AORN Survey Projects Operating Room Nursing Shortage in Next Decade

Pittsburgh, Pa. – Eight undergraduate student nurses spent six weeks this summer in an innovative internship – offered in conjunction with three UPMC hospitals – which taught them more about all of the roles that nurses have in the operating room.“It is important for our students to learn more about this nursing practice opportunity,” said Lynn George, PhD, dean of the College of Health and Wellness at Carlow. “The looming shortage of OR nurses is a workforce concern for our region and our nation.”

According to the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), 53 is the average age of operating room nurses, and a survey of AORN members revealed that 25 percent expect to retire within the next decade.

“This academic/practice partnership was the result of the discussion between UPMC and Carlow to come up with creative ways to address this workforce need,” said Janice Nash, DNP, the director of Carlow’s BSN program, who was Carlow’s coordinator for the program, along with Teya Kamel, MSN, Carlow’s clinical coordinator, and Kathleen Nauer, MSN, the OR nurse manager at Magee Women’s Hospital of UPMC , and Joanne Sherer, MSN, the OR nurse manager at UPMC Montefiore and UPMC Presbyterian.

The internship was a six-week program with a combination of clinical experience and classroom work. The goal was to heighten awareness among the students for all of the nursing roles in the OR. “The student nurses logged 120 clinical hours while observing and participating in surgical procedures gaining valuable knowledge and experience,” said Sherer. “Having the students immersed into the OR environment alongside the OR nurses proved to be both exciting and challenging for them!”

In the classroom, Carlow faculty presented AORN's first 10 learning modules, and then the students would rotate between the pre-op unit, operating room, and post-anesthesia care unit during their clinical experience. “Each rotation is a little different and gives our students a different experience,” said Nash. “For example, relating to the patient and family pre-op can be much different than relating to them once the surgery is over and the loved one is coming out of the anesthetic.”

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About Carlow University

Carlow is a private, co-educational, Catholic university located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Eds, Meds, and Tech” district. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow’s graduates, curriculum, and partnerships reflect its strong commitment to social justice; ethical, forward-thinking and responsible leadership; and service to the community that has a meaningful impact. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in three colleges: Health and Wellness, Leadership and Social Change, and Learning and Innovation. Carlow graduates are in demand for their professional expertise, in fields ranging from nursing, the sciences, and perfusion technology to counseling, education, and forensic accounting; their entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset; and their ability to manage change. Carlow’s eleven athletic teams are known as the Celtics, a reflection of the university’s Irish heritage and roots.

Contact: Drew Wilson (412) 578-2095