Whole-brain learning. Preparing nurses for future challenges.

In the 1960s, when the design of nursing curricula moved away from the medical model and toward a model based on nursing concepts, formal rotation to the operating room was deleted from many baccalaureate programs. Nurse educators, grappling with a seriously overcrowded curriculum, argued that when a conceptual approach is used, students do not necessarily need extensive experience in nursing specialty areas, such as operating room nursing. In contrast, operating room nurses argued that diminishing the operating room experience had a negative impact on the preparation of students for the specialty. They contended that without meaningful learning experiences in the operating room, students would miss unique and valuable experiences in the operating room, and there would be less likelihood that new graduates would select this specialty. The specialty of perioperative nursing has responded to major changes in the health care industry and has expanded and clarified its professional scope. Today, the perioperative continuum provides a unique opportunity for teaching many fundamental concepts and skills of nursing practice. For example, perioperative nursing provides an opportunity for teaching concepts and principles of adaptation, safety, asepsis, patient and family teaching, teamwork, and the continuity of care. The perioperative nursing arena offers unique opportunities for nursing students to learn key concepts, issues, and skills that are relevant to many nursing practice areas. The whole-brain approach described in this article provides a model for the reevaluation and revitalization of perioperative nursing in the baccalaureate nursing curriculum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)