Theatre/Perioperative Services

The Perioperative Services team comprises:

• Anaesthetic, scrub and recovery room nurses
• Administrative staff
• Orderlies
• Sterilising technician support staff

All surgical specialties except Obstetrics and Paediatrics are undertaken at
St Vincent’s Hospital.

Education & Support Programs
The service provides a range of educational and support programs for nurses including:

The Transitional Support Program for new graduate nurses. The Operating Suite provides opportunities for rotational and 12-month strand programs for those who have an interest in working in the perioperative environment.

Foundations in Perioperative Nursing: This program is a 20-week introductory program to perioperative nursing and is available for all nurses looking at making perioperative nursing a career choice.

Perioperative Nursing Course: This unique program consists of both tertiary and clinical components that facilitates the education of nurses to enable them to become expert perioperative nurses. The program has been successfully running at St Vincent’s Hospital since 1965.

Perioperative Introductory Program (PIP): This is a five-day introductory program for New Graduate Nurses who have a keen interest in perioperative nursing.

Nurse education and support - a comprehensive nursing education support program facilitated by two clinical nurse educators and a nurse educator.

Perioperative Practice Development CNC role: This position is an area-wide position for Perioperative Practice and Development, providing clinical leadership, research and education support. The role of the CNC is also to identify and assist with developing strategies to attract nurses to the perioperative specialty. Strategies are also identified and implemented to sustain and support perioperative specialty practice.

Acute Pain Management, Parenteral Nutrition and Vascular Access CNC Roles: Clinical management of the care of patients receiving intravenous therapy, parenteral nutrition, patient controlled analgesia and epidural analgesia, and maintenance and evaluation of hospital and divisional policies.

Cardiopulmonary Transplantation: St Vincent’s Hospital has had a long and successful reputation in cardiopulmonary transplantation. The first heart transplant in Australia was performed in 1968 at St Vincent’s Hospital by Dr Harry Windsor and in 1990, the Hospital performed the fist single lung transplant in Australia. St Vincent’s Hospital has specialty teams supporting this program.

Anaesthetic and surgical registrar training programs: The Operating Suite supports many medical specialty training programs by providing several surgical and anaesthetic rotations affiliated with the relevant surgical and anaesthetic colleges.

Ms Mary Therese Butler
Nurse Manager, Perioperative Services
T 02 8382 3440
F 02 8382 3771
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Dr Antony Graham
Chairman, Division of Surgery,
Dr Graham is Chairman of the Perioperative Services Management Committee and is also VMO Vascular Surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital.
T 02 8382 6642
F 02 8382 6642

Supporting leadership     

Ms Lee Black Nursing Unit Manager – Operational	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Eleanor Halvey Nursing Unit Manager After Hours Coordinator	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Carol Pavelka Nursing Unit Manager Anaesthetics	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Cesare Aguilar Nursing Unit Manager Recovery	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Rebecca Benischke Nursing Unit Manager Sterile Processing Centre and Inventory Management	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Mr Peter Downey Nursing Unit Manager Prosthesis Management (project role)	T 02 8382 3447  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Margaret Butler Nurse Educator, Perioperative Services	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Kelly Sinclair Clinical Nurse Educator Cardiothoracic, Perioperative Services	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Danielle Henson (Acting) Clinical Nurse Educator Perioperative Services	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295
Ms Sally Sutherland Fraser Clinical Nurse Consultant Perioperative practice & development SEAHS	T 02 8382 2606  F 02 8382 2910
Mr Nicholas Yacopetti Clinical Nurse Consultant Acute Pain Management, Parenteral Nutrition and Vascular Access	T 02 8382 2153
Ms Fiona Bailey Clinical Nurse Consultant Acute Pain Management, Parenteral Nutrition and Vascular Access	T 02 8382 2151
Ms Marilyn Carter Clinical Nurse Consultant Acute Pain Management, Parenteral Nutrition and Vascular Access	T 02 8382 2151
Mr Andrew Thomas Chief Orderly	T 02 8382 3440  F 02 8382 2295