Nursing Assignment: Foundations of Perioperative Nursing Practice

Question

Task: Write a well-researched nursing assignment reflecting on the strengths and weakness associated with perioperative nursing practice.

Answer

Introduction
The role of perioperative nurses explored in the nursing assignment is diverse and critical especially requiring extensive coordination amongst interdisciplinary team members for conducting patient surgery with efficiency. Perioperative nurses are required to possess extensive clinical skills along with communicating skills (Schmidt, and Brown, 2019). The current scope of reflection includes analysis of various tasks undertaken, such as submission of clinical support person documents promptly, applying Clinical Skills Matrix for self-assessment of Capabilities, discussing entries for showing patients/cases requiring diversified care, discussion of the ACORN Skills Checklist and then finally seeking feedback from senior colleagues in a practice environment. Hence this reflection paper depicts collaborated evidence while working with fellow students while understanding the strengths and weaknesses that I possess enabling me to develop my skills.

Reflective Assessment
Perioperative nurses in their clinical roles need to undertake self-reflection also take continuous feedback from supervisors and other healthcare staffs for rendering high quality in nursing care (Crafoord, and Fagerdahl, 2017). This allows identifying areas for professional development also addressing them through a self-reflective model or by way of feedback accommodation by learning from different relevant literature articles. Expectations from a perioperative nurse are tremendous in nature as perioperative nurses need to work in a multidisciplinary teamunder tremendous pressure for rendering high-quality care to patients within a limited period of time (Manz et al., 2021).

From task 1, I identified that perioperative nurses need to possess adequate knowledge along with experience such that they are able to assume appropriate practice. Nurses in order to undertake perioperative practice need to undertake the postgraduate course for not only expanding knowledge but also enhancing career skills in a specific area (Hertel-Joergensen et al., 2018). With a formal postgraduate degree, I will be able to expand my critical thinking skills and capabilities in academics (Holmes et al., 2020). Such courses generally come with an internship practice which enables me to learn practical skills that are essential in perioperative nursing. Undertaking postgraduate education often proved to be difficult and challenging to undertake along with my practical experience (Beydler, 2017). However, it is an investment that any kind of specialised nurses need to undertake as it allows extension of their professional capabilities and understanding the dynamic healthcare environment along with the ever-changing patient needs (Platt et al., 2019). The assessment of perioperative skills is regularly evaluated at my current workplace and on annual basis by educators.

Task 2 is specifically meant for assessing the clinical skills of a perioperative nurse. I have been working for over a year now in the perioperative nursing role. Reflecting on the clinical skills matrix, it becomes easy to determine the key capability levels at which I am currently functioning. According to the rating, I am able to work as an expert and also be available as a resource to others. This was my skill level and capability toward the beginning of week seven. This self-assessment of skills according to the ACORN standards (2018) is extremely important as it enables functioning as an effective perioperative nursing professional and to participate in surgical procedures.

In Task 3 the rating scale was undertaken to determine my skill in relevance to perioperative nursing. The ACORN rating scale has various ratings for different levels of practising professional (Kaldheim et al., 2021). I scored proficient in my rating. This indicates that I am able to undertake safe and accurate practice which is expected from me and am able to perform in an appropriate manner. This is the expected level of nursing practice that is desirable for a perioperative nurse. As being in such a role, I am expected to depict proficient, coordinated, confident practice by adapting suitable protocols and considering relevant issues into practice. At this level having gained considerable knowledge and skills, I am expected to perform as an independent nurse without need much assistance from another healthcare professional regarding my practice (Gillespie et al., 2018). This implies that I can follow protocols and abide by the requisite course of action when delivering healthcare to patients.

This rating of mine was undertaken at a private hospital in Australia. This entire scale of rating is totally dependent upon practical experience and ability to perform up-to-the-mark in the desired situation, especially in preoperative, intraoperative and perioperative areas.

