Interns receive feedback from preceptors on a daily basis as they
rotate through the various specialties. After a month or two of being
in the OR, the intern gains more responsibility by getting more
involved in services and gains hands-on experience.
On their own
The program is based off of individual progress, so the intern ulti-
mately decides what she wants to handle throughout the process. The
last few weeks are when the nurse decides if she's ready to be on her
own. If she's ready, she'll branch off from her preceptor — who will
be less involved, but still nearby as a resource. The program also
weeds out the nurses who find out the OR is not the place for them.
Because it gives nurses a real-life dose of how our facility runs,
they're able to know early on if surgery is the right choice for them.
Not only does this gradual training build essential skills like opening
sterile supplies and counting instruments, but it also helps nurses get
used to our unique way of doing things. Nurses learn each surgeon's
Staffing
S
2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R U Y 2 0 1 8
• BACK TO BASICS Surgical nurse interns at SCL Health Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, Colo., are trained in the basics of asep-
tic practice, including (from left to right) opening supplies to the sterile field, scrubbing and gowning.
Andine
H.
Gilmore,
BSN,
RN,
CNOR