Charting Progress: A Reflective Debriefing for Novice Perioperative Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Perioperative nursing faces critical challenges including staffing shortages and high turnover.
• These issues impact patient safety and operational efficiency within healthcare settings.
• Existing orientation programs require significant resources and may not fully prepare novice nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Charting Progress program in enhancing perioperative nurse readiness.
• To assess the program's impact on resilience and professional identity formation.
• To determine if emotional intelligence principles can accelerate the transition to practice for novice nurses.

Main Methods:

• The Charting Progress program integrated peer-led SWOT analysis, mock code simulations, leadership dialogues, and career mapping.
• The curriculum was grounded in emotional intelligence principles.
• Nine novice perioperative nurses participated in the program at a multicampus academic medical center.

Main Results:

• Self-reported confidence in core operating room skills increased from 62.5% to 75.0%.
• Perceived readiness for advancement significantly improved from 62.5% to 87.5% upon program completion.
• The program utilized existing resources, protected staff time, and a half-day format to minimize costs.

Conclusions:

• The Charting Progress program demonstrates potential in accelerating the transition of novice perioperative nurses into practice.
• The integration of emotional intelligence principles appears beneficial for enhancing nurse confidence and readiness.
• Further research with larger sample sizes and diverse participation is warranted to validate these findings.