Collaboration initiated with the desire for the Bermuda perianesthesia nurses to be formally active in the specialty of perianesthesia nursing which required membership in a formal state or country based perianesthesia nursing specialty organization. International nursing partnerships require extensive foresight and planning to create partnerships that are beneficial for all parties involved (George & Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Several collaborative meeting took place between the New Jersey perianesthesia nursing leadership and the perianesthesia nurses of the country of Bermuda to develop the plan for this formal collaboration. The decision was made to develop a collaborative formal professional nursing specialty organization for perianesthesia nurses in Bermuda as well as New Jersey and surrounding states in the United States.
The priorities for this New Jersey Bermuda perianesthesia nursing organization included all aspects of perianesthesia nursing including clinical practice, research, standards, education, networking, certification information, professional resources and much more. Once formalized, the Bermuda perianesthesia nurses joined the New Jersey perianesthesia nurses as active members of this collaborative. Bermuda perianesthesia nurses are eligible to run for office and serve in any capacity on the organizations’ board of directors.
The New Jersey Bermuda Perianesthesia Nurses Association (NJBPANA) offers an educational continuing nursing education conference every fall and spring in the United States and an international conference at least every other year in Hamilton, Bermuda (NJBPANA, 2016). The international conference in Bermuda is planned collaboratively with the Bermuda perianesthesia nurses and includes presentations from experts both in the United States and Bermuda. The perianesthesia nurses from the United States and Bermuda also have the opportunity to meet and network annually at the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses national conference which is held at a different location throughout the United States every year.
The biggest challenge for this international perianesthesia collaborative is the distance between the state of New Jersey in the United States and the county of Bermuda. This organization was able to overcome this challenge with the use of technology, ongoing networking and collaboration as well as continuing education conferences being offered in both the United States and the country of Bermuda. This international perianesthesia nursing collaborative has been very successful and has already had one President from the Bermuda perianesthesia nurses. The board of directors for this collaborative continue to look for ways to increase participation, enhance resources and monitor outcomes.
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