Operating Room Nurse Internship

Job Summary And Qualifications

As a Operating Room Nurse Internship, your voice to influence patient care is valued and empowered at every turn –whether through open, collaborative relationships with your direct manager or more formal opportunities through hospital councils and national nursing initiatives. You'll help shape decisions that elevate both patient outcomes and the future of nursing.

The Nurse Residency Program focuses on training licensed Registered Nurses with no prior operating room experience to work in the intra‑operative environment. This program is open to nurses who are either new graduates or seasoned nurses with a non‑surgical background. This internship prepares nurses with the foundational skills that are essential for providing safe patient care in the operating room. This program is open to all Nashville area Tri Star medical centers including Centennial, Summit, Southern Hills, Stone Crest, Horizon, Skyline, Hendersonville, Greenview and North Crest.

Residents from all facilities will start the program as a cohort and attend didactic classroom days together. Clinical hours will be completed in the intern’s facility and department of hire. For example, if you are hired to work at Skyline, all your clinical hours will be completed  active nursing license in good standing for the state of your hiring facility (Tennessee or Kentucky) is required to begin the program.

During the 5‑month program, interns will work five 8‑hour days (Monday – Friday). Alternative shifts will be at the discretion of the hiring manager after completion of the program. Clinical start times may vary depending on the schedule of your preceptor. For example, if your preceptor starts their shift at 0630, you will be expected to start s program helps you develop the foundational skills of the perioperative RN.

You will still be a novice when you graduate and will continue to gain specialty experiences following completion of the program. Departmental and service line orientation will build on foundational skills learned in the internship program. Regular rounding and progress meetings will be set with the course instructors, preceptors, and managers to track the resident’s progress.

Attendance and punctuality are required during the didactic portions of the program. Exceptions for clinical will be made on a case‑by‑case basis. Missing a day of lecture/simulation is not permitted. For clinical days, please refer to your facility’s attendance policy.

• Completion of all course assignments and objective assessments
• Final grade of 75% or greater
• Professionalism Requirement
• Attend at least one Middle Tennessee Chapter AORN meeting

How long is the Periop Nurse Residency Program? The program is 5 months long. This blended‑learning program combines didactic, online modules, lab, and clinical hours. Upon completion of the residency program, residents will orient to their hired unit/specialty until competency is demonstrated.

What are the hours of the training? During the program, hours are five 8‑hour days (Monday – Friday). Clinical will be held at resident’s hired facility. Overtime hours during the program are not typically permitted without management approval. Alternative shifts (3 12‑hour, 4 8‑hour) will be at the discretion of the hiring manager after program has ended. The program schedule is subject to change.

Am I considered an employee while in the program? Yes. You are hired as an employee before the program begins and start earning wages on the first day of the program.

Will I know where I will be working after the training? You will complete your clinical in the department that you will work in after training. Your primary service line will be determined near the end of the program, based on the needs of the department. Flexibility will be required regarding service line, shift, holiday or weekend hours when needed. You may be expected to cover holiday call and late stay call upon completion of your orientation.

This may involve evenings, nights or weekend shifts.

During the program, may I observe in…