GoodHolidayStore planning guide
OR Lunch With Five Job Titles? Run One Game
Your Perioperative Nurses Week lunch has OR nurses, PACU, pre-op, surgical techs and maybe sterile processing at one table, and nobody agrees on a theme. Run one OR activity everyone can join and skip the rest. The OR bundle already lists all of those roles in its audience.
Write down who's actually coming
Write down who's actually joining lunch: OR nurses, pre-op and PACU colleagues, surgical technologists, anesthesia staff or sterile processing colleagues. You don't need a perfect seating chart. You do need to know if you're organizing a departmental break or a wider surgical-services gathering.
Ask which people can stay for the activity and who may need to leave after food. Put the welcome and thank-you before the game, so early departures still receive the recognition. The activity is something to enjoy together, not the admission ticket to being thanked.
For a mixed table, describe the plan plainly: “We'll eat first, then there's an optional picture activity.” That gives someone arriving midway a useful expectation. It also keeps the host from trying to explain three rule sets over the sound of lunch being served.
One OR bundle can cover a wider table
Perioperative Nurses Week Games is a 25-activity bundle. Its audience includes perioperative and OR nurses, surgical technologists, PACU and pre-op nurses, anesthesia teams and sterile processing teams. That's a useful starting point for a lunch spanning those colleagues.
Named activities include OR Trivia Challenge, Name That OR Item, Staff Lounge I-Spy, Surgery Timeline and The Missing Scrub Cap. The bundle supplies a Quick Host Guide and objective answer keys. Would You Rather is unscored if you'd prefer conversation over announcing winners.
Inspect one activity for the table you have. A picture page may suit seated guests who want to chat while working; an acted or turn-taking round asks more of the room. Read its directions before you announce it.
Pairs work: say so before you hand out copies, and don't pair by seniority.
When to add the SPD bundle
Sterile Processing Week Games is a separate 25-game collection for SPD and central sterile teams, managers and educators, and OR support staff. It includes SPD Trivia Showdown, Name That SPD Item, Prep and Pack I-Spy and The Tray That Wouldn't Wait.
Consider it when sterile processing colleagues are joining and you specifically want their working world reflected in the activity. You might inspect Prep and Pack I-Spy as an alternative to the OR picture page. That is a choice between rounds, not a reason to double the lunch agenda.
If you're buying from scratch, compare the named activities with the group before selecting a pack. If the OR bundle already provides a suitable shared activity, you can keep the purchase and preparation to that one product. More PDFs won't make the thank-you more personal by themselves.
| Guest list or mood | First option to inspect | Why it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Shared perioperative lunch | OR bundle activity | Its audience names several perioperative roles |
| SPD-focused appreciation | SPD bundle activity | Its theme centers sterile processing work |
| Wider healthcare gathering | Healthcare Worker Trivia | Its questions cover multiple roles |
| People want to rest and talk | A specific thank-you and lunch | No additional game setup |
Offer general trivia when the gathering is general
Healthcare Worker Trivia gives you 20 multiple-choice questions across healthcare roles. The listing describes A4 and US Letter versions, each with two question pages, an answer key and a host and print guide. It suggests 10–15 minutes for answering and one point per correct answer.
Allow time beyond that answering window for passing out pages and checking them. Introduce it as general healthcare trivia. It isn't an OR-specific quiz, and it isn't included with either bundle.
Say up front whether it's scored. A surprise winner at an unscored lunch kills the mood.
Print for lunch, not for a filing cabinet
Both the OR and SPD bundles supply Letter and A4 full-page files with 39 pages each, plus two-per-page editions with 21. Full-page layouts give the largest text. Some games span two pages, and the smaller editions keep those pages together rather than guaranteeing two complete games per sheet.
Open the selected activity and check its full page range. Print at Actual Size or 100%, inspect a test copy and separate the matching answers. The bundles' general setup names pens, a timer and one die; bring what your chosen game's directions require.
Clear a writing space beside plates instead of laying paper over the meal. Tell people where clean copies and pens are, and put any host supplies within your reach. Once everyone sits down, you should be explaining the activity rather than searching the download for its second page.
End with the thank-you still in view
Finish the answer reveal or final turn before offering another round. Ask if people want to continue. A room that prefers to talk has already given you a useful answer.
For a free plan, skip the printable and write a short note to each colleague about a contribution you appreciate. Offer one optional prompt at lunch: “What's one small kindness from a teammate that made your day easier?” General examples are enough; leave patient details and private incidents out.
The lunch should give people a clear welcome, something they can comfortably join and a finish that lets them return to their day.
Questions and answers
Is the OR bundle only for operating room nurses?
No. The listed audience also includes surgical technologists, PACU and pre-op nurses, anesthesia teams and sterile processing teams, so it suits a mixed surgical-services table.
Do we need both the OR and SPD bundles?
No. One OR activity can carry the whole lunch. Add the SPD bundle only if sterile processing is coming and you want their work in the game.
What does the broader healthcare quiz include?
It has 20 multiple-choice questions across healthcare roles, two question pages, an answer key and a host and print guide in A4 and US Letter versions.
How can we include colleagues who leave lunch early?
Do the thank-you before the game and name the finish ("answers at 12:40"). Early leavers still get thanked, and nobody is left holding half a game.