AORN JOURNAL JULY 1993, VOL 58, NO 1

Triple Treat ONE CHAPTER’S PROJECT ALPHA ACTIVITIES

Janice M. Parfitt, RN; Kathleen B. Gaberson, RN; Amy L. Reichert, RN

The concept of Project Alpha, a chapter-level program to promote the implementation of perioperative nursing content in nursing educa- tion programs, was introduced at the 27th annual AORN Congress in 1980. Project Alpha activities were designated as basic (ie, Project Alpha awareness, education), intermediate (ie, Project Alpha promotion, clinical preceptor- ing), and advanced (ie, extern program, inte- grated perioperative module). This article reports one chapter’s success in implementing Project Alpha.

he Project Alpha committee of the AORN of Pittsburgh chapter became T active early in 1990 when one member

offered to serve as chairperson. Chapter mem- bers generally were supportive of perioperative experience for nursing students, and the chapter previously had awarded scholarships to stu- dents in schools that included perioperative nursing in their curricula. The chapter, howev- er, was relatively uninformed about the benefits of Project Alpha and had no agenda for Project Alpha activities.

Janice M . Parfitt

Janice M . Parfitt, RN, MSN, CNOR, is an instructor at the Citizens General Hospital School of Nursing, New Kensington, Pa, and a staff nurse in the operating room at Citizens General Hospital, New Kensington, Pa. She earned her bachelor of science degree in nurs- ing at Loma Linda (Calif) University and her master of science degree in nursing at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kathleen B. Gaberson

Kathleen B. Gaberson, RN, PhD, is an associate professor in the graduate nursing program at Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh. She earned her diploma in nursing at the Presbyterian- University Hospital School of Nursing, Pittsburgh; her bachelor of science degree in nursing at Carlow College, Pittsburgh; and her master of nursing education degree and doctor of philosophy degree in curriculum and

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Nursing School Survey

he new committee chairperson recruited a few members who had previous Pro- T ject Alpha experience in other chapters

or had participated in Project Alpha at the national level. The committee identified its first objective-a survey of the Pittsburgh-area nursing schools regarding their perioperative course offerings. The survey results would serve as a needs-assessment tool for future committee work.

The committee surveyed 18 schools of nurs- ing by telephone and found that all but one offered perioperative experience. Through this direct telephone contact, the committee identi- fied one educator in each of the 17 schools who was interested in increasing the perioper- ative experience in the curriculum. The com- mittee used this telephone contact to inform these educators about the resources of the chapter (eg, chapter members who could serve as guest speakers, preceptors) and offered to help the educators identify clinical resources. One of the survey questions was, “Does your

Amy L. Reichert

supervision at the Universily of Pittsburgh.

Amy L. Reichert, RN, SSN, CNOR, is a level 111 clinical nurse in the OR at North Hills Passavant Hospital, Pittsburgh. She earned her diploma in nursing at Jameson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, New Castle, Pa, and her bachelor of science in nursing at Pennsylvania State University, State College.

school library receive the AORN Journal?” Five of the 17 schools did not receive this publication.

After analyzing the survey results, the com- mittee asked the chapter board of directors to sponsor a one-year subscription to the AORN Journal for each of the five schools that did not receive it. The committee also planned a full calendar of Project Alpha activities for the fol- lowing year to address the needs of the educa- tors who were surveyed as well as the needs of the chapter. Although the chapter board of directors approved the request for the five Journal subscriptions, it was not able to allo- cate additional funds to support the other pro- posed Project Alpha activities. The board, instead, asked the committee to plan programs that would be self-supporting.

The Project Alpha committee was faced with a challenge: to develop and implement Project Alpha activities that would meet the needs of chapter members, nurse educators, and nursing students in our area at little or no cost to the chapter. The committee reviewed AORN’s Project Alpha Handbook’ and decided to focus its efforts on developing awareness of Project Alpha’s purpose and educating chapter mem- bers, local nurse educators, and nursing stu- dents about Project Alpha. These activities rep- resented beginning-level actions on the contin- uum, although some of the committee’s plans included activities that could be classified as intermediate-level actions.

During the summer of 1991, the committee expanded its membership. By the time the Project Alpha agendum was implemented, the committee included eight members: two instructors in diploma nursing programs, a fac- ulty member in a graduate nursing program, a nurse educator for a surgical equipment compa- ny, an OR staff nurse in a community hospital, a special procedures staff nurse in a medical center hospital, a nursing education specialist in a medical center hospital, and an OR staff nurse in a medical center hospital. The committee members’ commitment to Project Alpha and their diversity of experience equipped them to implement an ambitious first-year agendum.

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Triple Treat

he committee, constrained by limited funds, decided to concentrate its efforts T on providing a “triple treat”-three pro-

grams in three months. This triple treat of offer- ings maximized the use of resources and capi- talized on the attention that usually surrounds OR Nurse Day in the Pittsburgh area. Whenever possible, the committee used facili- ties and resources that were available at no cost to the chapter, and it used the network of con- tacts in schools of nursing to help publicize the events.

Seminar for nurse educators. For the first program, the committee planned a seminar titled “Perioperative Nursing in the ’90s” for the nurse educators in the Pittsburgh area. The seminar was scheduled for a late afternoon (ie, 4 to 6 PM) as a convenience for educators who could attend at the end of their work day. A Project Alpha committee member arranged for meeting space in a conference room at her medical center hospital, which was located cen- trally in the Pittsburgh area and had convenient parking facilities.

