Once there, if you have not registered, the registrar will obtain your information. Please have a picture ID and insurance cards available. If you have previously registered, inform the registrar of your arrival. Your information will be updated and verified, and you will be asked to take a seat in the waiting area.

When it is time for your surgery, a member of the Surgical Admitting Unit staff (SAU) staff will bring you and one family member to the admitting unit. You will be asked your name and date of birth frequently. This is the way we identify you throughout the surgical process. A staff member will weigh you, take your vital signs and escort you to an area where you can change into a hospital gown. Please keep the curtain closed until a nurse arrives to complete the admitting process. At that time, the nurse will verify medical information, and the date and times of the last doses of medications you have taken. An IV will be started and you will receive any other preparations for surgery (such as clipping hair) if ordered by your surgeon. While in SAU, you will meet the anesthesiologist who is caring for you during your surgery. The anesthesiologist will ask you many of the same questions you have already been asked so that your medical history is continuously verified. Please be sure to inform the anesthesiologist of any problems you or your family have experienced with anesthesia. The anesthesiologist works with a certified registered nurse anesthetist. These nurses have advanced degrees and education in administering anesthesia under an anesthesiologist's guidance.

These important actions will take place in Surgical Admitting:

• We will verify your identity and place an ID band on your arm.
• We will verify your surgical consent.
• We will warm you with warming gowns and blankets.
• Your surgeon will mark the surgical site (when necessary).