Why work in perioperative nursing? Baby boomers and generation Xers tell all

AORN Journal,  Oct, 2007  by Julia A. Thompson

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Overall, the nurses were very engaged with their work in the OR; however, two entrenched workforce respondents voiced reasons for remaining in OR nursing that contrasted with the rest of the participants. When asked what made her stay in the OR, a veteran respondent with 28 years of nursing experience in the same facility said, "Right now, it's the retirement."

When asked why she stays with her current employer, the nurse stated:

   I guess a number of things. Number one, it is
   very close to where I live.... I used to ride
   my bike to work every day. It was only
   recently when I hurt my back trying to play
   tennis that I stopped doing that, and by that
   time I was given free parking. So that was
   very helpful. That's something they do, little
   perks that I really like.

Another respondent with 30 years of nursing experience stated,

   They have me tied up so pretty. Every year at
   AORN [Congress], I go out and look for a new
   job. I just bring my W-2 form and go, "Can
   you match it?" This last year I made $144,000.

A veteran respondent with 33 years of nursing experience and more than 20 years of OR nursing experience described her rationale for remaining in OR nursing, even though she had considered a specialty change, as

   The challenge of the operating room. It has
   taken me so long to learn the OR that to just
   walk away from it--I can't do it. I tried and I
   had an opportunity about five, six years ago
   to go into an area for the anesthesia department,
   who were creating an area for
   preop assessments. I had that job but could
   not leave the OR, could not.

When asked to further clarify why she was unable to leave the OR, the respondent stated,

   I think one of the anesthesiologists identified
   it at the time. It was very emotional, like
   being peeled away from something you're
   not--I just didn't envision that. I thought I
   was ready to get away from that, like in the
   ICU and the recovery room. I thought I was
   ready for a radical change, but apparently I
   was not. [The anesthesiologist] said, "Well,
   it's probably because you are not ready to
   give up those skills." And that was exactly
   right because it would be, I think, a big
   mistake to give up those skills. It takes so
   long to develop them, to nurture them and
   maintain them, that I have just not been
   ready to give them up.

As with the factors influencing them to choose OR nursing as a career, the entrenched and emerging workforce nurses did not differ significantly in factors that influenced them to remain in OR nursing. It is striking to note that the entrenched and emerging workforce respondents presented similar information in describing the factors that influence them to become and remain OR nurses.

STUDY FINDINGS ACROSS METHODS

After the qualitative study was completed, I compared the interview findings with the results of the WES. Each of the major qualitative themes--exposure, attractive attributes, getting there, good relationships with team members, making a difference, and learning/ challenging environment--were compared to the 10 WES subscales within the three sets of dimensions: relationship dimensions; personal growth, or goal orientation, dimensions; and system maintenance and change dimensions.