Staffing: The Case for the Perioperative Resource Nurse

A position that tackles all the “little things” to make handling the big things easier.

You know what we’re up against — 4.6 million nurses will retire by 2030, according to research by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

There are several ways to look at the looming nursing workforce retirement crisis, with panic and dread being among the most common responses among healthcare leadership. We, however, choose to look at this issue through the lens of seasoned problem-solvers.

As nurses, this is where we excel.

Filling the gaps

Yes, nearly five million nurses will soon retire from their formal positions, but in a profession often described as a calling rather than a job, it’s a safe bet that many of these individuals will be open to sharing their knowledge and skills if the right opportunity presents itself.

Enter the Perioperative Resource Nurse (PRN). Think of this as a position where a passionate, experienced nurse comes in and does all the little things that make the big things easier.

What types of little things? Anything and everything your facility needs. The sky truly is the limit; that’s the beauty of a PRN position. They have the skills and experience to step in and fill whatever gaps exist at your hospital or surgery center. PRNs can be full-time, part-time or even volunteers. The job can be in-house or remote. It all depends on what your facility needs.

An in-house PRN can serve as a family liaison; a scheduling, onboarding and/or discharge coordinator; a mentoring leader; a perioperative documentation trainer; a new equipment trainer; or an accreditation preparation expert. The list goes on and on.

On the remote side, PRNs can make pre- and post-op patient calls; serve as internal audit reviewers or subject matter experts on areas such as infection control; work on policy and procedure updates; serve as in-service, shared-staffing or supply-and-demand coordinators; manage and update preference cards or head up any number of things that often wind up on the backburner at busy facilities.

There are also plenty of educational possibilities with this role. PRNs can serve as simulation lab facilitators, guest speakers, patient safety agents, legislative guides, coordinators of AACN competency integration and more.

There are so many areas where an experienced, dedicated PRN can catch things a younger or overloaded nurse has the potential to miss. PRNs possess the experience to spot issues like White Coat Syndrome — where a patient’s anxiety of being around doctors can cause a high blood pressure reading that would likely have been normal at home — and respond appropriately.

Another area where the PRN’s experience factor can pay dividends is the patient interview process. For instance, say a cataract patient comes in with itchy, watery eyes. That’s not necessarily a problem — it’s a common enough occurrence that could be attributed to any number of factors (allergies, etc.). But a seasoned PRN will be able to ask those extra questions and use their experience to determine if there’s something more going on, such as an infection that could lead to cancelation of the procedure.

Challenges to overcome

If you’re serious about adding paid PRNs to your staff, be aware of the potential obstacles. Many facilities face financial constraints, so there’s often a need to get creative when it comes to getting the green light. For instance, if upper management says you need to cut FTEs for budgetary reasons, you can potentially take a full-time position and combine it into two part-time PRNs as a response to the requested cuts.

There’s no shortage of available nurses who are eager to pass along their knowledge, and you’ll likely be surprised at how many potential volunteer candidates you’ll find by simply posting a PRN position on job boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed and NurseRecruiter. Retired nurses often become bored because they’ve spent decades working at such a fast face, and they simply can’t adjust to the slow, quiet speed of retirement. We’ve heard PRNs tell us, “I haven’t been paid a penny in this role. I’m here because I love what I do, and I feel like I can make a difference.”

Of course, most PRNs will likely expect to be compensated — and rightly so. Openness to a variety of working arrangements and schedules is the key to success with this role. Remember: PRNs don’t always need to be retired nurses; they can also be nurses who are looking to get away from a rigid, immutable schedule.

Roadmap to success

Essentially, each facility will work with HR to create its own PRN job description, with the goal of filling any vacancies with a registered nurse with the desired special skills (CNOR-preferred, etc.) and training (service line-specific experience in cardiovascular, pediatric or spine care, etc.) needed to thrive. From there, you’ll need to create the appropriate implementation and timeline necessary for PRNs to jump right in and make an impact.

And what an impact perioperative resource nurses will have on forward-thinking facilities that see their unlimited potential and take advantage of the diverse skillsets and vast experience they bring to the table. OSM