Advice for New Perioperative Nurses
ADVICE FOR NEW PERIOPERATIVE NURSES
Take heed of the advice from two of your tenured perioperative nurse colleagues representing the US and "Across the Pond". There is no better advice about a profession than from those who live it 24/7, year after year!
From the US
  • Talk to the old timers- they will teach you a lot if you only ask.
  • Pay attention to what the support staff do - you can learn from them too.
  • Never forget that OR nursing is a team sport. If one member doesn't do their bit then the whole shebang can come down like a house of cards. In a good team all the members get recognition for the work they do, not just the boss. So don't forget to thank the guy who cleans the floors.
  • If you don't think you are competent refuse to do it. The OR is not the place to take risks.
  • If you come accross something that you don't know about - read up on it. The OR is not the place for the ignorant or complacent nurse.
  • Play hard when you get the chance - God knows you'll work hard enough.
  • Take your breaks when you can; you NEED them even if you don't think you do!
  • Trust your colleagues - and respect them. When times get tough the OR team will pull you through.
  • NEVER let the medical staff give you less than full respect. They need you a lot more than you need them.
  • Keep asking yourself "how could I have done better.
  • There are people who regard OR nursing as "not nursing." If you meet one of these people invite them to do your job for a day. You are NOT less of a nurse becase you choose to help a patient deal with one of the most frightening things he will ever have to deal with in his life.
  • Never forget that the wound you can see beneath the drapes has a patient attached to it (who has friends and family who love him) and who deserves no less respect merely becase he is still unconscious. He is not a "case," he is a human being with a name who has the misfortune to require surgery.
From the UK
  • Enjoy yourself and take pride in your skills.
  • Don't EVER let the surgeons walk all over you. They need you more than you need them.
  • Play hard (God knows) you'll work hard.
  • Respect your colleagues one day you'll really need them in a jam.
  • Get into AORN in big way.
  • Think outside the box.
  • Never forget that the pink bit with the green border around it you can see is a patient- not just a gall bladder - who is an individual and who has relative who care about him.
  • When your colleagues do good pat them on the back.
  • Equally important - When YOU do, good pat yourself on the back.
  • Remember your duty to your profession.
Oh yes and go out there and set the world on fire!!!