By Carisa Brewster, Lisa Rosenfield and Keeli Stith
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.
The following trends are specific to perioperative nursing:
- The OR is the economic engine of the hospital and must be staffed to generate revenue.
- The demand for surgery will increase; surgical volume will continue to rise. There is limited availability of perioperative education.
- The skill sets needed by perioperative nurses continue to evolve; there are high educational requirements for new OR techs.
Some of the strategies organizations use to retain and attract staff include pay increases and simulated operating rooms to teach OR fundamentals. But another way to address the nursing shortage is through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
- Increasing diversity can mean many things. One is more BIPOC and women in C-suite and executive health care leadership positions. But another is expanding perioperative nurses at rural hospitals and rapid recruitment and education of new graduates into perioperative nursing. Ultimately, DEI programs can be one of many tools for talent acquisition.
- Active, intentional mentoring. Keeli Stith, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, senior director of operations in the OhioHealth system, is passionate about nursing leadership, mentoring and coaching. Her dissertation project for her doctor of nursing practice is creating a nurse mentorship program for BIPOC nurses. She advises her peers to take aside nurses of color who have leadership potential and help cultivate their careers.
“When I was a staff nurse, I was afraid to tell anyone I wanted to be a director. We need to have that confidence to say what we want,” Stith says. “When people recognize that this is what you are going after, someone will always be around to support you.”
- Nursing needs to match the community. At nursing conferences and workshops, Stith often observes the lack of BIPOC leaders. “Our communities, neighborhoods, our suburban families are becoming more diverse. We need to meet and match what our community at large looks like,” she says. “Not just the nursing frontline, but it needs to be all the way up at the executive level to help direct initiatives, and drive change and innovation with a diverse lens in mind.”
As part of their vision to grow a community of certificants and lifelong learners, the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) is committed to creating an environment which celebrates differences. In pursuit of this vision, and with the support of the board of directors, CCI has created the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Grant Program. This initiative provides grants to promote an increase in diversity in the perioperative nursing specialty. It also facilitates access to resources, thereby benefiting patients and the perioperative community as a whole.
The program focuses on providing resources for individuals and facilities who are under-resourced, in-need, and/or under-represented in the perioperative nursing community. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis and grant recipients will receive a combination of resources to promote CCI’s certifications. Updated information about the second cycle of this program can be found at https://info.cc-institute.org/dei-grant-program.
– Carisa Brewster is the staff writer and media relations representative for Whitman Partners, a talent agency for surgical services directors. She holds a BA in Journalism and has 20 years of experience as a news reporter covering science, medicine and health care. Lisa Rosenfield, MA, works in the area of special projects and partnerships at the Competency and Credentialing Institute. Her scope of work includes designing, implementing and managing organizational-wide initiatives and signature programs. She also develops, cultivates and maintains external partnerships. She holds a BS in human development and an MA in educational administration, supervision, and curriculum. Keeli Stith, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, is the senior director of operations for Dublin Methodist and Grady Memorial Hospitals in the OhioHealth system. In her previous role, she was the associate director of perioperative and procedural clinical services at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She is a doctor of nursing practice candidate at The Ohio State University.
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