Operating Room Nurse Internship

About the Role

This Nurse Residency Program is designed to train licensed Registered Nurses with no prior operating room experience to work in the intra-operative environment. The program is open to nurses who are either new graduates or seasoned nurses with a non-surgical background. This internship prepares nurses with the foundational skills essential for providing safe patient care in the operating room.

Program Details

• Duration: 5-month blended-learning program combining didactic, online modules, lab, and clinical hours
• Schedule during the program: Five 8-hour days (Monday – Friday). Clinical start times may vary depending on the preceptor's schedule. Alternative shifts (3 12-hour, 4 8-hour) will be at the discretion of the hiring manager after program completion.
• Clinical hours completed in the intern's facility and department of hire
• Open to all Nashville area TriStar medical centers including Centennial, Summit, Southern Hills, StoneCrest, Horizon, Skyline, Hendersonville, Greenview and NorthCrest
• Residents from all facilities start as a cohort and attend didactic classroom days together
• An active nursing license in good standing for the state of your hiring facility (Tennessee or Kentucky) is required to begin the program

Clinical Expectations

• Develop foundational skills of the perioperative RN
• Graduate as a novice and continue to gain specialty experiences following program completion
• Departmental and service line orientation will build on foundational skills learned in the internship
• Regular rounding and progress meetings with course instructors, preceptors, and managers to track progress

Attendance Requirements

• Attendance and punctuality required during didactic portions
• Missing a day of lecture/simulation is not permitted
• For clinical days, refer to facility's attendance policy
• Vacations are not granted during the didactic portion

Completion Criteria

Nurse Residents must demonstrate successful completion of the following criteria to graduate from the internship:

• Completion of all course assignments and objective assessments
• Final grade of 75% or greater
• Attend at least one Middle Tennessee Chapter AORN meeting

Residents that do not meet the above criteria must meet with surgery management, preceptor, and education team to develop an individualized action plan, which may include remediation, reassignment, or resignation from the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Am I considered an employee while in the program? Yes. You are hired as an employee before the program begins and start earning wages on the first day.
• Will I know where I will be working after the training? You will complete your clinical in the department that you will work in after training. Your primary service line will be determined near the end of the program based on department needs. Flexibility required regarding service line, shift, holiday or weekend hours. You may be expected to cover holiday call and late stay call upon completion of orientation.
• During the program, may I observe in other surgical departments? This is at the discretion of your hiring manager.
• How long will I be working with a preceptor? You will be assigned to a preceptor until competency is validated and all orientation checklists are completed.
• How will my competency be determined? Residents have an orientation binder with specific criteria for validation of competency in the Circulating role. Progress meetings held with Manager, Educator, and preceptor.
• How long does it take to be prepared to work independently? Depends on service line complexity and individual progression. Average length of orientation, including program, is 6 months.
• Will this role prepare me for CRNA? No. A CRNA program requires critical care experience rather than OR experience. Better to pursue an ICU unit.
• Will this role prepare me for RNFA? Yes. Obtain two years of full-time hours and become certified (CNOR), then eligible to pursue RNFA programs.
• Will this internship prepare me for OR Certification (CNOR)? Yes. Eligible after 2 years/2400 hours of OR experience. Program teaches AORN standards.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate patients prior to surgery
• Provide patient and family education surrounding the procedure and peri-operative process
• Assume responsibility for patient preparation, including intravenous therapy, preoperative medications, and surgical site verification
• Participate in surgical site verification, including briefing, time out, debriefing, and universal protocols according to hospital policy
• Recognize and respond to patient emergencies
• Deliver high-quality, patient-centered care while managing evidence-based practices and continuous improvement initiatives
• Be an integral member of a dynamic interdisciplinary team consisting of provider(s), surgeons, surgical technologists and more
• Consistently apply the nursing process, critical thinking skills, scientific judgment, technical skills and leadership to independently deliver safe nursing care to patients
• Assess patient condition, monitor throughout your shift, and document changes in patient condition along with the care provided thoroughly
• Educate patients and families/caregivers about the patient's medical condition, treatment and follow-up measures

Circulating Nurse Responsibilities

• Management of personnel, equipment, supplies, and environment during surgical procedure
• Patient care including assessment, assisting the anesthesia team, positioning, prepping, and documentation
• Manages flow of information as well as supplies to and from the surgical team members scrubbed at the field

Scrub Nurse Training

The scrub nurse is responsible for assisting the surgeon and assistants with instrumentation, set-ups, suture presentation, sponges, etc., while maintaining the sterility of the surgical field through aseptic practices. The primary focus of this program is to train you to be a circulating nurse. Whether you are trained to scrub is determined by facility.

Qualifications

• Basic Cardiac Life Support must be obtained within 30 days of employment start date
• (RN) Registered Nurse
• Associate Degree, Registered Nurse Diploma, or Bachelors Degree
• At least 1 year of RN experience required in any specialty

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits for medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health and telemedicine services
• Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services
• Time away from work programs for paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence
• Savings and retirement resources, including a 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible spending accounts, preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support and financial wellbeing counseling
• Education support through tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing
• Additional benefits for fertility and family building, adoption assistance, life insurance, supplemental health protection plans, auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection and consumer discounts

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.