Guiding Novice Learners in the OR

Precepting new nurses in the OR is not an easy task. Many undergraduate nursing students arrive at the front doors of the OR with no previous experience or education about perioperative nursing.1,2 This often presents a fearful situation for students2 and a daunting educational challenge for experienced perioperative nurses.1 When perioperative nurses discuss these challenges with nurses from outside the perioperative arena, their colleagues suggest that similar challenges are seen on the wards. Ward nursing, however, is a core focus in the undergraduate nursing curricula, so students have previous learning experiences there, whereas perioperative nursing is highly specialized and not a focus of undergraduate curricula.