Practice-Ready, Specialty-Focused Perioperative Nursing Program  

Our Introduction to Perioperative Nursing (IPN) offers clinical experience in the operating room with the evidence-base to support clinical practice. Students will be placed in operating rooms with nurse mentors to have hands-on experience in caring for surgical patients. In addition, students will follow the AORN standardized curriculum and receive a student rate membership.  

The coursework will provide nursing students with the rationale and theory of perioperative practice necessary to provide safe patient care. This is a great opportunity for nursing students who are looking to enter the operating room as new graduate nurses. 

Take an up-close look at perioperative nursing and why many professionals choose this specialty here. 

You'll also gain insight from expert practitioners on relevant topics specific to the perioperative environment. 

• Learn the roles and responsibilities of the perioperative nurse 

• Gain knowledge of the principles of asepsis 

• Understand patient social determinants of health  

Program At-A-Glance

• For pre-licensure nursing students 
• Must have completed junior-year nursing program courses 
• Introduction to Perioperative Nursing (IPN) module coursework must be completed prior to clinical rotation (course information below) 
• Achievement badge awarded upon successful completion of 16 IPN modules and exam 
• Six-week practicum in the perioperative setting
• Module section online, and clinical in-person 

Eligibility and Tuition  

Eligibility is open for active first-semester senior BSN students. The program requires 20 hours of self-study plus 96 in-person clinical hours. The cost is $20, which includes a 1-year AORN membership. 

Application Information 

Students interested in applying contact our AORN representative listed below.

Crystal Fuentes, 303-755-6304 cfuentes@aorn.org 

• Spring Semester self-study completion December 31st  
• Fall Semester self-study completion July 31st 

Introduction to Perioperative Nursing (IPN) modules  

Program Outcomes

• Samuel Merritt University prepares students interested in perioperative nursing with a practice-ready, specialty-focused approach. Students will enter the workplace to pursue perioperative employment with a clear understanding of the role nurses have in this environment. 

• Students earn a badge upon successful completion of the IPN modules. This badge is presented to healthcare systems in the hiring process to indicate knowledge gained and recognition of completion.  

• Implementation of AORN modules serves as the rationale for perioperative workforce recruitment and retention, while fostering student persistence with research-driven data capable of determining future success in the perioperative setting. This is defined as evidence-based student assessment analysis of the right education, the right student, and the right nurse for the right role.  

• The efficacy of the partnership between Samuel Merritt University, AORN, and the participating hospital partners across the country becomes a model for specialty nursing education by reshaping the role of healthcare organizations and professional nursing organizations.