Introducing Perioperative Nursing as a Foundation for Clinical Practice

This article describes one school's experience in providing a perioperative nursing course as a first clinical course in a bachelor of science in nursing curriculum. This innovation reframes the perspective on perioperative nursing from that of an elective clinical specialty that is not essential to basic nursing education to a practice setting that provides key foundational clinical learning experiences for the novice nursing student. A strong academic-practice partnership; effective preparation for key stakeholders including nursing staff members, preceptors, and students; and collaboration with AORN were essential elements in the success of this clinical learning innovation. We describe learning outcomes, lessons learned, and future plans for enhancing and expanding this course.