Meeting the Challenge of Perioperative Education

Abstract

The staffing challenges faced by perioperative nurse managers today are not easily met by waiting for experienced perioperative nurses to apply for positions. As Baby Boomer nurses retire, managers must consider hiring and orienting new graduates and nurses experienced in other subspecialties who are interested in working in the OR. An effective didactic and clinical education program can produce nurses with a basic perioperative knowledge from which they can build a solid clinical practice. Using Periop 101: A Core Curriculum™, the director of perioperative services at a level II trauma center implemented a successful program to solve a staffing need and help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become effective perioperative nurses. Strong interest from capable applicants, a dedicated educator, and financial resources and support from hospital administrators helped make this program a viable way to staff the OR.

Where, oh where, are the OR nurses?

“…3 The interviewing team will require an application and résumé from the applicant. 9 Each of these interviewers will bring different perspectives to the meeting, seeking unique characteristics from the candidates. Some organizations will not interview the candidate if the person has not yet passed the state board exam.…”

“…Other organizations may also require an essay explaining why the candidate is interested in becoming an OR nurse (for example, two letters of recommendation and/or the nurse's grade point average). 3,9 Trice developed intereview questions to determine the candidate's personality traits to see if they're the same as those required to be successful in the OR environment. Applications should then be reviewed and scored with top candidates being invited for an interview.…”

“…10 The general statistic of new graduate nurse attrition within the first year of employment is 35% to 60%, depending on the source. 9,12 The OR is unique from other nursing specialty areas in that a nurse new to the environment will require at least 6 months of orientation (scrubbing and circulating), which can easily increase to 9 months or a year, depending on the educational program and the orientee. 9,12 The OR is unique from other nursing specialty areas in that a nurse new to the environment will require at least 6 months of orientation (scrubbing and circulating), which can easily increase to 9 months or a year, depending on the educational program and the orientee.…”

“…10,[12][13][14][15] Healthcare organizations invest significant time, talent, energy, and money into recruiting, hiring, and training new graduates and experienced non-OR nurses into the OR. 1,9,10,14,16,17 The following list enumerates direct and indirect costs that should be included in the financial projection: This orientee is paid at his or her full RN rate while being paired to a preceptor during the entire period.…”

“…The decline of diploma schools with hands-on perioperative learning, limited exposure to the perioperative environment, and the absence of an in-depth perioperative nursing content in current nursing school curricula have contributed to a lack of interest in the perioperative specialty area among nursing students; few nurses are seeking this as a career alternative. 1,3,9 Nursing graduates don't choose perioperative nursing as a career because they don't have the prerequisite knowledge or skill needed to make such a choice. This is a major reason for the OR staffing shortage.…”