uring the 1970s and 1980s,many studies were conduct-ed and many articles werewritten on the importance ofrole models. This concept

still is one of the most vital in teachingand practice today, and it was rein-forced for me recently when I met anurse who had been a student of minelong ago. I did not recall her name orher face, as I have taught hundreds ofstudents since she was a student.When I asked how she was doing, sheresponded enthusiastically that she isa perioperative nurse in an OR in theMidwest and loves her job, her co-workers, and her hospital.

She told me that I was responsiblefor her career decision. I had taughther in nursing school during her firstmedical-surgical course. All of thestudents were required to observe inthe OR once or twice during thesemester. She remembered that I hadtold her to watch carefully becausethe OR was one place where shecould observe teamwork and that thisis an area where nurses are consid-ered an important and vital part ofthe team. I do not remember sayingthis, but my words had an effect onher. She told me that this statementhad stuck in her mind and her heartthrough the rest of her education asshe observed nurses in many otherroles. By the time she graduated, shehad made the decision to become aperioperative nurse.

This story reflects Bandura’s theorythat “occupational pursuits and unto-ward life paths often arise through themost trivial of circumstances.”1 As Ireflected on this, it rather scared me.What an effect my one, little, off-the-cuffstatement had on this individual. Then Ibegan to wonder what else I have saidand done during the years that may

have inadvertently affected someone,either positively or negatively.

ROLE MODELSWe are all role models, whether we

like it or not. Our actions, words, bodylanguage, and behavior are alwaysbeing observed by others. Students inthe OR are astute observers. As an aca-demician as well as a perioperativenurse, I hear almost daily that a studenteither loved the OR experience or hatedit. There does not seem to be much mid-dle ground. After many discussionswith students, I have come to believethat it is almost always astudent’s impression ofthe perioperative nursethat makes the differencebetween that student lov-ing or hating the ORexperience.

In this era of a grow-ing shortage of nurses,we are all concernedabout having enoughnew nurses in the periop-erative field. AORN’s2006 “Position statementon responsibility formentoring” states thatnursing students and

perioperative registerednurses entering clinical,management, and lead-ership roles . . . need asupport system, role models, andguidance to advance the practice ofperioperative nursing.2(p1321)

The statement continues to say that aperioperative RN mentor also will“model professional behavior. . . .”2(p1321)

Positive role-model behaviors areessential to the recruitment and retentionof nurses. Recently, a nursing student

JULY 2006, VOL 84, NO 1 • AORN JOURNAL • 13

Like it or not, you area role model

E D I T O R I A L

Nancy J. Girard,RN

D

© AORN, Inc, 2006

Our actions,words, body

language, andbehavior arealways beingobserved by

others. Studentsin the OR are

astute observers.

with conviction,• provides nursing care to

patients with respect, • controls his or her own

emotions when providingpatient care,

• performs nursing carebased on professionalknowledge and skills, and

• provides patient-centeredcare in various roles.4

If you recall an incident whenyour professional career wasaffected by a role model,either positively or negatively,consider writing it up andsending it to me. Letters of200 words or fewer will bepublished in the “Letters tothe Editor” column.

14 • AORN JOURNAL

JULY 2006, VOL 84, NO 1 Editorial

was present in an OR when asurgeon was verbally abusingthe scrub person and residentsin a loud voice. The circulat-ing nurse quietly and calmlysaid to him, “Doctor, you real-ly need to use your insidevoice here.” The surgeonlooked sheepish and quieteddown. The incident was de-fused quickly, and those brief,professional words and herbehavior had an immediateeffect on everyone in theroom. The rest of the surgeryprogressed smoothly. Thisincident greatly impressed thestudent, who immediatelyreported the positive role-model behavior to me. Theperioperative nurse who mod-eled this behavior probablywill not remember her wordsor actions, but she demon-strated excellent role model-ing. I have no doubt that thestudent will not forget thispositive example.

Role-model behavior mayinclude demonstrating com-petence in skills, maintaininga sense of humor, staying flex-ible, exhibiting confidence,promoting a positive environ-ment, and showing respectfor others.3 These characteris-tics are supported by recentresearch on role-model behav-iors perceived by nursing stu-dents.4 Hongo et al investigat-ed nursing students’ percep-tions of nurses’ role-modelbehavior. The researchersfound that students identifieda positive role model as onewho• interacts with everyone in

a sincere manner,• is professional and acts

Role-model behaviormay include

demonstrating competence,maintaining a

sense of humor,exhibiting confidence, promoting a positive

environment, andshowing respect

for others.

