The value of guided operating theatre experience for undergraduate nurses

Can nurses who have not been involved in guided operating theatre experience care for patients before and after surgery with the same level of knowledge and expertise as those who have? This paper will present an overview of a national mixed methods research project that investigated these issues, comparing different models of operating theatre education offered in Australia. Transferable skills learned via operating theatre experience that may be useful in the surgical wards will be explored and also possible correlations between students’ experiences in this specialty area and recruitment and retention of staff to this specialist area.