Periop 101 Program Questions!

I did my PeriOp 101 program 18months ago , though I was a nurse with 23yrs experience in ICU, ED and Flight nursing. 

Our course was 3 months long as we were all experienced nurses from other specialties. We would spend some weeks just in the classroom and simulation center and in an empty OR with our lecturers learning the foundations and basics of OR nursing. We had ample time as well to work on our modules during classroom time. We had many guest speakers come in an speak on areas such as hemostatic agents/products , suture. wound closure etc and did visits to other areas of the hospital such as blood bank, lab, pathology, sterile processing etc . Other weeks were spent with our preceptors in the OR actually doing what we had been taught in the classroom which was very beneficial . Also spent time with anesthesiologists , OR techs and OR charge nurses learning about their various roles and our role in relation to them. Spent a fair amount of clinical time learning the scrub role and scrubbing for various cases with a preceptor. We did a review every week of what we had covered . We had a month or two in the clinical area (working as circulators and scrubs) before taking our final exam which helped firm up all we had learned in our class.

Typically if you are a new nurse, you will have a week of Hospital orientation to get all the basic HR stuff completed as well as various compliance online modules  (HIPAA etc)then you will start a residency of sorts with dedicated preceptors . Where I work new grad residency programs usually also include a project (usually research based) for groups of nurses to do related to the specialty that they work in. 

I know you are excited and what to know what your program will look like, but as happened in my case, nothing really happens or gets announced until a week or two before the course starts. I would definitely recommend getting a copy of Alexanders textbook for preoperative nursing and the other one called Operating Room Technique (Berry & Kohn , I think) as these will help you tremendously during your course and growth as an OR nurse. I also bought "Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice" as where I work RN's do a lot of scrubbing for cases and this book covers things nicely.  Best of luck in your new career.

I think I am interviewing for this same program..I am very interested in the opportunity but as an experienced nurse am concerned for a loss of salary...are you able to share what they offered for hourly pay?

Thank you @Rose_Queenand @RickyRescueRN for your responses, I appreciate it SO much!

Quote

Typically if you are a new nurse, you will have a week of Hospital orientation to get all the basic HR stuff completed as well as various compliance online modules  (HIPAA etc)then you will start a residency of sorts with dedicated preceptors . Where I work new grad residency programs usually also include a project (usually research based) for groups of nurses to do related to the specialty that they work in. 

I know you are excited and what to know what your program will look like, but as happened in my case, nothing really happens or gets announced until a week or two before the course starts. I would definitely recommend getting a copy of Alexanders textbook for preoperative nursing and the other one called Operating Room Technique (Berry & Kohn , I think) as these will help you tremendously during your course and growth as an OR nurse. I also bought "Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice" as where I work RN's do a lot of scrubbing for cases and this book covers things nicely.  Best of luck in your new career.

This was SUPER helpful, @RickyRescueRN ! You are right that I am excited and would like to have more information at hand now, but knowing that in your case nothing was announced until closer to the program start puts me at ease a little. Thank you for painting a picture of what orientation/residency could look like, and for the book recommendation! I will look into it. 

Thank you again!!

50 minutes ago, Cdprn101 said:

I think I am interviewing for this same program..I am very interested in the opportunity but as an experienced nurse am concerned for a loss of salary...are you able to share what they offered for hourly pay?

OMG no way! I think there’s at least 2 OR fellowship programs in PA that are hiring right now so maybe ours is not the same, but I can tell you that the pay for my program is not good, & very low in comparison to the area of PA where I currently live. I was offered the rate they “start all GNs at” & there was no wiggle room. I too am concerned about the pay & received considerably higher offers elsewhere, but I see this program as a fantastic opportunity for me! 

On 8/30/2020 at 12:47 PM, RickyRescueRN said:

I know you are excited and what to know what your program will look like, but as happened in my case, nothing really happens or gets announced until a week or two before the course starts. I would definitely recommend getting a copy of Alexanders textbook for preoperative nursing and the other one called Operating Room Technique (Berry & Kohn , I think) as these will help you tremendously during your course and growth as an OR nurse. I also bought "Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice" as where I work RN's do a lot of scrubbing for cases and this book covers things nicely.  Best of luck in your new career.

 

@RickyRescueRN Were those text books you mentioned a recommendation from the periop program or a preceptor? Did you use them in conjunction to the program ?

5 minutes ago, Rose_Queen said:

Alexanders is actually part of the periop curriculum - the readings for each module are chapters from the textbook. Whether it will be provided by the facility or not is a question to ask the facility. My facility maintains copies that are distributed for the program and collected after for the next group to use.

@Rose_Queen - thank you! I was wondering as I saw they were texts books. I just started training this week in the OR of a small hospital. I have a preceptor and have been told we will start periop soon so I'm trying to get an idea of what's to come so that I may be prepared. I guess I will have to wait and see. 

Hi MrsMig,

I read your post on 2020 and I am wondering if you have anything related ro the training program to share? Or thoughts related to working with the preceptors?

Is this one?

Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery, 16th Edition

https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9780323479141?role=student

Hi RickyRescueRN,

Is this one?

Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice - 7th edition

ISBN13: 9780323394734

ISBN10: 0323394736

https://www.textbooks.com/Surgical-Technology-Principles-and-Practice-7th-Edition/9780323394734/Joanna-Kotcher-Fuller.php?CSID=2QOKBWJCJ2U232TADDQTTCSOB

On 2/25/2021 at 8:38 AM, QqGgKk said:

Hi MrsMig,

I read your post on 2020 and I am wondering if you have anything related ro the training program to share? Or thoughts related to working with the preceptors?

Hello

As I previously mentioned, this is a small hospital so there is no set routine. With that said, I am finalizing periop on-line modules independently and being precepted elsewhere (OR and some PACU). I have one module left to complete and will start studying as I have until 5/26 to complete my 3 attempts to pass the final test. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the periop modules as modern technology has come so far but yet it seems antiquated in it's format but it's easy enough. I have the 2020 AORN Guidelines for Periop.

In the OR, I have been trained as circulator in these specialties: Endoscopy, General, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, OB/GYN, and Podiatry. I am currently at my 6 month mark and am taking on-call solo with 'buddy call.' Of course, I still have lots to learn until I'm seasoned and confident. I think Ortho is the most overwhelming d/t positioning, implants & MD preferences and OB/GYN is also involved when multiple repairs need to be performed. We also do emergency c-sections as this hospital is just small. But I feel it's going well and I'm being told the same. Of course there's been times when I feel things didn't go smooth either on the preceptors side or mine but overall, I'm learning a lot and the group I work with are dedicated and knowledgeable. 

Any tips or tid-bits of knowledge?