Implementing a perioperative nursing elective in a baccalaureate curriculum

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Perioperative nursing units face a significant shortage of trained registered nurses (RNs).
• New nursing graduates often lack essential perioperative experience, deterring them from this specialty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a perioperative elective course with a clinical component for nursing students.
• To enhance student preparedness for perioperative nursing roles and address workforce shortages.

Main Methods:

• Collaboration between a school of nursing and a local hospital.
• Implementation of a perioperative elective course incorporating clinical rotations.
• Gathering feedback from faculty, hospital staff, and students.

Main Results:

• The perioperative elective received strong support from faculty and hospital staff.
• Students reported enhanced individual clinical experience through course participation.
• The course effectively provided exposure to the perioperative environment.

Conclusions:

• The developed perioperative elective is a viable strategy to attract and prepare new nurses for this specialty.
• This educational model can contribute to alleviating the registered nurse shortage in perioperative units.
• Interprofessional collaboration is key to successful nursing education initiatives.