Upon completion of this learning activity, participants should be able to:

DAY 1 Intro and Anesthesia

1. Differentiate the major phases of perianesthesia care and the nursing priorities associated with each phase.
2. Apply the Aldrete Scoring System to determine a patient’s readiness for transition or discharge.
3. Compare local, regional, moderate-sedation, monitored-anesthesia-care, and general-anesthesia approaches.
4. Identify early signs of common anesthesia-related complications, including residual paralysis, hypothermia, PONV, and local-anesthetic systemic toxicity.
5. Select appropriate nursing assessments and escalation actions based on a postoperative patient’s condition and anesthesia history.

Day 2 Orientation to PeriOp Services

1. Differentiate unrestricted, semi-restricted, and restricted perioperative areas and apply site-specific attire and infection-prevention requirements within each area.
2. Apply Universal Protocol principles, including pre-procedure verification, site marking, patient engagement, and focused time-outs, to reduce the risk of wrong-patient, wrong-procedure, and wrong-site events.
3. Evaluate perioperative patients for positioning-injury risks, informed-consent requirements, medication considerations, learning barriers, and other factors that may affect procedural safety and postoperative recovery.
4. Adapt perioperative communication and patient education according to the patient’s health literacy, preferred language, culture, religious beliefs, age, sensory or physical limitations, social circumstances, and readiness to learn.
5. Analyze how social determinants of health, health disparities, communication barriers, and personal or clinical assumptions may influence patient engagement, informed decision-making, adherence to perioperative instructions, and recovery outcomes.

 Day 3 Respiratory A&P

1. Explain the relationship among ventilation, oxygenation, diffusion, and acid-base balance.
2. Differentiate clinical findings associated with impaired oxygenation from those associated with impaired ventilation.
3. Interpret selected respiratory assessment findings, including respiratory rate, breath sounds, work of breathing, SpO₂, PaO₂, PaCO₂, and EtCO₂.
4. Select appropriate interventions for common oxygenation and ventilation problems.
5. Apply respiratory anatomy and physiology concepts to the assessment of a patient experiencing respiratory compromise.

 DAY 5 Bonus Critical Care Content

1. Recognize early signs of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in postoperative patients.
2. Differentiate residual anesthesia effects from focal neurological deficits requiring stroke-alert activation.
3. Interpret respiratory assessment and capnography findings associated with airway obstruction, hypoventilation, and hypoxemia.
4. Prioritize nursing interventions for selected respiratory and neurological emergencies.
5. Select appropriate critical-care medications and escalation actions based on changes in hemodynamic, respiratory, and neurological status.

DAY 6 Cardiac, Neuro, and Pain

1. Analyze postoperative cardiovascular findings to identify hemodynamic instability and determine when escalation is required.
2. Differentiate expected postoperative neurological effects from acute neurological complications.
3. Apply focused neurological assessment methods to patients recovering from anesthesia or neurological procedures.
4. Select an appropriate pain-assessment tool based on the patient’s age, cognition, communication ability, and clinical status.
5. Develop a multimodal pain-management plan that incorporates pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions.

DAY 7 Procedures By System

1. Compare postoperative assessment priorities for gastrointestinal, genitourinary, endocrine, ENT, thoracic, and orthopedic procedures.
2. Identify early signs of procedure-specific complications, including hemorrhage, airway compromise, electrolyte imbalance, TURP syndrome, and compartment syndrome.
3. Apply focused assessment findings to determine appropriate nursing interventions and escalation pathways.
4. Prioritize neurovascular, respiratory, fluid-balance, pain, wound, drain, and catheter assessments for selected postoperative patients.
5. Evaluate scenario-based findings to distinguish expected postoperative changes from time-sensitive complications.

 DAY 8 Perioperative Emergencies

1. Recognize early clinical indicators of common perioperative emergencies.
2. Prioritize immediate nursing actions using an airway, breathing, and circulation framework.
3. Differentiate expected postoperative findings from findings requiring urgent escalation.
4. Apply team communication and emergency-response principles during a simulated perioperative event.
5. Evaluate patient response to emergency interventions and identify the need for a higher level of care.

DAY 9 Special Populations and Bonus

1. Adapt postoperative assessment, communication, pain-management, and discharge teaching to the developmental and clinical needs of pediatric and other special populations.
2. Analyze how culture, language, disability, religion, stigma, and implicit bias may influence healthcare access, communication, and patient experience.
3. Apply culturally and linguistically responsive communication strategies, including qualified interpreter use and individualized assessment of patient preferences.
4. Evaluate personal and clinical assumptions that may contribute to unequal treatment and select strategies to mitigate their effects on care.
5. Demonstrate patient-centered and trauma-informed approaches that support dignity, autonomy, family partnership, psychological safety, and equitable perioperative care.