The committee sent a flyer advertising the seminar to the identified instructors at the 17 schools of nursing on the survey list inviting them, their administrators, and any interested colleagues to attend. The flyer promised that the seminar would help educators discover new ways to incorporate perioperative nursing con- tent into their students’ clinical experiences. Eleven educators representing eight schools attended the seminar.

The seminar began with a brief presentation by Kathleen B. Gaberson, RN, PhD, who spoke about the benefits of including perioperative nursing experiences in the undergraduate nurs- ing curriculum and acknowledged the barriers that educators may encounter when they try to plan and implement these clinical experiences. Dr Gaberson offered suggestions for overcom- ing these difficulties, and several educators in the audience contributed suggestions. As an additional resource, Dr Gaberson offered the use of her perioperative curriculum materials to

any educator who was planning a perioperative course, unit, or clinical experience for students. Two educators later used these curriculum materials.

Following the presentation, the committee showed the film, This is Perioperutive Nursing, and distributed copies of AOR”s “A Model for Perioperative Nursing Practice.”2 Copies of the AORN Standards and Recommended Practices for Perioperutive Nursing3 also were available. The committee provided light refreshments (ie, soft drinks, coffee, tea, snacks).

The program concluded with a tour of a Level I trauma operating room. While the semi- nar participants were touring the substerile area, they observed the admission of a trauma victim to the operating room.

An evaluation of the program indicated that participants found the program complete and interesting and that it gave them useful infor- mation about the advantages of perioperative nursing education, which they could take back to their schools. The educators identified the following resources that they needed to incor- porate or increase perioperative nursing content in their curricula:

an expert speaker, a faculty member to teach OR nursing, curriculum design, and course objectives.

In response to the question, “What can AORN of Pittsburgh help you with?”, the most frequent answer was “help in making contacts at the clinical facility.”

OR Nurse Day program. The next offering in the triple treat was directed at nursing stu- dents from local nursing schools. Prior to OR Nurse Day, the committee sent flyers to the sur- veyed schools inviting all junior and senior stu- dents to the November chapter meeting for the educational program, “The Entrepreneurial Nurse.” The contact educator at each school posted the flyers on the student bulletin boards and reproduced copies for interested students.

The goal in inviting students to the meeting was to introduce them to the functions and activities of a professional nursing organization. The meeting was to be held at a downtown

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restaurant that has a spectacular nighttime view of the city skyline.

Due to inclement weather, only three students attended. As they arrived, they were seated with the Committee members who introduced them- selves and presented the students with some small gifts from the chapter. The students asked questions about employment opportunities, work structure, and salary ranges in periopera- tive nursing. Most importantly, they wanted more information about the perioperative nurs- ing role. During this discussion, the committee encouraged the students to locate the A O R N Journal in their school libraries and to use it as a valuable resource in their educational process. The committee also u5ed this opportunity to introduce the students to various chapter mem- bers and officers, especially perioperative nurs- es from their own clinical facilities.

Brunch and learn. The final triple treat offering was the most significant. The Region I representative of AORN’s National Committee on Education presented a seminar, “What Project Alpha Can Do for You,” for the chap- ter members, nursing educators, and nursing students. The seminar was held on a weekend morning, with brunch and a two-contact-hour program provided for a nominal fee of $10. The committee selected a centrally located medical center with comfortable, attractive conference room facilities as the site for this seminar. Seventeen participants representing four hospitals and seven schools of nursing attended.

After brunch, the speaker presented an overview of Project Alpha and the continuum of Project Alpha activities. Participants worked in small groups to answer discussion questions and present their ideas to the entire group. To conclude the seminar, the speaker showed the film, This is Perioperative Nursing.

The evaluations from the seminar partici- pants were positive. They especially enjoyed the film and group discussions. The educators who attended appreciated the opportunity to network and share ideas about incorporating perioperative nursing in their curricula. One educator expressed interest in joining AORN.

Summary

he Project Alpha committee was suc- cessful in meeting the challenge to T develop and implement cost-effective

activities that would meet the needs of chapter members, nurse educators, and nursing stu- dents. The triple treat of first-year activities generated interest in and excitement about Project Alpha, especially among local nurse educators. In implementing and evaluating these activities, the committee gained increased support from chapter members for the agendum and is hopeful that the chapter will allocate funds to support future activities. Based on the evaluations from participants in these three pro- grams, the committee has ideas for future Project Alpha involvement at the intermediate level of action. 0

Notes 1 . Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc,

Project Alpha Handbook, second ed (Denver: Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc, 1988).

2. “A model for perioperative nursing practice,” in AORN Standards and Recommended Practices for Perioperative Nursing (Denver: Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc, 1990) I: 1-5.

3. Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc, AORN Standards and Recommended Practices for Perioperative Nursing (Denver: Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc, 1990).

Humor Alleviates On-the-Job Stress Humor-particularly morbid humor-helps emergency room nurses and paramedics cope more effectively with on-the-job stress, according to a February/March 1993 issue of News Tips from Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. Making jokes gives nurses a mental break and increases their objectivity when faced with overwhelm- ing stresses. Everyone has the ability to use humor, says the article. Humor involves look- ing at a stressful situation from a different perspective.

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