Adetola, Abimbola Grace. Measuring readiness for practice of novice perioperative nurses in an innovative immersion program. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-pgm6-5z59
DescriptionThe traditional approach of training novice perioperative nurses leaves them feeling inadequately prepared for transition to practice and has contributed to the shortage of perioperative nurses. Innovative programs that include simulation training and mentorship programs have been shown to improve the readiness for practice of novice nurses. This DNP project used retrospective data from completed modified Casey-Fink Readiness for Surgical Practice surveys to assess the readiness for practice of two cohorts of novice perioperative nurses who participated in an innovative immersion program developed by the Center for Professional Development at Rutgers University School of Nursing. The findings revealed that most of the participants felt that they were ready to assume their professional role after participating in the immersion program. The majority of participants in the two cohorts reported that they were uncomfortable performing technical skills related to emergency management, hyperthermia management, and administration of blood products, which highlights areas of difficulty for novice perioperative nurses and gaps in the innovative immersion program. These findings can be used to structure curriculum and educational strategies to address perceptions about readiness for practice concerns discovered in this project. Due to the numerous project limitations, including lack of access to complete retrospective data and small sample size, further research with complete data and the need for a larger sample is needed to evaluate the impact of such innovative immersion programs on the readiness for practice of novice perioperative nurses.