The joys of perioperative nursing

When we join perioperative nursing we enter the swinging doors of the operating suite and never leave. Have we come home? Are we drawn by--Student experience? A job to go to by random assignment? A long desire to work in the OR? For a career change? Regardless of the reason for our arrival, many things keep us in the OR including the teamwork, friendships formed, the challenges, the camaraderie, and the constant learning of new skills. For some it is the adrenaline rushes with each crisis and trauma that comes through the door. Or maybe it's because we feel we truly are nursing and able to act for the patient. We realize that patients have placed their trust in our care during a very vulnerable time when they are unable to speak for themselves. What creates and keeps a perioperative nurse? Using a qualitative research questionnaire, given to nurses attending a national perioperative conference, the author obtained feedback from nurses on their feelings, attitudes and knowledge in an effort to determine what makes a perioperative nurse and what it is that keeps them there for so many years. The results, along with the author's personal observations, are outlined in this article.