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ABSTRACT
* 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. AOKNJ 79 (May 2004) 965-974.
Many nursing education programs offer limited or no perioperative content; thus, providing perioperative education for nurses who have no previous perioperative experience has become a need. This need has increased as the pool of available experienced perioperative nurses shrinks and available practice areas for perioperative nurses expand to include ambulatory surgery centers and other facilities.
The need for perioperative education has been addressed in a variety of ways. Many collaborative efforts between universities and hospitals have resulted in perioperative content for baccalaureate nursing students.1"8 Some of these courses have been initiated by hospitals,2,3,7 some by universities,1,4 and some as AORN chapter initiatives5,6,8 (ie, Project Alpha, outgrowths of Project Alpha). These programs contain varying amounts of intraoperative content and offer one to four credit hours.
Other programs that have been developed for RNs seeking perioperative education include hospital-based programs, which have addressed the need for perioperative education by developing internships or fellowships,9 often in conjunction with a university.10,11 Some hospitals have developed a longer, more structured orientation and training program for staff members hired into available positions12"14 either by developing their own programs12,13 or by incorporating AORN's Perioperative Nursing Course 101.14 Many facilities are developing their own structured orientation programs based on this course as evidenced by the number of listings on AORN Online.15
Universities also have recognized a need for more perioperative nursing content and have developed programs in response.16 Distance learning is becoming more common. At least two online programs for perioperative education currently are available, and others are being developed.17 In these programs, the didactic content is presented in self-paced modules. One of these programs requires participants to arrange for their own clinical experiences, and then written materials are provided for the preceptor. The other program, which is offered through a university,...