BEING A ROLE MODELAll nurses become role

models whether we intend toor not. Being aware of theeffect our behavior has on oth-ers is vital. As nurses progressfrom novice to expert, howthey perform their job func-tions can become automatic.Many nurses forget to demon-strate the small things. Stu-dents new to the OR can bene-fit from an experienced nursethinking out loud when givingcare to patients. When stu-dents see the positive out-comes of nursing care, theywill learn and grow. This alsomay result in an increase in thenumber of perioperative nurs-es entering the field. I willclose with a quote fromBarbara Stevens Barnum, RN,that sums up the essence ofnurse mentoring.

Teaching is not designedto foster role inculcation,but preceptorships andmentorships can achievethis. That is why peoplesay roles are not taught,but caught.5 ❖

NANCY J. GIRARDRN, PHD, FAAN

EDITOR

NOTES1. A Bandura, “Social cognitiontheory: An agentic perspective,”Asian Journal of Social Psychology2 (April 1999) 21-41.2. “Position statement onresponsibility for mentoring,”AORN Journal 83 (June 2006)1321.3. “Teaching by role modeling,”Slippery Rock University of Penn-sylvania, http://www.sru.edu/print

AORN JOURNAL • 15

Editorial JULY 2006, VOL 84, NO 1

/6387.asp (accessed 23 May 2006).4. K Hongo et al, “Role modelbehaviors of nurses perceived bynursing students,” paper present-ed at the 15th International Nur-sing Research Congress: Sigma

Theta Tau International, Dublin,22-24 July 2004. Abstract availableat http://stti.confex.com/stti/inrc15/techprogram/paper_18690.htm (accessed 23 May 2006).5. B S Barnum, “Precepting, not

mentoring or teaching: Vive ladifference,” in The Role of thePreceptor: A Guide for NurseEducators, Clinicians, and Man-agers, ed J P Flynn (New York:Springer Publishing Co, 1997) 8.

Contribute to your profession by publishing an arti-cle in the AORN Journal. The Journal publishes arti-

cles that appeal to professional perioperative nursesat entry level through advanced skill levels who prac-tice in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, andother settings in which operative or other invasiveprocedures are performed. Feature articles addressclinical, management, education, and research topics.Detailed articles on management topics or clinicalarticles describing patient care, nursing considera-tions, surgical procedures, and supporting informationwill be considered for Home Study Programs. Featurearticles whose authors include at least one RN who is

a member of AORN will be entered in the annual AORNJournal Writers Contest, which recognizes authors ofoutstanding Journal articles.

If writing a feature article is more than yourtime will allow, please consider authoring a Journalcolumn. Journal columns include clinical innova-tions, opinions, case commentaries, case studies,and clinical exemplars.

Author guidelines are available online at http://www.aorn.org/journal/guidelines.htm. For questions oradditional information, please contact Dr NancyGirard, AORN Journal editor-in-chief, at (210) 567-5841 or send an e-mail to girardn@uthscsa.edu.

Call for Manuscripts for the AORN Journal

AORN has considerably redesigned and improvedthe Patient Safety First web site, http://www

.patientsafetyfirst.org. The new web site, whichwent online in early June and will be fully populat-ed over the summer, will include information tomake it the leading resource for those interested inpatient safety issues.

The redesigned web site is clean, functional,and easy to navigate, making it user-friendly andeasily accessible for health care professionals, con-sumers, and industry members. The fully populatedweb site will include• articles and resources for information on patient

safety topics,• guidance for surgical patients and their family

members regarding what to expect during thesurgical experience and what to ask health careproviders,

• frequently asked questions and answers,• a glossary of surgical terms,• information on current and pending legislation

and government resources,• the top five to 10 recent news stories related to

patient safety,

• descriptions of research studies and findings rel-evant to patient safety,

• information about the numerous groups andindustry partners working with AORN on patientsafety,

• links to other sources of information aboutpatient safety,

• an interactive component that allows users toask a nurse questions about surgical patientsafety,

• a calendar of educational and informative eventssponsored by AORN and other associations andorganizations active in patient safety issues, and

• a link to the AORN web site for online patientsafety education and certification.

Users also will be able to subscribe to syndicatednews feeds, safety alerts, and podcasts relevant topatient safety.

In addition, AORN will continue to hostSafetyNet, the anonymous voluntary reporting sys-tem that confidentially captures data about closecalls in the surgical setting. Users also can sendan e-mail to patientsafety@aorn.org to ask ques-tions and give feedback about the web site.

Redesigned Patient Safety First Web Site Launched