Perioperative nurses who enjoy teaching may wish to become staff development educators. The shift to this new role requires a transition period during which the new educator acquires the knowledge, skills, and attitudes integral to mastering the job. A systematic approach to achieving baseline competencies in the educator role helps to ensure a successful conversion from providing direct patient care to supporting the educational needs of staff members.

When developing a nursing plan of care, a perioperative nurse identifies nursing diagnoses during the preoperative patient assessment. The ability to identify age-specific outcomes (ie, infant/child, adolescent, adult, elderly adult) in addition to those that are universally applicable is a major responsibility of the perioperative RN. Having an individualized plan of care is one of the best ways to determine whether desired patient outcomes have been successfully attained. Nursing care plans address intraoperative and postoperative risks and allow for a smooth transfer of care throughout the perioperative experience. A good nursing care plan also includes education for the patient and his or her caregiver. Within an overall plan of care, the use of methods such as a concept or mind map can visually demonstrate the relationships between systems, nursing diagnoses, nursing interventions, and desirable outcomes.

Berry and Kohn's Operating Room Technique, Nancymarie Phillips, 12th Edition, 2013, Elsevier Mosby, 1031 pages, hardcover

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