Practicing in a university hospital. Perioperative nurses focus on patient care in a teaching setting.

The contributions to this article show that the perioperative nurse has become a knowledgeable highly skilled practitioner. Nurses with different backgrounds, nationalities, educational preparation, and professional experience show that the outcome--excellent patient care--is more important than the process. Since the individual perioperative practitioner has implemented the nursing process, perioperative nursing care of patients has improved. The primary lesson that the UCIMC administrators learned was that there are many ways to accomplish goals. Administrators commended the perioperative nurses for their knowledge, risk taking, input and assessments related to problems and decisions, and for accepting challenges with enthusiasm and vigor. The administrators also learned that they need to be facilitating supporters more than supervisors in the OR. This creates an appropriate environment for effective practice. In this manner, the perioperative nurse can achieve both personal and professional satisfaction.