Task 4 involves seeking feedback from senior colleagues in practice, where also I received a considerably good rating. My senior colleagues praised me for being able to act quickly and in a decisive manner while in the operating room or during anaesthesia or while seeking for emergency blood transfusion. However, there remained considerable areas of improvisation that I can undertake. One of my colleagues highlighted that I could easily improvise upon my communication skills such that I am able to communicate the patient case clearly to the multidisciplinary team members (Ryamukuru et al., 2018). In absence of such communication and collaboration, the entire efforts of maintaining efficacy in healthcare remain perturbed. As in any surgery, healthcare teams need to work in a coordinated manner towards a single goal such that the ultimate patient health outcome is maximised. I am supposed to assume the responsibility of communicating the entire patient case in a brief manner within a short time period to the entire healthcare team after taking handover from the ward nurse. This requires a tremendous leadership role and was missing in me (Blomberg et al., 2019). Hence, I will need to adopt such a leading role while rendering care to my patients. Therefore, I have learnt significantly from my nursing role also in the practice as a perioperative nurse. However, there still remains areas of improvement on which I can work on.

Conclusion
In conclusion, perioperative nurses need to enhance education and skills to meet the challenging and diversified needs of patients, healthcare teams and the entire healthcare environment. Perioperative nurses need to develop skills but also working in a demanding environment where there is a high degree of risks involved with the patient. The role of the perioperative nurse is critical and involves a great degree of complexity where each surgery and the patient case might raise a new concern or challenge. There a wide range of protocols and evidence-based knowledge that perioperative nurses need to accommodate whilst ensuring teamwork efficacy in caring for the patient. Hence perioperative nurses need to regularly assess their knowledge levels with skillset also upgrade themselves with the industry standards such as those proposed by WHO, ACORN, NSQHS and other authorities. The role of the perioperative nurse is included during the preoperative, intraoperative and also postoperative period. This will enable perioperative nurses to comply with guidelines also render suitable care all along the patient's surgical journey.

References
Beydler, K.W., 2017. The role of emotional intelligence in perioperative nursing and leadership: developing skills for improved performance. AORN journal, 106(4), pp.317-323.

Blomberg, A.C., Lindwall, L. and Bisholt, B., 2019. Operating theatre nurses’ self?reported clinical competence in perioperative nursing: A mixed method study. Nursing open, 6(4), pp.1510-1518.

Crafoord, M.T. and Fagerdahl, A.M., 2017. Clinical supervision in perioperative nursing education in Sweden–A questionnaire study. Nursing assignmentNurse Educationin Practice, 24, pp.29-33.

Gillespie, B.M., Harbeck, E.B., Falk-Brynhildsen, K., Nilsson, U. and Jaensson, M., 2018.

Perceptions of perioperative nursing competence: A cross-country comparison. BMC nursing, 17(1), pp.1-7.

Hertel-Joergensen, M., Abrahamsen, C. and Jensen, C., 2018. Translation, adaptation and psychometric validation of the Good Perioperative Nursing Care Scale (GPNCS) with surgical patients in perioperative care. International journal of orthopaedic and trauma nursing, 29, pp.41-48.

Holmes, T., Vifladt, A. and Ballangrud, R., 2020. A qualitative study of how inter?professional teamwork influences perioperative nursing. Nursing open, 7(2), pp.571-580.

Kaldheim, H.K.A., Fossum, M., Munday, J., Johnsen, K.M.F. and Slettebø, Å., 2021. A qualitative study of perioperative nursing students' experiences of interprofessional simulation?based learning. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(1-2), pp.174-187.

Manz, J., Williams, K., Jessen, J. and Kirkpatrick, A., 2021. Addressing the Perioperative Nursing Shortage Via a Perioperative Nursing Preceptorship for Baccalaureate Nursing Students. AORN journal, 113(1), pp.52-63.

Platt, M.S., Coventry, T. and Monterosso, L., 2019. Perioperative nurses' perceptions of cross-training: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Perioperative Nursing, 32(1), pp.19-25.

Ryamukuru, D., Mukantwari, J., Omondi, L., Karonkano, G.R., Uzikwambara, L., Munyaneza, E., Karera, E., Uwera, T., Mbonera, F., Ntakirutimana, C. and Nzamurambaho, P.H., 2018. Clinical experiences of perioperative nursing Masters Students in selected Rwandan Referral Hospitals. Rwanda Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 1(1).

Schmidt, N.A. and Brown, J.M., 2019. The effect of a perioperative nursing elective on nursing career paths. AORN journal, 109(1), pp.87-94.