Collaboratively developing an orientation program for OR nurses

Transition support arrangements to support new graduate & novice nurses entry into perioperative nursing: A scoping review

Background and objectives

As novice nurses transition into the workforce, they often experience transition shock as they assimilate into a new role, causing cause significant stress, anxiety and job dissatisfaction. This phenomenon is commonly observed within the perioperative nursing speciality. The development of transition support programs is aimed at assisting novice nurses' transition by providing fundamental knowledge, socialisation, support, and training.This review aimed to uncover the support programs and their components available to nurses transitioning into the perioperative speciality. The research question that provided guidance for this review was 'What are the transition support arrangements, and their characteristics, to support new graduate nurses and novice nurses who are transitioning into perioperative nursing?'.

Literature search

Arksey & O'Malley's' five-step scoping review framework was used. The researchers performed a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Proquest, CINHAL and SCOPUS with no limit on publication date until April 2023. A blinded screening process was undertaken, and the data extraction was tabulated. Data was presented as a narrative synthesis following thematic analysis.

Results

The initial search identified 537 publications. Screening and duplicate removal led to the exclusion of 512 publications. Of the 25 publications included in this review, two were primary research publications, while the other 23 were discussion papers. Analysis indicated that program approaches and components of programs were frequently described.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the significance of transition programs within the perioperative speciality area. However, the paucity of empirical evidence on the pedagogical underpinnings and evaluation of effectiveness indicates the need for further research. Conducting further research within perioperative transition to practice will enable programs to be designed based on theoretically-sound and evidence-based approaches to support nursing transition to practice within the speciality perioperative environment.

Pilot evaluation of theatre training workshops

Theatre training workshops (TTWs) were developed at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) to support theatre practitioners and to give them the opportunity to learn, share ideas, reflect and practice clinical skills in an environment away from the demands and pressure of the operating department. This article discusses a pilot evaluation audit showing that these workshops have proven to be popular and successful, and have encouraged theatre staff to review their practice.

Demystifying the OR for Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Students in baccalaureate nursing programs often receive minimal exposure to specialty areas such as perioperative nursing, and new nurses may therefore fail to consider perioperative nursing as a potential practice area. Instructors from one college of nursing partnered with local hospitals to develop a program to introduce baccalaureate nursing students to the perioperative nursing specialty. This partnership program had positive outcomes for the college, the health care facilities, and the students. Six nursing students pursued careers in perioperative nursing after graduation.

Central processing technician internship--a unique learning opportunity

A critical shortage of qualified central processing technicians and the opening of a new central processing department (CPD) were driving forces behind the development of a CPD technician internship program at one facility. Classes focused on the principles and practices of central processing, and an OR observation gave interns the opportunity to see the impact that the work of the CPD has on OR function and patient care and safety. Program evaluations have been positive, and staff vacancies have been filled with the graduates of the internship program.

Educating Nurses into the Perioperative Arena

PROVIDING PERIOPERATIVE experience for those new to the OR is a vital necessity, especially because many nursing schools provide limited OR experiences. AN ALTERNATIVE to a traditional course is a condensed version that incorporates the material for a 10-week course into a two-weekend format that encompasses both didactic and laboratory experiences. RESPONSE TO THIS CONDENSED program has been so positive that it has edged out the 10-week program in the curriculum.

Learning about teamwork in operating room clinical placement

The aim of nursing students' operating room (OR) clinical practice is to gain experience of the perioperative nursing process and to develop skills related to the practice within OR teams in a variety of situations. However, it has previously been problematic to get enough practical experience within OR teams because of the general urgency, e.g. rapid turnover and flow of emergency cases, and preceptors' multiple responsibilities related to their simultaneous need to work as team members. This study describes how Finnish, British and American nursing students (n = 30) experienced learning about teamwork during their OR placement period. The critical incident technique was used for data collection, and data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological method. Three types of teamwork emerged based on the students' perceptions: functional manifestation of OR teamwork, gaining OR team membership and technical orientation of OR teamwork. The findings are discussed in relation to OR practice, education and research on ways to improve teamwork while maintaining a satisfactory OR learning context and stimulating interest in perioperative nursing.