When you entered nursing, did you picture yourself as the next Florence Nightingale, gracefully saving lives by lamplight? Or maybe you thought it would be more like Nurse Betty, full of drama, excitement, and a few Hollywood-worthy plot twists? Fast forward to today, and instead of glamour, you are buried under back-to-back surgeries, short staffing, and yet another shift without a proper lunch break.
Perioperative nursing is rewarding, but let’s be honest—it’s also exhausting. Long hours, high-pressure environments, and the never-ending battle against burnout have made retention one of the biggest challenges in healthcare today. So how do we keep talented nurses in the OR, feeling supported and thriving in their careers?
It starts with managing stress and ensuring operating room nurses have the tools to succeed.
Stress management isn’t just about providing mental health resources, and it’s also about making the job easier. One of the main contributors to stress in the OR is case delays, which often create a ripple effect, leading to increased overtime, stressed-out teams, and patient anxiety. A recent study estimated surgical delays could add up to $7.8 million in additional costs over a 2-year period due to overtime and inefficiencies.
Operational improvements can make a big impact here. By optimizing workflows and streamlining sterile processing, delays can be reduced, efficiency improved, and your team given the breathing room it needs. This lightens the load for nurses and helps prevent burnout by ensuring that surgeries proceed without unnecessary disruptions.
This is where operational improvements come in.
At Surgical Solutions, we work directly with your OR and Sterile Processing teams to streamline workflows and ensure everything runs smoothly. Here’s how we help:
By focusing on efficiency and support, we help reduce the stress of operating in such a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, allowing nurses to thrive in their roles.
Beyond the technical skills and high-stakes responsibilities, perioperative nurses also advocate for their patients. From ensuring patient safety to defending patient rights, their role is integral to maintaining ethical standards of care.
To support nurses in their advocacy roles, hospital leadership should:
Hospitals need to invest in a multifaceted approach to improve retention and well-being. By reducing operational inefficiencies, providing career development opportunities, and supporting nurses in their advocacy roles, we can ensure perioperative nurses feel empowered, valued, and supported.
We’re excited to meet with you at AORN 2025 in Boston to explore innovative strategies for improving nurse well-being and retention in perioperative care.
Are you interested in learning more about how we can support your team? Let’s set up a time to meet and discuss how we can work together to create a more efficient and supportive environment for your OR staff.
Let’s connect and discuss how we can help your OR team thrive—schedule a meeting today