A historical decline of educational perioperative clinical experiences

This historical study identifies sociocultural and economic influences that have contributed to the decline of educational perioperative clinical experiences. Three themes were identified: the professional versus the technical role of OR nurses debate, the nurse generalist versus the nurse specialist debate, and the relative lack of control that nursing has over its own destiny. Recommendations to reverse this trend include increasing the visibility of perioperative nurses to the public and within the profession of nursing, structuring efforts to capitalize on the changes occurring in nursing education, and promoting a stronger affiliation between nursing academia and practice settings.