pared to work hard on a daily basis. They must also understand that
the staffing schedule is made to meet the needs of your facility and
patients, and not to accommodate their personal lives.
Set clear, up-front expectations with novice nurses. Explain the
implications of their actions with respect to not only what your poli-
cies mandate, but also the workplace culture and how that might
impact their relationships with peers. For instance, they might be con-
sidered on time according to your facility's policy if they clock in at
6:30 a.m., but if they're not dressed and back in the ORs helping to set
up by 6:45, their peers will consider them late and resent their behav-
ior.
The bottom line: You have to work with new nurses to help them
maintain focus on the processes of care. Surround them with experi-
enced nurses who are willing to teach — and are good at it.
RNs with OR experience
• Advantages. These nurses come with a
background of surgical knowledge, so orien-
tation is typically smooth and completed
quickly. They need to learn the specifics of
how things are done in your facility — what
equipment you use, the preferences of your
surgeons — but already know, understand
and can speak the language of surgery.
They'll experience a learning curve as they
get acclimated to new types of procedures,
but they know what they don't know and are
aware of how to get up to speed with little
or no guidance. They also embrace new
experiences and are typically earnest learn-
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 7
• SOLID BACKGROUND Veteran surgical
nurses might need to change past habits,
but they can get up to speed quickly.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
