Learn more about Perioperative Nursing at Cleveland Clinic

Summary

This video script highlights the rewarding experience of being an operating room nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. It emphasizes the importance of teamwork, compassion, and the ability to make a significant impact on patients' lives. The speaker, an orthopedic surgeon, underscores the role of nurses as vital team members and lifelines for patients, especially during surgery. The script also discusses the extensive training and orientation program for new nurses, emphasizing the clinic's values and the diverse career opportunities available, from general surgery to specialized procedures like face transplants.

Takeaways

• 🚑 Immediate Gratification: The speaker enjoys the immediate results of their work in the operating room, seeing patients recover quickly.
• 📋 Comprehensive Nursing Duties: Nurses in the OR perform assessments, documentation, and medication administration, among other tasks.
• 🤝 Teamwork in Surgery: Success in surgery relies heavily on the collaboration between the surgeon and the operating room nurses, emphasizing the importance of teamwork.
• 🛡️ Advocate and Healer: Operating room nurses act as advocates and healers, providing support and education to patients who are often terrified before surgery.
• 🌟 Lifeline Role: The speaker finds great satisfaction in being a lifeline for patients, highlighting the emotional impact of their role.
• 🔧 Training and Orientation: Cleveland Clinic offers a perioperative program with a six-month orientation that includes classroom learning and hands-on experience in the OR.
• 🛑 Adaptability: Nurses in the OR need to be adaptable, managing the operating room efficiently and preparing for upcoming cases.
• 🏥 Value-Driven Environment: The Cleveland Clinic emphasizes values such as integrity, compassion, innovation, quality, and teamwork, which are fundamental to being a successful OR nurse.
• 🔬 Specialization Opportunities: Nurses at the Cleveland Clinic can specialize in various areas, from general surgery to highly specific procedures like face transplants.
• 🌐 Global Impact: The clinic treats patients from all over the world, providing nurses with the opportunity to learn extensively and make a significant impact on many lives.
• 💼 Prestige and Humbling Experience: Working at the Cleveland Clinic is described as impressive and humbling due to the high caliber of staff and the challenging cases they handle.

Q & A

What is the immediate gratification mentioned by the nurse that they enjoy in their job?

The immediate gratification the nurse enjoys is seeing a patient get better after bringing them into the operating room, fixing them, and taking them through recovery.

What are the common tasks performed by operating room nurses as described in the script?

Operating room nurses perform assessments, documentation, administering medications, and other tasks that all nurses do, but in a very short amount of time.

How does the nurse describe the role of being someone's lifeline during surgery?

The nurse describes it as being there for someone who is absolutely terrified prior to surgery, providing support and reassurance, which is an awe-inspiring experience every time.

What does the nurse emphasize about the importance of teamwork in surgery?

The nurse emphasizes that surgery is a team sport and it's impossible for the team, and therefore the surgeon, to be successful without outstanding operating room nurses who act as advocates, healers, and educators.

What is the role of a circulating nurse in the operating room?

A circulating nurse is responsible for keeping the operating room organized, on time, and looking ahead to the next cases, essentially running the show during surgery.

What opportunities are available for nurses at the Cleveland Clinic according to the script?

Nurses at the Cleveland Clinic have the opportunity to explore various career paths in nursing with endless possibilities, including the chance to be a circulating nurse one day and scrubbing in the next.

What is the duration of the orientation process for new nurses in the operating room at the Cleveland Clinic?

The orientation process in the operating room at the Cleveland Clinic is a minimum of six months, involving classroom learning and hands-on experience in the operating room.

How does the Cleveland Clinic support new nurses in their training?

The Cleveland Clinic has a perioperative program that trains new nurses, including classroom instruction on basic instruments, simulation in the operating room, and guidance from the education team throughout the entire six-month orientation.

What are the core values that the Cleveland Clinic emphasizes for its nurses?

The core values emphasized for nurses at the Cleveland Clinic are integrity, compassion, innovation, quality, and most importantly, teamwork.

What types of specializations are available for nurses interested in surgical procedures at the Cleveland Clinic?

Nurses can specialize in general surgery or more specific areas such as cardiothoracic or open heart surgery, with a track available for them at the Cleveland Clinic.

How does the nurse describe their experience working with the staff at the Cleveland Clinic?

The nurse describes the experience as very impressive and humbling, working with the finest staff in the country and the world, handling cases that no other hospital will touch.