Perioperative Orientation Resources
A Guide to Orientation, Recruitment, and Retention
Hospitals can easily fall prey to the urgency to “push” nurses through orientation. However, research shows that nurses who have a solid understanding of the fundamentals, a clinical preceptorship, and a firm grasp on policy and procedure, are better investments in the health and welfare of our patients.
The tools in the Perioperative Orientation Resources guide make it easy for educators and managers to apply AORN’s orientation guidelines. The guide builds on the scope of the successful Periop 101 course and establishes a baseline for competency development and assessment.
Perioperative Orientation Resources offers resources to develop recruitment, orientation, preceptor selection, and retention strategies in your facility.
Recruitment Strategies
This section discusses strategies to facilitate the recruitment process and hiring incentive programs, and tactics for promoting perioperative nursing as nursing schools.
Orientation Guidelines and Required Competencies
The required competencies and suggested timelines for orienting a novice or experienced nurse into the OR environment can be used as a baseline to build your facility’s program. Educators and preceptors are provided with tools that can be used to evaluate the orientee’s needs upon arrival in the OR.
Preceptor Selection
Selecting the right preceptor is just as important as selecting the right perioperative nurse candidate. This section includes a detailed preceptor development checklist, behavior-based interview questions for preceptor selection, and guidelines for ongoing preceptor development and performance evaluations.
Retention Strategies
As you recruit nurses, you can’t lose sight of the need to retain current staff. Improving staff satisfaction and building strong teams start with assessing with work environment and seeking feedback at regular intervals.
Calculate the True Cost of Orientation at Your Facility
The cost associated with orientation is often underestimated. A 2004 AORN survey of perioperative nurse educators and leaders confirmed that orientation costs were difficult to calculate. Respondents stated that the average estimated cost to orient a novice perioperative nurse is $30,000 to $50,000. The same survey estimated the costs of orientation for an experienced perioperative nurse at $110,000 to $15,000.
The AORN Orientation Calculator helps the perioperative nurse executive determine the true cost of orientation of new employees. It goes beyond the cost of the employee’s time to include program development cost, cost of the nurse educator, preceptor cost, and much more. The AORN Orientation Calculator computers the true cost, based on a six-step process.
The AORN Orientation Calculator is available as a downloadable Microsoft Excel file that can be customized for your facility’s unique cost considerations.