Operating Room Nurse Internship

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.

Position Details: 

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 TriStar medical centers including Centennial, Summit, Southern Hills, StoneCrest, Horizon, Skyline, Hendersonville, Greenview and NorthCrest. 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 at Skyline. An active nursing license in good standing for the state of your hiring facility (Tennessee or Kentucky) is required to begin the program.

Clinical Expectations 

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 at 0630. This 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.

Time and Attendance 

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 Criteria 

Nurse Residents must demonstrate successful completion of the following criteria in order to graduate from the internship: 

• 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 Residents that do not meet the above criteria must meet with surgery management, preceptor, and education team to develop an individualized action plan, which may include remediation, reassignment, or resignation from the program.

Frequently Asked Questions:

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 other surgical departments? This is at the discretion of your hiring manager. 

How long will I be working with a preceptor? You will be assigned to a preceptor until competency is validated and you have completed all orientation checklists. 

How will my competency be determined? Residents will have an orientation binder that contains specific criteria for validation of competency on specific skills in the Circulating role. The Intern will be responsible for obtaining documentation from the preceptor to determine competency in the clinical area. Progress meetings will be held with the Manager, Educator, and preceptor to provide feedback and set goals. 

How long does it take to be prepared to work independently in my role? This will depend on service line complexity and individual progression. The average length of orientation, including program, is 6 months. 

What are the responsibilities of a Circulating nurse? Responsibilities of the Circulator include but are not limited to: • Management of personnel, equipment, supplies, and environment during surgical procedure • Patient care including assessment, assisting the anesthesia team, positioning, prepping, and documentation • Manages flow of information as well as supplies to and from the surgical team members scrubbed at the field 

What are the responsibilities of a scrub nurse? Will this be part of my training? The scrub nurse is responsible for assisting the surgeon and assistants with instrumentation, set-ups, suture presentation, sponges, etc., while maintaining the sterility of the surgical field through aseptic practices. The primary focus of this program is to train you to be a circulating nurse. Whether you are trained to scrub is determined by facility. 

May I take vacation time during the program? Vacations are not granted during the didactic portion of the program. Completion criteria for the program includes attendance to all required classroom lectures, simulations, and skills days. Exceptions for clinical will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

Will this role prepare me for a goal of becoming a CRNA? No. A CRNA program requires critical care experience rather than OR experience. It would be better to pursue an ICU unit if becoming a CRNA is your personal goal. 

Will this role prepare me for a goal of becoming an RNFA? Yes. This experience will prepare you for the goal of becoming an RNFA if desired. First, however, you must obtain two years of full-time hours and become certified (CNOR). After that you will be eligible to pursue RNFA programs. 

Will this internship prepare me for OR Certification (CNOR)? Yes. You will be eligible for certification after 2 years/2400 hours of OR experience. This program teaches AORN standards, so graduates of this program are well prepared to sit for certification. 

What you will do in this role: 

• Evaluate patients prior to surgery 
• Provide patient and family education surrounding the procedure and peri-operative process
• Assume responsibility for patient preparation, including intravenous therapy, preoperative medications, and surgical site verification 
• Participate in surgical site verification, including briefing, time out, debriefing, and universal protocols, according to hospital policy 
• Recognize and respond to patient emergencies 
• Deliver high-quality, patient-centered care while managing evidence-based practices and continuous improvement initiatives 
• Be an integral member of a dynamic interdisciplinary team – consisting of the provider(s), surgeons, surgical technologists and more 
• Consistently apply the nursing process, critical thinking skills, scientific judgment, technical skills and leadership to independently deliver safe nursing care to patients
• Assess patient condition, monitor throughout your shift, and document changes in patient condition along with the care provided thoroughly 
• Educate patients and families/caregivers about the patient's medical condition, treatment and follow-up measures 

• Basic Cardiac Life Support must be obtained within 30 days of employment start date
• (RN) Registered Nurse
• Associate Degree, or Registered Nurse Diploma, or Bachelors Degree
• At least 1 year of RN experience required! Any speciality.

TriStar Centennial Medical Center, offers a total rewards package that supports the health, life, career and retirement of our colleagues. The available plans and programs include:

• Comprehensive benefits for medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health and telemedicine services
• Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services
• Time away from work programs for paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence
• Savings and retirement resources , including a 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible spending accounts, preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support and financial wellbeing counseling
• Education support through tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing
• Additional benefits for fertility and family building, adoption assistance, life insurance, supplemental health protection plans, auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection and consumer discounts

Note: Eligibility for benefits may vary by location.

"Nurses are essential to the delivery of healthcare and serve as its foundation. At HCA Healthcare, we are committed to equipping nurses with the tools and resources they need to deliver exceptional patient care, championing the profession, and supporting the advancement of nursing's future."

Erica Rossitto, MBA/HCM, BSN, RN, NEA-BC

Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive

HCA Healthcare

TriStar Centennial Medical Center is a 740+ bed comprehensive facility. We offer medical and surgical programs. These include behavioral health and 24-hour emergency. These also include heart and vascular and imaging. These also include neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, rehabilitation, sleep disorder, and women's services. We are an affiliate of TriStar Health. TriStar Centennial Medical Center is a 43-acre campus. We are home to TriStar Centennial Heart & Vascular Center. We are home to TriStar Centennial Women's Hospital. Our campus includes The Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, TriStar Centennial Advanced Joint Replacement Institute and TriStar Centennial Parthenon Pavilion.

HCA Healthcare has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for ten consecutive years (2010-2019). In 2019, HCA Healthcare spent an estimated $3.7 billion in cost for the delivery of charitable care, uninsured discounts, and other uncompensated expenses.

If this opportunity is your next step in your career path, we encourage you to apply for our Operating Room Nurse Internship opening. We review all applications. Qualified candidates will be contacted by a member of our team. We are interviewing, apply today!

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.