 individuals with master's degree). In addition, recruitment of PhD candidates, who are faculty members of other universities, could be beneficial for the department in conveying various educational approaches.

Operating Room Field

Mission:

At the level of continuous BS, the main mission of the operating room field is to train knowledgeable, committed and efficient human workforce, who are able to present the required healthcare and educational services in an economical manner at the highest standards for the generalization, preservation and promotion of patient and community health by acquiring professional skills in the operating room and exploiting updated technology and modern sciences. This goal is achieved by developing knowledge, education and research in the bachelor's degree level of the operating room field.

Training of these workforces enables proper and effective patient care before, during and after surgery, especially in the case of specialized surgeries and different types of scopes, control and prevention of hospital-acquired infections, creating suitable mental atmospheres for the patients, and efficient preservation of equipment and medical devices.

Vision:

 Based on the educational agenda, students of this field will be educated in accordance with the Association of Surgical Technologists standards proportionate to the rapid development of surgical techniques and robotic surgeries in the next 10 years. Furthermore, graduates of this field will be able to establish their position in various domains of surgery with both general and specialized knowledge of operating rooms, which provides effective and economical services in order to promote community health and optimize surgical operations on a domestic and international scale.

Aims

The main aim of the educational agenda at the continuous BS level of the operating room field is to train committed professionals, who can meet the healthcare needs of the community by offering high-quality services in accordance with advanced practical principles and incremental trend of surgeries and surgical technologies.

Therefore, the aim of the field is to promote the knowledge, attitude and skills of operating room technologists to perform their professional role in the following domains:

v  Ability to prepare the operating room environment using aseptic (sterile and disinfection) techniques

v  Ability to apply the correct principles of patient positioning

v  Proper vision of the surgery environment during the operation (using retractors, gases and suction)

v  Knowledge of appropriate techniques to help the surgeon in homeostasis

v  Accelerate the process of surgery by anticipating the surgeon's needs

v  Adequate knowledge of normal and pathological anatomy and physiology

v  Adequate knowledge of emergency conditions

v  Preservation of surgical device and equipment based on safety principles and observance of safety for patients and other individuals in the operating room

v  High organizational skills

v  Adequate knowledge and practice regarding the basic concepts of patient care and surgical techniques

v  Application of aseptic (sterile and disinfection) techniques to provide proper patient care

v  Performing the role of the scrubbed individual in all the basic and specialized surgeries

v  Responsible behavior and professional attitude as expected from an individual involved in the field of healthcare

v  Adequate knowledge and skills related to mobile individuals

Anesthesia Field

Mission of Educational Agenda in Training Human Workforce

Missions of the anesthesia field are as follows: training of students who are able to perform the required tasks in healthcare and educational aspects in order to help anesthesiologists in anesthetizing and mobilizing the patients under the necessary supervision. Achieving this goal will result in proper patient care before, during and after anesthesia, constant monitoring of patients' vital signs, good mental conditions for patients, preventing the transmission and spread of infections, contribution to cardiac, pulmonary and stroke resuscitation (CPCR), preserving patient's health in PACU, and proper maintenance of the devices and equipment at the anesthesia section.

Vision of the Educational Agenda for Human Workforce Training

Considering the changes and extensiveness of sciences across the world, the anesthesia field is expected to become a popular educational field on domestic and international scales by adopting innovation, acquiring information, and conveying modern knowledge and clinical skills, emphasizing on active learning and constant patient care with the highest quality.

Goals

A) Training of students who can address the needs of patients before, during and after anesthesia

B) Training of students who can endeavor for the promotion of health and patient care to the level of optimization and satisfaction

C) Training of students who can perform the required tasks in the ICU and CCU after anesthesia

D) Training of students who can play an effective role in saving patients' life under emergency conditions

E)  Training of students who can be ahead in educating patients, their families and other individuals

F) Training of students who can understand the importance of proper relationship with patients, their families and other individuals.