Education of operating room nurses and midwives in Poland in the period 1960–2020

Introduction
Presentation of the history of training operating room nurses and midwives in Poland in the period 1960–2020.

Material and methods
The process of educating operating room nurses and midwives in Poland was analysed. The study was conducted based on an analysis of the literature about the education of scrub nurses in Poland, an analysis of legal regulations and training programs regulating postgraduate education in the field of operational nursing, and an analysis of archived documents from conducting education in the period 1960–2020.

Results
Instrumentation for surgery was started along with the development of surgery, although initially these activities were not associated with nursing. The beginnings of training for operating room nurses and midwives in Poland date back to 1960 and are associated with the establishment of the Centre for Middle Medical Personnel in Warsaw. That is when the first course for scrub nurses was organized. In 1969 the first nursing specializations were started, including a specialization in the field of operating nursing. Throughout history, the legal basis and postgraduate training programs in the field of operational nursing have been modified several times.

Conclusions
Operating room nurses and midwives are authorized to work in the operating theatre through postgraduate education. Throughout history, the curricula of the qualification course and specialization in the field of operational nursing have undergone many modifications. Both qualification courses and specializations in the field of surgical nursing are very popular among nurses.