Registered Nurse – Operating Room Perioperative Nursing

(Postgraduate) (S414)

Program Details

  • Program Code: S414
  • Credential:
    Ontario College Graduate Certificate
  • Duration:
    1 semester
  • Method of Study:
    Full-time
  • Starting Months: January, May, September
  • Domestic Tuition:
    $2,414.00 *
  • Spring 2026 Delivery:
    Semester 1: Hybrid

Program Availability

SemesterDomesticInternational
Fall 2025
Closed
Not Available
Winter 2026
Closed
Not Available
Spring 2026
Closed
Not Available
  • Work-Integrated Learning:

    Clinical Placement

  • PGWP Eligible: No
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Program Description

Leadership Claims

Logo for the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (ORNAC)

Preparing registered nurses to work in the operating room for over 50 years.

This full-time, 14-week program has been accredited with the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (ORNAC) since 2017.

Program Overview

Registered Nurse – Operating Room Perioperative Nursing (Postgraduate S414) is a graduate certificate program for Registered Nurses. In one semester, graduates will have learned the necessary skills required to work collaboratively in surgical settings. This program includes both a theory and clinical practice component.

Full Description

Registered Nurse – Operating Room Perioperative Nursing (Postgraduate S414) is an ORNAC accredited program that utilizes current perioperative nursing research and strictly adheres to the ORNAC Standards of Practice.

This graduate certificate program prepares the Registered Nurse to transition into perioperative settings. As a student in this program, you will learn operating room principles and practice considerations for diverse surgical specialties.

Topics include:

  • the study of relevant anatomy
  • surgical modalities
  • surgical instrumentation
  • the nursing process of caring for perioperative patients
  • simulated lab practice to consolidate the development of the scrub and circulating nurse roles

As a student in this program, you will complete a clinical practicum in an operating room with an emphasis on both roles in various surgical specialties.

Course Delivery

This course will be delivered through multi-modal learning and will include:

  • synchronous and asynchronous in class and online theory
  • lab skills and simulation
  • clinical practical experiences

The program is organized in two phases.

Phase I: Nursing 4045: Nursing Theory and Lab Skills

During the first five weeks of this program, you will learn:

  • current ORNAC standards, principles and applications
  • surgical anatomy and instrumentation
  • intensive study of surgical interventions and surgical technologies
  • role of the scrub nurse
  • role of the circulating nurse
  • clinical lab skills delivered at George Brown's Operating Room in our accredited Simulation Centre

Phase II: Nursing 4046: Clinical Practicum

During the second phase of this program, you will consolidate operating room theory and principles at a designated hospital facility during an eight-week (320-hour) clinical placement.

This includes:

  • development of the scrub nurse role
  • development of the circulating nurse role
  • exposure to various surgical specialties (i.e., general surgery, urology, gynecology, plastic surgery, ENT and orthopedic surgery)
  • safe and professional practice

While in the clinical setting, you will participate in online discussions through live video conferences and complete clinical assignments as per the course syllabus.

Clinical experiences are co-ordinated by the program co-ordinator at hospitals in and outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), or at the hospital where you currently work. If you are a sponsored (hired) student, you will complete your clinical placements at the hospital where you are employed.

PLEASE NOTE: Public Health continues to recommend that people working with vulnerable communities be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Clinical agency partners continue to require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to be approved to complete clinical placements within their facilities. Agencies have the right to decline the placement of students who are not fully vaccinated, and students who are not vaccinated are at risk of not being able to complete their clinical placement course requirements.

Career & Postgraduate Study Opportunities

Educational Pathways

Upon completion of George Brown’s Registered Nurse – Operating Room Perioperative Nursing graduate certificate program, you will be eligible to submit the Course Curriculum Outline from the year the program was taken. You may apply for a transfer credit toward the Post-Diploma B.Sc.N. program at Toronto Metropolitan University.

For further information, see the Transfer Guide.

Alumni Impact

We are immensely proud of the contributions of our alumni in Toronto and around the globe.

From Michelin-starred restaurants to major construction, entertainment, community and financial organizations, our graduates are truly making an impact across a range of industries.

Latest Alumni Stories

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"The Registered Nurse – Operating Room Perioperative Nursing program provided me with the theory and skills in order to provide safe and effective patient care in a surgical setting. By practicing each new skill in the Simulation Centre, I was able to add on to my skill set and feel confident entering my 8-week clinical placement. We were given the knowledge and hands-on skills required in order to work alongside surgeons, anesthesiologists, RNFAs and other healthcare professionals in a fast-paced environment."

Mathumesa Muhunthan
Ontario College Graduate Certificate

"The combination of in-class theory work and reinforcement in the skills lab creates an atmosphere where all aspiring perioperative nurses can succeed. The Perioperative RN program at George Brown Polytechnic has had an invaluable impact on my nursing career."

Kwesi Asamoah
Ontario College Graduate Certificate

“Having the access to apply what you’ve learned in theory to labs and clinical truly facilitated my learning in the clinical setting. I was able to become more confident in my skills in the Operating Room, which allowed me to become a competent Registered Nurse.”

Sabrina Sudhai
Ontario College Graduate Certificate

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