A Phenomenologic Study of How Perioperative Nurses Perceive Their Work World

As health care facilities restructure and downsize, many are evaluating the value of RNs as members of the health care team. While many studies have been done about how health care systems measure value, no studies have been found that focus on areas of concern from the perspective of nurses who actually work in the OR. This article details the results of a phenomenologic study that used one-on-one interviews to ask five perioperative nurses how they perceive their work world. By telling the nurses stories, five essential themes of being a nurse in the perioperative work world emerged. AORN J, 72 (Nov 2000) 878–889.