Perioperative Nurses Week: 5 Reasons I’m Periop Proud

Perioperative Nurses Week: 5 Reasons I’m Periop Proud

A guest post from Brandy Miller, MHA, MSN, RN, CNOR

Every day, I have the privilege to hold another human's hand, to look directly into his or her eyes and say “thank you” for trusting me to be an advocate during your surgery—what a gift I'm given each day!

Proud to Be a Periop Nurse

Here are five reasons (though I have many more) that I am Periop Proud:

1. The privilege to care for other humans.

2. The joy of collegiality with the members of my team.

3. The satisfaction of excellence through my applied knowledge to be an excellent circulator.

4. The professional pride at the end of my shift knowing I did my best to accomplish this.

5. The expression of universal LOVE for humanity I express through my practice because everything about what I do as a periop nurse is done through this—my nursing is an expression of my soul.

Proud to Support Other Nurses

Perioperative nurses will always focus on and put our patients’ safety first, as we should. However, I wish to encourage and remind everyone of the lateral perioperative pride we should always have for one another.

While my 20 years as a perioperative nurse have blessed me with many patient-specific stories I am proud of, my proudest moments come from hearing how I inspired my nurse colleagues to expand their knowledge for their patients.

During my first ASC director position from 2010–2014, I worked alongside exceptional associate-degree nurses; however, none had yet earned specialty certifications. I could see so much professional potential in them that could be realized through advancing their education. So, for each nurse who reported to me, during evaluations and any one-on-one discussions, I highlighted their strengths and relentlessly encouraged them to earn their specialty certification and/or continue their formalized education. Several years after moving to a different facility, I learned how much my encouragement had meant to these nurse colleagues—three had earned their BSN, another nurse had earned her MSN, and many others at the center had earned their specialty certification.

As we honor our profession during Perioperative Nurses Week, let’s remember that encouraging and building one another up is an equally important component of being Periop Proud.

In addition to building each other up, it’s also important to share your perioperative pride beyond your facility. Learn how to request a proclamation from your local elected officials and other ways to further the influence and acknowledgement of perioperative nursing.

Are You Periop Proud?

Tell us why you are Periop Proud for a chance to win a free registration to the largest celebration of perioperative nurses – AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2020.

Brandy Miller, MHA, MSN, RN, CNOR, is the director of surgical services for a same-day, multispecialty ambulatory surgery center in Fort Wayne, IN.