Many of the challenges facing perioperative nursing today come down to the nursing shortage. Retiring staff and aging patient populations severely impact all nursing specialties. People are living longer and needing medical care for multiple comorbidities. There aren’t enough new nurses to replace departing ones.
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We’ve all heard it before, if nurses go into the OR they will “lose their nursing skills,” or that they are not “real nurses.” This judgment has caused friction among colleagues within health care. However, this highly specialized area is genuinely just that, consisting of a specific skill set and requirements as a nurse. The vast array of surgical cases and OR settings create a large range of necessary nursing skills.
In this final installment of my series on Stephen Covey’s book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” I want to offer suggestions for what one might do to “sharpen the saw” in the four key areas identified by Covey.