Preparing RNs for the OR through a certificate in perioperative nursing program

AORN Journal, Oct, 2004 by Sandra Smith

The program coordinator then contacted the educator at each hospital and gave him or her a list of students who would be using that hospital for their clinical practice. Only hospitals that had a clinical unit educator were used. The student was given the name of the educator and was responsible for calling or sending an e-mail message each week to set up the day and time for his or her clinical rounds. The educator then placed the student with a preceptor for that day.

COURSE WORK

The class curriculum was outlined by subject, standards, objectives, and chapters to be read before class. Students were given the assigned reading before the first class. The first night of class, students were prepared for discussion. Each student was asked to keep a personal journal of his or her experiences to be discussed during the first half hour of class. This proved to be an enjoyable part of the class for the students and instructors because the progression of the students' knowledge was apparent. The instructors were particularly impressed with how quickly students understood and could interpret the standards.

Many students had no preconceived notions of how things worked in the OR. These nurses were from all areas of nursing practice and were impressed with the fact that perioperative nurses had standards and recommended practices to follow for their specialty.

OUTCOMES

The class started with two men and 18 women and ended with two men and 14 women. The average length of the instructors' OR experience was 26 years. The average student age was 35 years. Six students were in their 20s, five were in their 30s, three were in their 40s, and two were in their 50s. The students' ages were significant--younger students are needed to help replace the fast-approaching retirement of Baby Boomers. Although many in the Baby-Boomer generation spent time in the OR during their education, many members of the younger generation did not get that chance. Young nurses need to know what perioperative nurses do and become as captivated by the OR as the perioperative nurses who currently work there.

The 16 students who completed the program were interested in becoming perioperative nurses or believed the program was a positive nursing experience. Six of the students presently are working in five different area hospitals. Two others are employed by ambulatory surgery centers. Three others are hoping to find part-time positions in ORs. The other two students were not interested in pursuing perioperative nursing at the time but believed that completion of the program would help them in their current positions. One said the course gave her confidence to reenter the nursing field after being absent from the workforce for seven years.

During the sign-up period, a prospective student called with an interesting comment: "I'm not sure it is really nursing you people do in the OR and I guess I would just like to see what exactly nurses do there." On the final night of the program, the students were told about the caller's comment. Their responses were quick and to the point. Perioperative nurses encounter every aspect of nursing. It is much broader in scope than any of these inexperienced perioperative nurses had ever imagined. Comments included, "you see almost every disease process," "you are responsible for so much more than just caring for the needs of the patient," "the safety of the patient takes on a whole new meaning," "the team approach to caring for a patient in surgery is greater than in any other area," "you are the last person to assess a patient before they become helpless; you better do it right," "lots of people are depending on you." It was obvious that the students understood that perioperative nursing is real nursing.