OR experience for students?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Aug 27, 2007

Moved to the Educators Forum.

heartonly · Aug 27, 2007

this last year, the OR got a new director and the first day she was there and our PN students went to the OR, she said the patient and everyone in the room would have to sign a consent to allow any student to observe. So we just backed out of there quietly and the adjunct faculty spoke to the other people in charge and our students continued to go to the OR. IMHO, I don't think the student gets much out of the OR rotation. I know I didn't 18 yrs ago. We cut the OR rotation from 2 12 hr days to just one and they spend the 2 days in preop and GI lab as well as outpt surgery.

vickynurse · Aug 27, 2007

Yes, we have cut down to a 7 hr OR experience. We start IV's in a GI lab, then follow pts through there. We also get as many as possible through the cath lab. Both opportunities include observation of conscious sedation. But they are not seeing the strict sterile technique in the OR.

KrisRNwannabe · Aug 27, 2007

i graduated with my LPN 2 years ago and I got to watch in the OR. I was lucky enough to get to see a open heart. No grief from anyone about being there. we did get grief when we went to the cath lab because the nurses there felt it was a waste of time since we were LPN students and couldn't work in the cath lab anyway.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Sep 4, 2007

We allow nursing students to observe, with patient permission, but they can only observe. The surgical tech students are precepted, so they are doing "hands on" tasks. Students probably get more out of patient assessment labs than OR obs, IMHO.

greatshakes · Feb 5, 2008

I wil never forget my week in the OR. I had a week to make up as I had lost my voice prior to another prac with this facilitator. I was hoping I'd get something interesting. I had earlier applied for theatre or A & E but didn't think I'd stand a chance. It was fantastic in theatre. I helped in recovery, about the only part I didn't care for and had to hold a little boy after he woke up from anaesthetic. I Iearnt lots. Premeds, I was not allowed to give but could speak to the patient and help move them. I learnt how to clean theatre, the correct way to wash & sterilise. I was allowed to scrub, glove and gown and assist with the count and passing instruments, pour solution into a bowl whilst being in to watch a laminectomy. It was the most awesome experience of my life and no one should ever be denied it. Fantastic.:w00t:My next prac with the same facilitator was A & E. Sometimes the breaks do happen and I did well in both pracs.

greatshakes · Feb 5, 2008

I got to do a week in theatre and loved it. I'd lost my voice during another prac and had to make up time and even though I'd asked for theatre or A & E I didn't think I'd ever get there. It was fantastic. scrubbing, gown and gloving, and helping to count, passing instruments. Even cleaning the theatre was ok. I'd sat with a little boy in recovery, learnt ho to wash and sterilise certain pieces of equipment, poured solutions during a laminectomy and generally had a ball. Didn't wwant that prac to end. Then following that I got a prac in A & E and that was fabulous too. I did well. No one should ever be denied a chance to get into the OR. Even if I couldn't give pre meds I could help set up and talk the patients before they went under. It is unreal.:w00t:

greatshakes · Feb 5, 2008

I got to do a week in theatre and loved it. I'd lost my voice during another prac and had to make up time and even though I'd asked for theatre or A & E I didn't think I'd ever get there. It was fantastic. scrubbing, gown and gloving, and helping to count, passing instruments. Even cleaning the theatre was ok. I'd sat with a little boy in recovery, learnt how to wash and sterilise certain pieces of equipment, poured solutions during a laminectomy and generally had a ball. Didn't want that prac to end. Then following that I got a prac in A & E and that was fabulous too. I did well. No one should ever be denied a chance to get into the OR. Even if I couldn't give pre meds I could help set up and talk the patients before they went under. It is unreal.:w00t:

greatshakes · Feb 5, 2008

Oh bugger ...sorry about the triple entry I did not know it had gone in so repeated it.

elkpark · Feb 5, 2008

Well, I attended a diploma school in the '80s, so my OR experience was three months of four days/week clinical -- six weeks passing instruments and six weeks circulating. When we graduated, we were ready to work in an OR (or any other nursing setting, but OR is the issue at hand ...). Now that most OR "experiences" consist of (merely) observing one or two surgeries, I don't really see any particular value to that -- it certainly does nothing to prepare/qualify students to work in a surgical setting; an employer would still have to start "from scratch" with them. So, if the hospitals are becoming uncomfortable with students in the OR, I don't see that it makes any difference to skip the experience entirely. If students really want to see what surgery looks like, I understand there are shows/films on TV and the 'Net of various types of surgeries.

fins · Feb 5, 2008

You know, I was just reading an article in either Advance or Nursing Spectrum about how hospitals are finding it harder and harder to hire enough RNs for their ORs. I don't think that the loss of OR rotations in most nursing programs is just a coincidence. In my class, NOBODY went into the OR at graduation - it wasn't anything that we knew, so it wasn't anything that we considered.

If I was an OR manager, instead of putting obstacles in the way of students being there, I would be begging the schools to give me as many students for as many shifts as possible.