A recent article about robots in the operating room piqued my interest. I am a fan of new technologies, but the terminology used throughout the article bothered me. The robots were coined “robotic scrub nurses.” Excuse me? I highly value my title – nurse. We are the most trusted professionals, so to reduce a nurse’s role to “robot” perturbed me and still does.

The article discusses how the robot may increase efficiencies within the operating room [emphasis mine]. Developers are working to make the robot anticipate surgeons’ needs. The robot basically handles surgical instruments, handing them to the surgeon once the surgeon creates specific hand gestures. Passing instruments is great, but that is not the entire role of the scrub nurse. Clinical judgment is still needed. Professional nurses rock this role, providing quality patient care that is all-to-often unnoticed. While the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) does state the role of the scrub nurse “may be delegated to a UAP, LPN or LVN,” the Association also states the perioperative nurse is “a fundamental member of the surgical team…[and] works in collaboration with other health care professionals which may include the surgeon, circulating nurse, anesthesia provider, surgical assistant, and other assistive personnel.”

The robot technology is still about five years away and needs some glitch-proof software installed. Even if it can anticipate a surgeon’s next surgical instrument, I don’t see the role of scrub nurses going away anytime in the near future. Sure, let’s give the robot a try, but let’s try another name, shall we? Robots aren’t nurses.