Partnership opens door to operating room

Mon, June 30, 2008 |

A new partnership between Valparaiso University’s College of Nursing and Porter Health System will allow nursing students to gain first-hand experience inside the hospital’s operating rooms, and at the same time help alleviate a shortage of operating room nurses.

Dr. Janet Brown, dean of the College of Nursing, said the partnership will support a perioperative nursing course that gives nursing students valuable exposure to the operating room environment. The director of perioperative services at Porter, Tanya Toth, will co-teach the course and coordinate the students’ clinical experiences.

Last year, Valparaiso partnered with St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point and LaPorte Hospital to offer the course for the first time.

“We are very pleased to have developed this new partnership with Porter,” Dr. Brown said. “Last year we had students who, as a result of taking the course, decided to pursue a career in perioperative nursing. Creating interest in perioperative nursing as a career is exactly what we hoped to accomplish, and we look forward to continuing that success with Porter’s help.”

Porter CEO Jonathan Nalli said the hospital is pleased to provide real-life experiences for the University’s nursing students and be part of their career development.

"This important partnership weds the strengths of Valparaiso University’s outstanding College of Nursing with Porter’s superb surgery department,” Nalli said. “Porter is contributing its commitment to excellence and quality along with our experienced staff so student nurses can learn some of the best perioperative practices in healthcare as well as processes surrounding national patient safety goals.

“At the same time, the Valparaiso University nursing students will benefit us with their questions, eagerness to learn and desire to delve more deeply into the principles of nursing. It can be as stimulating for our staff as it is for the student nurses.”

During the fall semester, students enrolled in the course will spend several hours every other week observing and working in pre-surgery, operating and recovery areas. Students will gain a complete perioperative experience, from getting patients ready for surgery, to assisting surgeons during operations and working with patients in the recovery room.

The clinical experiences will be combined with classroom work focused on nursing procedures and technology in perioperative settings.

Suzette Mahneke, Porter’s chief nursing officer, noted that most nursing schools have eliminated their clinical practicums for perioperative nursing, reducing the number of nurses entering the specialty.

“This opportunity to provide Valparaiso’s College of Nursing with the setting and credentialed nurses to teach their students in a practicum setting is a priority for Porter,” Mahneke said. “The future supply of well trained surgery nurses is a serious concern nationwide since most students have no planned exposure to this type of nursing while in school. Because of the very clinical nature of the course material it is essential that nursing programs find ways to offer both the academic and practice components of nursing education like VU has.”

St. Anthony Medical Center will continue to assist with the perioperative nursing course. Linda Holmes, clinical educator for surgical services at St. Anthony Medical Center, will co-teach the course again this fall and the 10 nursing students enrolled in the course will conduct their clinical experiences at both Porter and St. Anthony Medical Center.