Transition to Perioperative Specialty Practice: A Solution to RN Outward Migration

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Dynamics
• Healthcare Staffing Solutions
• Clinical Transition Programs

Background:

• Healthcare faces a critical nursing shortage due to experienced nurses exiting the workforce.
• Factors include chronic understaffing, pandemic-related trauma, and insufficient faculty to train new nurses.
• Hundreds of thousands of nurses are predicted to leave the profession, impacting care quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of internal nurse transitions to specialty practice as a solution to workforce shortages.
• To examine the perioperative setting as a destination for experienced nurses seeking less stressful roles.
• To identify key components for successful specialty transition programs for nurses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of nurse migration patterns from bedside roles to specialty areas.
• Identification of essential elements for successful transition programs, focusing on resilience and self-efficacy.
• Proposal of evidence-based training strategies for experienced nurses entering new specialties.

Main Results:

• Internal nurse transitions can create a pipeline of experienced staff for critical departments like perioperative services.
• Experienced nurses transitioning from medical/surgical, telemetry, emergency, and intensive care units can fill vacancies.
• Successful transitions require environments that assess and promote resilience and self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Specialty transition programs offer a strategy to retain experienced nurses who might otherwise leave the profession.
• Leveraging existing skills and providing new training can mitigate outward migration of nurses.
• These programs can salvage careers and support the healthcare system's need for skilled professionals.