Operating room nurses want differentiated education for perioperative competencies—based on the clinical ladder

Abstract

Operating room (OR) nurses’ perioperative competence is vital in operation and patient care. This cross‐sectional descriptive study aimed to identify perioperative competencies and educational needs for improving competencies according to the clinical ladder. A total of 318 OR nurses in Korean tertiary hospitals were recruited. Data from the self‐reported questionnaire of periopera-tive competencies, measured on a five‐point Likert scale, were used. The average score of perioper-ative competence was 3.78 ± 0.54; among the sub‐categories of competencies were collaboration (4.08 ± 0.55), foundational knowledge and skills (3.98 ± 0.56), proficiency (3.87 ± 0.64), empathy (3.77 ± 0.77), professional development (3.65 ± 0.64), and leadership (3.34 ± 0.89). There were significant differences in perioperative competencies according to the clinical ladder as follows: foundational knowledge and skills (p < 0.001), leadership (p < 0.001), collaboration (p = 0.017), proficiency (p < 0.001), and professional development (p < 0.001). The educational needs for foundational knowledge and skills (4.43 ± 0.60) were highest, and educational needs for proficiency (4.26 ± 0.70), collaboration (4.21 ± 0.77), leadership (4.08 ± 0.81), empathy (3.99 ± 0.91), and professional development (3.91 ± 0.76) were noted. The educational needs for improving perioperative competencies by clinical ladder showed a significant difference in leadership (p = 0.026), proficiency (p = 0.045), and professional development (p = 0.002). In order to develop an effective education program for OR nurses, differentiated education designs that reflect perioperative competencies and educational needs per clinical ladder are necessary. © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.