ANPD believes that no matter your role in the practice of nursing professional development (NPD), you belong in our community. That’s why our Specialty Spotlight series highlights members furthering NPD goals in unique and invaluable ways. Today, the spotlight is on Brian Burrier, MSN, RN, CNOR-CARD, NPD specialist for the operating room and perioperative services at a hospital in Connecticut.

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Can you describe your career journey, and how you ended up in your current role?

Like many in my family before me, I decided to join the military right out of high school. I served for four years active-duty Army, including one year in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I left the military in 2006 and, utilizing GI Bill, I attended community college to pursue a science degree. However, options were limited with a two-year science degree, and I needed to work immediately. A friend’s mother—a nursing instructor—suggested nursing. At first, I was resistant, but I would later realize all the amazing opportunities a nursing degree could offer.

I graduated in 2013 with my Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree. After my first shadowing experience in the operating room (OR) as a student, I knew it was where I wanted to be. However, I was surprised to learn how difficult it was to secure a specialty position as a new graduate, unlike today. I applied to hospitals throughout the U.S. and landed a perioperative job in North Dakota during the height of the oil boom. The long cold winters allowed me to complete my BSN online. I was extremely motivated and learned every perioperative specialty, including cardiovascular operating room (CVOR). After two years, I began a journey as a travel nurse. I always enjoyed having students and orientees in my OR. I would draw pictures of bowel anastomosis and print out anatomical heart images to show students the surgical anatomy of what was being done. This passion for teaching led me to pursue my Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in nursing education.

Is this a new role?

This role is relatively new to me, I began my first NPD specialist position halfway through 2020. Even before I graduated with my MSN degree I had known for several years that I wanted to pursue the role of NPD specialist in the operating room. Shortly after earning my MSN, I accepted a position as a nurse educator at a community hospital in Connecticut.. The hospital had not had a perioperative nursing professional development (NPD) specialist in quite some time, and it was a challenge to develop that role. I began numerous improvement projects, implementing their first-ever “Periop 101” program and bringing new graduate nurses into the OR.

After a couple of years, I transitioned to the role of perioperative NPD specialist for a larger level 1 trauma hospital in Connecticut. I had previously traveled to this hospital and had developed an excellent rapport with the staff. I was warmly welcomed by my peers upon returning as an educator and quickly began improving the state of education within the perioperative departments.

What does an average day in your position look like?

A typical day as a perioperative NPD specialist starts early in the morning with a safety huddle for the OR. During this huddle, staff share vital information covering recent events, the plan for the day, and ongoing safety updates. During morning or afternoon rounds, I speak directly with staff members. I typically enter the operating rooms where training staff are working to offer assistance and observe their progression.

If there is an active Periop 101 cohort, I may facilitate didactic or a simulation to instruct new perioperative nurses. Teaching how to become a perioperative nurse is my favorite part of the job. I enjoy watching the light bulb go off when they understand a concept in laparoscopic surgery or when their critical thinking kicks in regarding why they need certain patient positioning devices and instruments for particular surgeries.

How do you apply the NPD Scope & Standards of Practice in your role?

What is exceptional about the OR is that technology and surgical techniques are evolving rapidly, sometimes it almost seems daily. NPD Standard 14 (Inquiry), focuses on integrating scholarly evidence and research findings into NPD practice. By upholding evidence-based practice and research, it is my responsibility to stay current with the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) guidelines for practice. It is important that I use the best available evidence to stay current with surgical best practices and incorporate them into staff education (Harper & Maloney, 2022). NPD Standard 15 (Quality of Practice), is utilized in my role by incorporating quality improvement to enhance outcomes and enhance decision making (Harper & Maloney, 2022). I rely heavily on collaborative partnerships with the entire surgical team, surgeons, anesthesia providers, nurses, surgical technologists, and instrument and equipment vendor representatives. Only with the assistance of our staff nurses and techs, team leaders, charge nurses, and others can we as a team keep up with the ever-evolving surgical landscape.

Furthermore, as a nurse leader, utilizing NPD Standard 12 (Leadership) I incorporate mentoring new perioperative nurses and spearhead initiatives such as improving orientation programs, simulations, and performance improvement projects, which aid to advance a culture of organizational learning and continuing professional role development (Harper & Maloney, 2022).  

What is a professional achievement you are proud of?

I am most proud of the six-week supplemental training program that my colleague, perioperative NPD specialist, Sonja Chambers, MSN, RN, CNOR, and I helped greatly improve, by adding lectures, enhancing interactivity with additional hands-on classes and simulations. We utilized AORN Periop 101: A Core Curriculum, an extremely useful didactic module tool, to prepare nurses for the OR (AORN, 2025) In addition, we created our own lectures, classes, hands-on opportunities, multidisciplinary shadows, simulations, and gamification activities. Utilizing NPD standards 4 and 5; respect was given to diversity, instructional design and ensuring the content is reflective of the expected outcomes (Harper & Maloney, 2022). We recognized the need to adjust our education strategy to meet different needs amongst adult learners. It was important to incorporate a strong multimodal approach that aids visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. For example, when we cover the daily topic of safe patient positioning, we have a hands-on skill session where participants practice positioning each other, complete the didactic module on the topic, and watch a related educational video.

Due to the nature of perioperative nursing being so different from much of what nurses have previously learned, we present topics using a flipped classroom approach. Feedback received through surveys indicated that perioperative learners prefer to engage in hands-on activities or simulations first. When learners complete the didactic module afterwards, they report that the topic is more understandable. Utilizing Kolb’s learning cycle, our flipped approach follows these stages (Kolb, 2015):

1. Concrete Experience: Learners begin by performing hands-on activity, which serves as the foundation.
2. Reflective Observation: The video and didactic modules help learners reflect on what they experienced during the hands-on activity,
3. Abstract Conceptualization: Learners integrate the new information with their existing knowledge.
4. Active Experimentation: Learners apply the skills while practicing or orienting with their preceptor.

What advice do you have for NPD professionals looking to find a similar career path?

My advice is to really take stock of your passion—what drives you each day. Think about what could be done to improve your orientation program, and how you can begin to improve your nursing area of expertise by utilizing evidence-based practice. I remember when I first started in the OR, my introduction to perioperative orientation was very lackluster—no classes, no hands-on skills, or simulations, just on-the-job training. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and the amazing staff who trained me to be the perioperative nurse I am today. However, much later, after working at many different hospitals and seeing various programs, I thought there had to be a better way to conduct perioperative orientation. I was given the opportunity, and I seized it. Take advantage of your resources. I could never have gotten this far in my career without the help of all my NPD team members, perioperative leadership, and every staff member along the way.

References

Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses. AORN (n.d.). Periop 101: A Core Curriculum. Retrieved October 27, 2025, https://www.aorn.org/education/periop-courses/periop-101-a-core-curriculum

Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (Eds.). (2022). Nursing professional development: Scope and standards of practice (4^th ed.). Association for Nursing Professional Development.

Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.