The experience of being an older perioperative nurse.

THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY used a purposive sample of perioperative nurses age 50 or older to describe the experience of being an older perioperative nurse. Three themes were identified from data analysis: growing old in the OR, inter-personal and organizational concerns, and worries about the future. THESE OLDER PERIOPERATIVE NURSES still are challenged and energized by being in the OR, although they have concerns about call and scheduling and have experienced conflict with surgical technologists. THESE NURSES ALSO ARE VERY WORRIED about the future of nursing, specifically perioperative nursing. They aptly asked, "What's going to happen when the older nurses are gone and no one is here to train the new ones?"