Recruiting perioperative nurses - Letters

AORN Journal,  June, 2003  by Ricky R. Norwood

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As the nursing shortage depletes the perioperative nurse workforce, perioperarive nurses must initiate and support innovative recruiting efforts such as perioperative elective courses (Linda L. McCausland, "A Precepted Perioperative Elective for Baccalaureate Nursing Students," December 2002). We face two major barriers as a specialty: 1) clear evidence to faculty and students that perioperative nursing is more than technical expertise, and 2) internal resistance by institutions/managers to allow student participation. Perioperative nurses must effectively communicate and demonstrate why and how the nursing process is used in caring for surgical patients. The nursing process serves as the foundation of perioperative nursing, (1) guides perioperative nurses in caring for surgical patients, and enables perioperative nurses to use their skills and knowledge to make sound clinical decisions. (2) Preceptors' ability to facilitate the student's learning of the nursing process in the perioperative setting is crucial if faculty is to be convinced perioperative experiences enhance students' learning.

McCausland identifies patient education and nurse-patient interaction as areas of interest to students. Teaching is a vital component of perioperative nursing that allows the perioperative nurse to provide information, psychosocial support, and skill training to surgical patients. Patient education helps reduce apprehension, and patients appear more comfortable after the surgical procedure. (3) Effective nurse-patient interactions are based on the perioperative nurse's genuine concern for the patient, an established mutual trust and understanding, and a cooperative relationship. (4) As a specialty, we need to clarify where we do patient education and nurse-patient interactions and how to make it observable.

I was astounded that some perioperative nurse managers would not allow students in the OR despite the willingness of perioperative nurses to be preceptors. With pressures of the nursing shortage and the difficulty in recruiting nurses to become perioperative nurses, it is imperative that perioperative nurse managers seize every opportunity to recruit perioperative nurses. Fortunato asserts that providing leadership is the main function of the nurse manager. (5) Groah indicates that every perioperative nurse is a leader, and being a leader requires risk-taking to attain the vision and goals of the organization. (6) Interestingly, the resistance by some perioperative managers demonstrates a lack of leadership at a time when leadership and vision are crucial to our recruitment efforts. Allowing students to participate in this program provides students excellent opportunities to learn about perioperative nursing and observe perioperative nurse leadership qualities.

Solutions to help recruit students into perioperative nursing include offering academic scholarships, hiring bonuses to nursing graduates, and a perioperative nurse course guarantee to students who are interested in becoming perioperative nurses. This would send a clear message to students that perioperative nurses are sincere and dedicated to their specialty and recruiting.

Recruitment efforts could be enhanced through collaboration with perioperative nurse managers and staff nurses, schools of nursing, medical facilities, and AORN chapters. Perioperative nurse managers must take the lead by providing leadership and encourage their perioperative nurses to capitalize on the expressed feelings and reactions of students interested in perioperative nursing. Innovative recruitment programs that emphasize the understanding and effective use of the nursing process, provide quality nurse-patient interactions, and are supported by perioperative nurse managers will attract students to our specialty.

NOTES

(1.) Association of Operating Room Nurses, Perioperative Nursing Core Curriculum (Philadelphia: W B Saunders, 1995).

(2.) E L Alexander, M H Meeker, J C Rothrock, Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery, eleventh ed (St Louis: Mosby, 1999).

(3.) N H Fortunato, Berry & Kohn's Operating Room Technique, ninth ed (St Louis: Mosby, 2000).

(4.) Ibid.

(5.) Ibid.

(6.) L K Groah, "Every perioperarive nurse is a leader," AORN Journal (President's Message) 64 (July 1996) 8-10.

RICKY R. NORWOOD

RN, BSN, CNOR

GRADUATE NURSING STUDENT

UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD

SAN ANTONIO, TEX

COPYRIGHT 2003 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group