Every OR runs a little differently, and every circulator walks in with a different mix of experience. This circulating nurse skills checklist is how we find out what’s actually in your toolbox. You rate yourself on real procedures and real equipment, line by line, so nobody has to guess what you can handle.
The reason we bother goes back to how Junxion started. Our founder spent years working travel contracts himself, and he watched too many submittals go sideways because an agency pitched skills that weren’t there. We’d rather know up front that you’ve never touched a craniotome than find out on day two of a neuro-heavy contract. When your checklist is accurate, we can line you up with contracts that fit the way you actually work, not the way a resume keyword scan reads you.
One heads-up before you start: this list runs long. It covers a couple hundred line items across the full range of circulating work, so give yourself a few quiet minutes with it. And if some sections come up empty for you, don’t sweat it. The list is long on purpose, and we have yet to meet a circulator who could check every box.
What does this OR skills checklist actually cover?
It covers the whole job, not just the headline cases. You’ll find sections for Circulating Duties (think perioperative assessment and developing the plan of care), Positioning from supine and prone through lithotomy and beachchair, plus the big service lines, including General Surgery and CT/PV cases like coronary artery bypass grafts. There’s also a 45-item Equipment section that asks what you’ve actually run, argon beam coagulator included. Each line wants two answers from you: a skill level, where the scale tops out at Supervise/Teach and bottoms out at None, and a frequency, which runs all the way down to Never/Observed Only. Answer honestly on both. A gap on paper beats a surprise in the room.
What happens once you submit the checklist?
The moment you hit submit, the form emails your completed checklist to you and notifies our recruiting team. Then the part that matters: an actual US-based recruiter, not an offshore overflow desk, sits down with your ratings and weighs them against the OR contracts we have open. When something matches your mix, we’ll reach out and talk it through. When nothing does, we’d rather say that plainly than squeeze you into a bad fit, and your checklist will be sitting ready when the right room posts.
While you wait, get a feel for what OR travel nursing with Junxion actually looks like.
FAQ: OR Circulating Nurse Skills Checklist
Why do OR travelers have to fill out a skills checklist?
Facilities ask for them. Before an OR manager will interview a traveler, they want proof of what that nurse can handle, and a skills checklist is the standard way to show it. It also protects you. If your checklist says you’ve never circulated hearts, a facility can’t expect you to run CT/PV cases solo in week one. Filling it out carefully now saves you from a mismatched contract later.
How much OR experience do I need to take a travel circulating contract?
There’s no universal number, because each facility sets its own experience bar for the travelers it takes. Recent hands-on circulating time is the thing to lead with, and your checklist helps here: strong ratings in the service lines a facility actually runs can count for more than the exact number of years on your resume. Our jobs board shows everything we have posted right now.
What if I haven't done a lot of the procedures on the checklist?
That’s normal, and it’s exactly why the rating scale goes all the way down to None and Never/Observed Only. Nobody circulates all of it. A nurse who’s deep in ortho and light in neuro is still a great match for the right OR. Mark what you know and be honest about what you don’t. Then let us worry about finding the room where your mix fits. It works out a lot better than padding your ratings and white-knuckling your first week.
How do I update my checklist if my experience changes?
Just fill it out again. Submit a fresh version any time and the newest one goes straight to our recruiting team, or simply tell your recruiter what’s new. Picked up robotics experience mid-contract? That opens doors, so say so. A copy of every submission is emailed to you as well, which makes it easy to keep track of what you sent and when.