staff circulators, many of whom might not have considered OR nurs-
ing as a career choice without the specialty training we provided.
Nine (nearly half!) have stayed in our department for at least 12
months. Some have continued their path of professional growth to
assume management and other leadership positions in the OR.
I'm a proud product of our internship program. When I was hired as a
new graduate nurse into the internal float pool at SCL Health Lutheran
Medical Center in Fall 2014, I expressed a strong desire to transition into
the surgical services department. I was accepted into the internship pro-
gram in Fall 2015. I completed 6
1
⁄2 months of training and have been
working as a full-time OR nurse since April 2016.
A paid internship
AORN's Periop 101 program inspired our internship program. Ours is
designed as a 6- to 7-month long didactic and hands-on competency
program. Here's how it works.
Once we hire a nurse through the regular interview process, she
goes straight to the internship program. The first 4 weeks are didactic,
followed by combined didactic and hands-on training. For the remain-
der of the program, interns rotate through our multiple surgical spe-
cialties, guided by staff RNs who serve as preceptors.
The first couple of weeks, we keep it simple. We introduce the
intern to the surgical services department: its rooms, teams and serv-
ices. We outline policies and procedures, and build on basic concepts
of the perioperative environment. We start the rotation with easier
services, like GYN, and slowly move to more complex services, like
neuro. Our interns don't get stuck with one service the entire time —
they get a taste of all the services we offer, except for cardio.
Throughout the program, a preceptor is there every step of the way
to encourage the intern and answer any questions she might have.
F E B R U A R U Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 5
