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Name: Brenda Neufeld

How long have your been an LPN?: I graduated 2004 after raising my two children. My daughter graduated high school in 2005 and my son in 2006!

Your city or town of residency: Kelowna, BC 

Your city or town of occupation: Kelowna, BC

Facility and department? Kelowna General Hospital Operating Room

Full time, part time, or casual? Casual

How long at current position: 2.5 years

What is your role in your job and what are some typical duties? Three roles encompass O.R. Nursing.
*Scrub Nurse- works directly with surgeon, maintains surgical field, hands instruments, sutures etc to surgeons and his\her assistant, does instrument count with circulating nurse, I love this role!
 *Circulating Nurse-does the surgical counts with scrub nurse, preps patient, gets additionally needed supplies for scrub person and surgeon, as well as the documentation.
 Patient Advocate- interviews the patient in Pre Surgical Holding area, brings patient into OR, introduces to the OR Team, assists anestheologist as patient is prepared for surgery.

Have you had to do any additional education in order to do what you are doing? Yes! I received my training from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton Alberta. The O.R. course for L.P.N.s has three parts. A distance education component encompasses your theory and textbook work. You do this in your own hometown and arrange with the College to have someone you know supervise your exams. The person must be approved by the College and the exams are sent directly to that person and are mailed back to the college by that person. Secondly, a two week lab component in Edmonton is mandatory. Here you learn all three O.R. nursing roles and practice them. Everything from surgical hand scrubs to instruments counts to assisting the anestheologist. It is a very intense two weeks for sure! Following successful completion of both components you then must complete a 12 week (37.5 hrs week) practicum in (hopefully) your local hospital.

What are your usual hours of work and do you work overtime? During practicum I followed my preceptor’s schedule which was a day\night rotation. After practicum I mainly worked Mon-Fri-days because during this time are when we have the most “ stable” patients, although I have had to scrub in on a few stat cases on a dayshift! These cases are very stressful as the patient is gravely ill and that weighs heavily on you.  I can work as much overtime as I want because we are so short staffed. It is not unusual for 6 people to call in sick in a day. Out of a nursing team of 24 (ideally) that makes for a very challenging day.

What made you apply for this job?  I have always been fascinated with the O.R. and when the opportunity to take the training came up I grabbed it!! It was a dream come true for me.

What makes your job unique from others? This job is different in the fact that you have limited patient contact. The contact you have with a patient while they are conscious is very brief. You spend the majority of your job working directly with surgeons and anesthesiologist as well as other nurses. You get a real sense of being a part of a team. In the O.R. it is imperative that you work as a team or you place your patient at serious risk. The skills used are also different as an O.R. nurse as compared to a floor nurse. For instance the only LPN skills I typically utilize in the O.R. is catheter insertion, applying wound dressing or ostomy device.

Are you part of an interdisciplinary team?  If so, what other professions do you work and consult with?  See above

What do you like most about your job?  Least?  I absolutely love seeing the anatomy and witnessing surgeons work. I am constantly amazed and awed by what they accomplish especially when things take a bad turn and they are able to turn it around! I love interacting with the surgeons; my favorite surgeons are the ones who welcome my questions and enjoy teaching others! My least favorite thing about the job is the politics. With only 100 LPN-O.R. trained nurses across Canada we are breaking new ground and are entering what was only a RN’s world. While the vast majority of RNs I have encountered have been extremely supportive and respectful, I have to say there are a few “old school” RNs who do not feel that LPNs have any place in the operating room and you know who they are in a very short time!

Share a workplace story of interest. One day when I was in the patient advocate role I went to get an 8 yr old boy who was about to undergo a tonsillectomy. His mom was with him and although her English skills were limited we managed to get through the interview questions successfully. She asked to come in to be with her son until he was “asleep.” I explained to her what she should expect namely that her son would be getting an intervenous which delivers the drugs to help him “sleep”, that the anestheologist would place a mask on his face and within a very short time then her son would be in a very deep sleep. She talked with her son as the process began and when he was “asleep” she stood up and with tears streaming from her eyes grabbed me and in broken English pleaded with me saying “please, please take care of my son I love him very much” I was so moved that I cried along with her and promised her that we would treat him as if he were our own son.

What motivates or inspires you in your nursing career? The human body is one of the most fascinating mysteries in life. It is amazing to see the inner anatomy and visually learn from the surgeons firsthand how everything is interrelated When there is a break you see the consequences of this and how they able to fix the problem. I am also inspired by the many opportunities that will be available to us in the near future.

What are your long term goals in your nursing career? To continue to learn all I can and take advantage of other educational opportunities. I would love to work part time on a floor because I do miss patient care as well as part time in the O.R.

Are you a member of any workplace or LPN organizations?  If so, what are they and why did you join them?   No not presently. Have been a member of LPN Association.

What to you think the role of the LPN will look like in 5 years?  I truly believe that doors that were previously closed to LPNs are going to be opened! With the shortage we are not only seeing LPNs working to full scope but also in areas like public health, home health care, post anesthesia recovery, I.C.U. We have more educational opportunities available to us such as O.R. course, immunization course, and foot care to name a few. I believe this to will continue to unfold.

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