The Scrub Practitioner and the First Assistant Role

An audit of the activities undertaken by scrub nurses was performed at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee during November 1999. The results showed that a high percentage of scrub practitioners are undertaking first assistant activities. In order to prepare staff for their role within specialised areas of practice, an ongoing program of Fitness for Practice modules is being developed collaboratively between Tayside University Hospitals Trust and the University of Dundee. This article describes their experiences.