About The Event

Perioperative nursing is believed to be the first specialisation to arise in nursing and tracing its beginnings is an interesting exercise. The scientific advances made during the latter part of the 19th century resulted in increased numbers of patients in hospitals. Though previously shunned by all but the poorest, hospitals increasingly provided an environment that was safer for surgery than a patient’s home and needed skilled nurses as a result. Florence Nightingale established a school of nursing in England teaching ‘sanitary nursing’ and ensuring probationary nurses knew about antiseptics and disinfectants. Ms Nightingale stated that it was the duty of every nurse on surgical wards to prevent infection, and until the end of the 19th century the nurses who cared for surgical patients in the wards pre- and postoperatively also prepared for and assisted during surgery. However, in 1899 the first dedicated operating room nurse was employed in the USA, and thereafter the role of the theatre nurse was established. That role has evolved significantly since then and continues to do so. ACN’s recent publication, ‘No longer silent The voice of 21st century nurses’ includes a chapter by Dr Lois Hamlin about perioperative nursing since nursing education moved into the higher education sector some 30 years ago. During this webinar, Dr Hamlin will explore perioperative nursing prior to this period, from its very earliest days in the late 19th century.

Key Learning Objectives 

• Outline the scientific advances that influenced patient care during the latter part of the 19th century
• Trace the beginnings of the first specialisation to arise in nursing
• Discuss the evolution of perioperative nursing

About The Speaker

Dr Lois Hamlin, RN, BN, MN (NEd), DNur, IT cert, OT cert, FCNA, FACORN (Retired), FACN

Lois is a former senior lecturer and director of PG programs at Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), where she was responsible for perioperative education. Lois is a member of the editorial panel of the Journal of Perioperative Practice. She is past editor the Journal of Perioperative Nursing and editor emerita, and past member of the Editorial Board of AORN Journal. Lois was also lead editor of Perioperative Nursing: An Introduction, the first Australasian perioperative nursing textbook (1e 2009; 2e 2016).

Sally Sutherland-Fraser - Facilitator and Consultant, RN, MEd, FACORN, MNSWOTA, MACN

Sally is a facilitator and education consultant based in Sydney. She has more than 40 years’ nursing experience in Australia and the United Kingdom, specialising in perioperative practice, education and mentorship. She is an author and co-editor of the Perioperative Nursing: An Introduction, now in its 3rd edition. Sally supports the Global Health Program of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) as the Nursing Specialty Coordinator and maintains her clinical skills as part of the casual staff at Sydney Hospital & Sydney Eye Hospital.