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Nursing Shortages in the OR: Solutions for New Models of Education
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1016/j.aorn.2014.03.015&domain=pdf
Web End = KAY BALL, PhD, RN, CNOR, FAAN; DONNA DOYLE, MS, RN, CNOR, NE-BC; NICHOLE I. OOCUMMA, BSDH, MA, CHES, CHSE
ABSTRACT
The professional literature predicts worldwide perioperative nursing shortages. Compounding this is the absence of perioperative curricula in most nursing programs, which reduces new graduate interest in and awareness of employment opportunities in the OR environment. Educators at a university and a large hospital system formed an innovative partnership to create a pilot undergraduate nursing course to better prepare nurses for the surgical setting. The course was offered in a condensed-semester format and included online activities, simulation experiences, classroom discussions, and clinical experiences in a small group setting. Two of the four nursing students in the course were hired directly into the perioperative setting after graduation, decreasing hospital costs related to recruitment and orientation. The success of the course led to its integration into the undergraduate curriculum, thus providing a valuable elective option for junior and senior nursing students, as well as achieving a new model for perioperative nursing education. AORN J 101 (January 2015) 115-136. AORN, Inc, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.03.015
Key words: bachelor of science in nursing students, BSN students, BSN curriculum, perioperative nursing students, simulated learning, perioperative skills, nursing shortage.
There is a critical shortage of perioperative nurses,1-5 and the demand for perioperative nurses in the United States is growing steadily
by 1% to 2% each year.4,6-8 Only a small percentage
of all nurses practice in the perioperative arena, and it is estimated that nearly 20% of those currently employed in this specialty area will retire in the next ve years.4 As a result, many health care environments are beginning to experience the effects of this long-anticipated perioperative nursing shortage.4
The shortages in perioperative nursing can be summarized as the result of many trends that are intensifying in the workplace today. These include
n decreased exposure to perioperative nursing in both the classroom setting and the clinical environment,1,4
n a perioperative workforce that is aging and nearing retirement,9
n a patient population that requires more intense nursing care and complex interventions,1,4 and
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.03.015
Web End =http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.03.015
AORN, Inc, 2015 January 2015 Vol 101 No 1 AORN Journal j 115
January...