"Nurses need education to support the use of new technologies in the OR," noted Penny Joyce, RN, OR team leader at St. Mary's Ambulatory Surgery Center in Knoxville, Tenn., and chair of the GS/GYN SA.

She explains that while continuing education helps nurses advance in their profession, it also helps them be more familiar with the constant influx of new technologies they need to be able to care for their patients.

Promoting safety"Continuing education is directly related to patient safety because just about every aspect of surgery has gone to using new technologies for minimally invasive surgery, including laparoscopes for general surgery procedures like cholecystectomies and splenectomies, which used to be done through open incisions," Joyce explained.

Using specialized equipment like laparoscopes and robotics systems, these minimally invasive procedures can cause less blood loss, less scar tissue and less recovery time when compared to open procedures.

The move to more minimally invasive surgeries is also an important issue for gynecology specialists, said Wendy K. Winer, RN, BSN, CNOR, an endoscopic surgery specialist at the Center for Women's Care and Reproductive Surgery and Emory University School of Nursing in Atlanta and active, immediate past chair of the GS/GYN SA coordinating council.

For example, she estimates that more than 70% of hysterectomy procedures are still done through a laparotomy (large ) incision, but she believes increased nurse education may help change this.

"New technologies are making it possible to do more hysterectomies using minimally invasive surgery, but it is critical that nurses in the gynecology specialty be educated on this technology and feel comfortable with it being used in patient care. Without nurse support surgeons may be reluctant to incorporate these minimally invasive technologies into the OR," Winer stressed.

Accessing educationWiner and Joyce both acknowledge that it is not always financially or physically possible for nurses to travel for their continuing education. That's why they are working with members of their SA to discuss alternatives to face-to-face education, such as remote education.

Winer has participated in live telesurgeries around the world that are recorded and used for education purposes. "Remote education allows every member of the OR team to train alongside each other without having to incur the cost of travel and time away from work," Winer said.

She and Joyce also support online training. These alternative types of continuing education are especially beneficial for smaller facilities in remote areas so they can be aware of the latest standards and technologies, such as robotics, Joyce added.

Joyce, Winer and other members of the GS/GYN SA will be discussing continuing education at the SA's update meeting in March at AORN's annual Congress meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

In the year ahead Joyce and Winer also hope to foster active collaboration with other AORN specialty groups, including the MIS/Laser SA and the Ambulatory SA. "So much of what we do tends to overlap with other specialties so it's important for us to network with each other," Joyce added.

Learn more about the GS/GYN SA and other AORN specialty assemblies. Communicate with members of the GS/GYN SA or post questions or comments for SA members by visiting the AORN Speciatly Assembly Online Communities of Practice.

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