Mentoring high school students in a perioperative setting

AORN Journal,  April, 2007  by Linda J. Timmons

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PROMOTING PERIOPERATIVE NURSING

Young people may change their minds several times before they decide what career they ultimately want to pursue. There are so many careers available to them that they need guidance and exposure regarding what is available. Although there is no guarantee that a high school student exposed to perioperative nursing will choose it as a career, perioperative nurses can play an important role in a high school student's career choice.

After completing her internship, one student wrote a thank-you letter to me. In it, she indicated how her internship had changed her view of nurses.

   When I was at Bascom, I observed
   many different situations that made me
   question the stereotype of nurses. For
   instance, the idea I had of a nurse before
   ... was white scrubs, work with elderly,
   change bed sheets, and clean
   patients. As I started to work with the
   nurses in the Bascom Palmer operating
   room, I enjoyed watching the nurses
   take on many different tasks, sometimes
   doing more than the doctor.... I
   owe you so much because you allowed
   me an opportunity to see what is was
   like to be a nurse in the operating room,
   and proved my stereotype of a nurse
   completely wrong.

About witnessing a specific instance of a perioperative nurse calming a distraught pediatric patient, she wrote

   I was impressed [with] how a
   nurse's touch and gentle care can
   make a difference. From that day on
   I was motivated to come to internship,
   work with patients, and be a
   nurse even for one day.

Although this student currently is planning to become an ophthalmologist, she said that if she changes her mind about being a physician, she will pursue a career in nursing.

Perioperative nurses must be an influence to create their own legacy. Young people are looking for careers that offer variety, challenge, and opportunities for decision-making as well as careers that are intellectually demanding. Many young people also want careers that involve meeting and helping people. The perioperative environment provides all these things. It is important, therefore, that nurses partner with community and school system groups with whom they can positively promote perioperative nursing as a career choice, olo

Editor's note: PowerPoint is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp, Redmond, Wash.

REFERENCES

(1.) Hader R. Build it so they'll come. Nurs Manage. 2004;35:6.

(2.) Erickson JI, Holm LJ, Chelminiak L, Ditomassi M. Why not nursing. Nursing. 2005;35:46-49.

(3.) Hemsley-Brown J, Foskett NH. Career desirability: young people's perceptions of nursing as a career. J Adv Nurs. 1999;29: 1342-1350.

(4.) Trossman S. Creative recruitment. Nurses work hard to bring young people into the fold. Am J Nurs. 2002;102:57-58.

(5.) Bumgarner SD, Means BH, Ford MJ. Building bridges: from high school to healthcare professional. J Nurses Staff Dev. 2003;19:18-22.

(6.) Nursing--The Ultimate Adventure, Perioperative Edition [videotape]. Brooklyn, NY: National Student Nurses' Association; 2000.