My Specialty

Perioperative Educator, Mary McDonald, Ventura County Medical Center

Providing education, policy review, and practice evaluation

By Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BCJuly 24, 2024

5 min read

Mary McDonald, RN
Perioperative Educator, Surgical Services Department
Ventura County Medical Center

Please give us a brief summary of your nursing career.

As someone who has always enjoyed serving my community, choosing nursing as my career felt natural.

I decided early in my career to work for the Ventura County Healthcare System because I was interested in the diverse population that the agency serves. I worked as a bedside nurse in the DOU, frequently floating to ICU, telemetry, postpartum, and PACU.

Eventually, I was drawn to the perioperative environment because of its fast pace and collaborative practice. I also work as a consultant, providing staff coaching, team building, and regulatory compliance preparation in the outpatient setting.

How did you transition to your current educator role?

Teaching is something I have always gravitated towards. I take great joy in creating a safe and supportive space where nurses can share information and ideas. When the perioperative educator position became available, I saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between our perioperative units through culture change, team building, and education.

What does your day-to-day look like?

I typically work 40–50 hours Monday through Friday. Maintaining an understanding of frontline staff perspective is important, so I try to also squeeze in a few on-call bedside shifts each month.

My goal is to provide staff, preceptors, and learners with the tools they need to have a successful day. The first thing on my daily agenda is to check in with the pre-op, operating room, PACU, GI lab, and interventional radiology teams.

Mid-morning, afternoon, and end-of-day rounds create opportunities to identify educational opportunities, and I meet with preceptors and preceptees to review progress and work through any challenges.

Research, policy review, practice evaluation, and performance improvement always play a role at some point in the day. While my days vary, my goal of achieving the best outcome for our patients remains the same. Providing support to both our expert and novice nurses is an essential part of keeping the teams on track.

What are the most important skills and characteristics your role requires?

Foundational skills I use every day include accurately assessing educational needs; considering different learning styles; and respecting generational differences, backgrounds, and beliefs. It’s sometimes necessary to revise the original plan upon evaluating educational outcomes, so active listening and being able to navigate difficult conversations are useful skills. An important role of the educator is transforming resistance into positive change.

What do you find most rewarding, and most challenging?

I love watching learners’ progress as they grow into their own practice. Witnessing that moment when things “click” for the learner is incredibly satisfying.

Nursing Education

Campus ProgramsAzusa Pacific University School of Nursing

Certificate ProgramCSUN Certificate in Perioperative Nursing

All Colleges

Overseeing education for five specialty areas, I am constantly learning something new. Walking through the unit and seeing the excellent care that our nurses provide based on the education that I’ve imparted is so fulfilling, as is observing the interactions between preceptees and their specialty area mentors.

What qualifications, certifications, and professional organizations would you recommend for this role?

Requirements for an educator position are specific to the hiring institution, but generally include a master’s in nursing and at least five years of experience. Expert-level bedside practice is ideal for the preceptor role.

Some important professional organizations for perioperative nursing include the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses (SGNA).

What kinds of nurses might thrive in and enjoy a role like yours?

Nurses who are passionate about the profession and enjoy inter- acting with others may enjoy an educator position. Someone able to recognize educational opportunities that lead to improved processes would surely be of ben-efit to any organization. Resourceful nurses who are entertained by read-ing, science, and research would likely be fond of the role. The job may not be the best fit for someone who is resistant to change and prefers predictability or consistency in their day.