Skip to main content
Owlsagacity CMESign in

About this activity

Know how to behave, communicate, and protect the patient before you ever cross the red line.

Needs assessment

Drawn from published surgical safety literature, incident reporting themes (contamination breaches, communication failures in handoffs and time-outs), and repeated informal instruction of learners at the point of care.

Practice gap

New and rotating OR personnel frequently arrive without formal instruction in sterile-field behavior, traffic and attire rules, closed-loop communication, and speak-up escalation, contributing to preventable contamination events, wrong-site risk, and team conflict.

Target audience

Physician assistants, medical and PA students, nurses, surgical technologists, first assistants, industry representatives, and any clinician preparing for perioperative rotations or duties.

Format and requirements

  • Enduring online material, self-paced and resumable
  • 120 minutes of instruction across four stages
  • 80% required on the final assessment, three attempts
  • Minimum 60 minutes of active participation
  • Evaluation and signed attestation required before a certificate is issued

Competency domains

  • Sterile Field Integrity

    Recognizing, maintaining, and restoring the sterile field and its boundaries.

  • Infection Prevention

    Hand hygiene, attire, traffic, and environmental practices that reduce infection risk.

  • Closed-Loop Communication

    Structured, verifiable exchange of clinical information within the team.

  • Universal Protocol & Time-Out

    Site marking, verification, time-out, and surgical safety checklist practice.

  • Professionalism & Etiquette

    Role clarity, hierarchy, boundaries, and conduct in the perioperative environment.

  • Speak-Up & Safety Culture

    Escalation, psychological safety, error reporting, and just culture behaviors.

Evidence base

Content is derived from these sources. Guideline text is cited, not reproduced, and edition or year is recorded for each.

  • World Health Organization

    WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery / Surgical Safety Checklist

    2009 guidelines; checklist 1st ed. — Cited for checklist structure and time-out content.

    Source

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings

    2002; WHO 2009 update referenced — Cited for hand hygiene indications and technique.

    Source

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection

    2017 — Cited for SSI prevention practices.

    Source

  • AORN

    Guidelines for Perioperative Practice

    Current edition — Cited only; AORN text is not reproduced. Facility policy governs specifics.

    Source

  • The Joint Commission

    Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, Wrong Person Surgery

    Current — Cited for pre-procedure verification, site marking, and time-out.

    Source

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

    TeamSTEPPS 3.0

    2023 — Cited for CUS, SBAR, and two-challenge rule.

    Source