Developing a competency-based education program for nurse-monitored sedation

Because of technological innovations and changes in the methods of health care delivery in the ambulatory setting, a new role for the perioperative nurse has emerged, that of monitoring patients who receive intravenous (IV)-conscious sedation during surgery and other invasive procedures. This article describes how to develop a competency-based education program for an ambulatory surgery center advocating the role of both a circulating nurse and monitoring nurse for the care of patients receiving IV-conscious sedation.