Partnerships and New Learning Models to Create the Future Perioperative Nursing Workforce

Abstract

To create new and sustainable approaches for development of the perioperative nursing workforce, perioperative nursing leaders at a hospital collaborated with administrators and faculty at a school of nursing to create an innovative learning model that reintroduces perioperative experiences to students in a nursing baccalaureate program. Key components of the initial approaches included an externship for nursing students and a revised internship for experienced nurses who wished to work in perioperative nursing. Project leaders then expanded the nursing student learning opportunity by adding two additional elective perioperative courses to the curriculum. Formation of perioperative clinical placement sites within the senior-level adult acute care course was an additional positive outcome of these initial initiatives. These initiatives resulted in decreased use of agency nurses at the clinical site where the externships take place and increased numbers of younger nurses working in the perioperative areas where they externed, with high levels of satisfaction reported by nurses involved in the program. Through this innovative collaboration, the perioperative nurse shortage at the hospital has abated, and the opportunity to continually recruit new colleagues into the practice of perioperative nursing has been established.

Addressing the Perioperative Nursing Shortage Through Education: A Perioperative Imperative

“…Documentation in the literature indicates that students benefit when they participate in a perioperative elective . Generally, any elective course may be worth two to six college credits and offered throughout the academic year depending on scheduling requirements.…”

“…Documentation in the literature indicates that students benefit when they participate in a perioperative elective. 16,20,28,50,[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] Generally, any elective course may be worth two to six college credits 8,16,28,32,33,50,58,60,62,64,72 and offered throughout the academic year depending on scheduling requirements. Many elective courses include both didactic and clinical practice activities and usually limit enrollment to approximately 10 students, 8,16,32,33,[60][61][62]64,67,72 although one course in the literature accommodated 20 students 58 and another accommodated 35 students.…”

Impact of a summer extern program on nursing student’s awareness of interprofessional collaboration and healthy, healing environments: A level II quasi-experimental design

“…A summary of the evidence (within last 10 years) confirms extern programs bridge the gap between education and practice by immersing students in the day to day responsibilities and obligations of the professional nurse, [9][10][11] increase knowledge, and self-confidence [11,12] provide clarity for specialty areas of nursing including perioperative, [13] geriatrics [10,14] and promote an awareness of cultural aspects of care. [15] Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is a key component to HHEs which, when done well supports retention [16][17][18][19][20][21] and promotes quality care.…”

Student Immersion in Perioperative Nursing

“…7,8 As a result, retirement affects the perioperative area more acutely than other areas of specialization, and researchers project that 20% of the RNs in perioperative settings will retire in the next five years. In general, the perioperative setting has a significantly higher average age for nursing staff members than nursing as a whole (ie, 47 years of age for all nurses compared to 56 years of age for perioperative nurses).…”

“…In general, the perioperative setting has a significantly higher average age for nursing staff members than nursing as a whole (ie, 47 years of age for all nurses compared to 56 years of age for perioperative nurses). 7,8 As a result, retirement affects the perioperative area more acutely than other areas of specialization, and researchers project that 20% of the RNs in perioperative settings will retire in the next five years. 9 However, in addition to retirement, it is difficult to recruit nurses to the OR and to retain them; the most noted contributor to this situation is the elimination of perioperative clinical practice and theoretical content from nursing programs.…”