Externship Program

Hillcrest Medical Center’s AORN’s Perioperative Nursing Course 101 Residency

This program will prepare the new RN for entry into employment in the areas of Surgical Services. This residency program gives the new nurse the opportunity to learn from all the areas covered by surgical services. The nurse will spend time in each unit observing the staff and participating in patient care.

The specific units include:

• Surgical Admission Unit (AM Admit)
• Same Day Admit and discharge
• Ortho/Spine admit and discharge
• Same Day PACU (Recovery Room)
• Main PACU
• Ortho/Spine PACU
• Main OR
• Same Day OR
• Ortho/Spine OR
• Endoscopy Lab
• Pre-admission area

The orientation for the operating room nurse is 26 weeks long. During these 26 weeks, the new hire will go through each area of surgical services and spend time with the different disciplines within surgical services. HMC offers AORN’s Perioperative 101 online nursing course, which is a program designed to provide basic didactic perioperative education. This program gives the Novice OR nurse the rationale and theory needed to provide safe patient care. The course covers didactic work and hands on clinical rotations in the Operating room with a preceptor.

The student modules include:

• Anesthesia
• Aseptic Technique
• Critical Thinking
• Documentation
• Electrosurgery
• Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Environmental Sanitation and Terminal Cleaning
• Hemostasis, Sponges, and Drains
• Introduction to Perioperative Nursing
• Natural Latex Allergy/Sensitivity
• Medications and Solutions
• Patient and Family Education
• PeriAnesthesia Nursing
• Perioperative Assessment
• Positioning the Surgical Patient
• Professionalism
• Safety in the Surgical Suite
• Scrubbing, Gowning, and Gloving
• Skin Preps
• Specimens
• Sterilization and Disinfection
• Surgical Instruments
• Surgical Draping
• The Surgical Environment
• Wound closure and Healing

The perioperative 101 student will have numerous handouts that can be printed out as they complete the modules. They will receive an email the same day that they are registered for Perioperative 101 for a free one year AORN membership. Upon successful completion and testing of the Perioperative 101 course the student will receive 40 continuing education hours. A 2 year commitment to HMC surgical services is required for the program. The new RN will rotate through each ancillary area as well as spend several weeks in each operating specialty. When the nurse has completed their surgical services orientation they will have the knowledge and skills to safely take care of their patient during surgery.