From mastering sterilization techniques and surgical assessments to perfecting scrub attire and anesthesia care, Sutter’s PeriOp Transition in Practice Program provides Sutter nurses with the essential skills and hands-on practice they need to thrive as a new nurse in the operating room.

Originally launched in 2012, and relaunched in Fall 2023, the PeriOp Transition in Practice Program provides an intensive training program for newly hired inpatient and outpatient nurses transitioning into perioperative roles.*

Jen Anzalone, a clinical nurse educator at Sutter Health University, and lead of the relaunched program, says the PeriOp Transition in Practice was one of the first of its kind introduced by Sutter Health University more than a decade ago.

“It was a real novel idea to bring new grads into the operating room,” Anzalone said. “Historically, nurses needed at least two years of experience in other settings before entering perioperative nursing, but we thought – why don’t we just train nurses from the beginning?”

Surani Hayre-Kwan, vice president for professional practice and ambulatory patient care at Sutter Health

Surani Hayre-Kwan, Sutter’s vice president for professional practice and ambulatory patient care, helped support the relaunch of the program in 2023 because of a gap in the pipeline for training perioperative nurses.

“Most nurses in perioperative roles have had experience elsewhere in healthcare and they decide the OR looks interesting, but they need specialized training to be successful,” said Hayre-Kwan. “Sutter didn’t have a standard process for training in the perioperative setting, so each division was struggling to fill openings in the OR. We saw this as a gap and relaunched the program so new nurses (and existing nurses interested in changing specialties) hired into the OR have an opportunity to receive this important training close to home, at Sutter.”

Training Nurses for Perioperative Excellence

Anzalone says the program, taught in three sessions over three months, follows the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses’ PeriOP 101 curriculum and targets both experienced nurses transitioning to perioperative nursing and recent graduates newly hired into the department.

The program combines in-person and e-learning modules with classroom discussions and hands-on training in Sutter Health University’s simulation lab.

“We’re fortunate to have so many resources at SHU to create a realistic OR experience for our participants,” Anzalone said. “Our lab mannequins allow nurses to practice surgical procedures repeatedly in a safe environment, building muscle memory and enhancing retention.”

The PeriOp Transition in Practice Program attracts nurses from a variety of backgrounds, offering them a structured and supportive pathway into the perioperative setting.

“Each cohort brings a diverse mix of nurses. Some are transitioning from another unit at Sutter into the OR, others may have worked in a single-specialty surgery center, others may be new nurse graduates or even nurse educators new to OR,” Anzalone said. “They really bring a great mix of experience levels and places they’ve worked in to the course.”

Program instructors, from left, Amanda Dewey, Barrett Reading and Jen Anzalone

For Anzalone, leading the program holds a special meaning.

“My co-instructor and I met in the PeriOp 101 program as new grads in 2017,” Anzalone said. “I went on to gain valuable experience in the OR at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, and now all these years later it feels incredibly rewarding to help lead the same course that helped launch our careers – I’ve seen this full circle, which feels really great.”

Anzalone says it is important for organizations, like Sutter, to recruit and support surgical nurses.

“By investing in the professional development of our new graduates or newly hired nurses into the OR, we’re helping lay the foundation for a long and productive career as a perioperative nurse.

As Anzalone explains, perioperative nursing is a unique specialty.

“If you go into it and enjoy it, you’ll likely stay in it the rest of your career. We’re confident this course offers the best possible training as nurses begin their perioperative journey.”

* Perioperative means “around the time of surgery”. It refers to the period of time when a patient is under the care of a medical professional for a surgical procedure from admission, anesthesia and surgery to recovery.