Strategies for Successful Perioperative Orientation

The successful orientation of new employees facilitates their transition to the complex and demanding world of perioperative nursing. Whether a nurse is a recent graduate or an experienced nurse who has recently joined the facility or department, a new nurse benefits from a transition period during which new skills, processes, and concepts can be learned. Training should offer new employees the opportunity to develop competency, experience, collegial relationships, clinical judgment, and, overall, specialized knowledge for application in the clinical setting. Concerns surrounding orientation and training include the initial costs for training and the possibility of new employees leaving after the completion of training. The associated costs can be staggering, but adopting perioperative nurse residency programs may be a way to provide quality, high-level training and improve retention rates while minimizing long-term costs.