A nurse is preparing a sterile field prior to inserting a urinary catheter for a client. Identify the sequence of steps the nurse should plan to follow. (Use the ▲▼ arrows to put the steps in order, placing them in the order of performance. Use all the steps.)

When preparing a sterile field for urinary catheter insertion, the correct sequence follows established aseptic technique principles. The nurse begins by performing hand hygiene to reduce the transmission of microorganisms before touching any equipment. Next, the package is placed on a clean, flat work surface at waist height to establish a stable base. The outermost flap is then opened away from the nurse's body, which prevents reaching over the sterile field and contaminating it. The side flap is then pulled to the side, again avoiding reaching over the interior of the package. The innermost flap is opened toward the nurse — this is the last flap on the outside of the package and pulling it toward the body is safe because the nurse's hand moves away from the sterile interior. Finally, the inner surface of the package itself is used as the sterile field. This sequence matters because opening flaps in the wrong order, or opening the innermost flap before the outermost, would require reaching over already-exposed sterile contents, which breaks sterility. The keyed answer matches this clinically correct order and reflects the standard sterile field setup taught in nursing fundamentals curricula.