[scudmissile]

greetings and well wishes to the OR nurses. i love this forum!! i have a new question?!!! why do OR's have difficulty hiring new graduates. i have been looking into some associate r.n. programs and it seems that they do not have a lot of emphasis in OR ? some tell me that there is a huge o.r. nurse shortage but it seems that it is hard for a new graduate to start in O.R.. any recommendations? should i move to a different state or what should i do? i currently live in oklahoma. any feedback would be appreciated!!!

thank you

[suzanne4]

You almost answered your own question. Most school rotations only include a few days at most observing in the OR. This is no way typical of what goes on in the OR. There are a wide variety of services offered, etc. Ear surgery on peds patients, to AAAs to open heart surgery, spine surgery, ENT, etc., and let's not forget the trauma.

You must be very quick thinking on your feet, and when you finish your OR orientation, you should be able to handle about anything that comes in thru the doors. Most hospitals do not have difficulties in hiring new grads, they just wnat someone with some expereince under their belt. If you keep looking, you will find a place. Jus tmake sure that you get a proper orientation. They used to be one full year, now have been cut back to about 6 months in many places, and if they offer you only a three month orientation, RUN as fast as you can away from there.

[mcmike55]

S.M.
I can only speak from my observations from my little corner of the world, but, grads just don't have enough time under their belt to just enter straight into surgery.
At my hospital, the teams are an anesthesiologist (MD), a scrub tech and a RN. During the day, there is help in the form of a float RN and charge nurse, etc. But at night, on call, you are on your own.
Here, at least, it seems the best course is get some experience in ICU, ED, the floors, etc, and when your experience base grows, so will your confidence and competence, making you better able to work alone, as it were. After a proper orientation to surgery, of course.
Keep at it....we can use the help!! And good luck!!

[carcha]

I wonder if the new training, and I'm speaking of here in Britain where the student only spends a few weeks observing in the OR has a lot do do with the current OR shortage. In my day, many years ago we spent 3 months in the OR, taking part in every aspect of peri operative care. By the end of that time you either loved the OR or hated it. Now the students dont get enough time to really experience what being an OR nurse is all about and its just my opinion but I feel a lot of them think an OR nurse loses her skills. Its sad that hospitals wont hire new grads but I wonder if the dropout rate is high amongst new grads who due to the lack of time spent in the OR as a student, dont really know if they want to be an OR nurse until they go to work there and then find out its not what they want, just a thought, not based on knowledge. I think if you keep plugging away and get on an OR course you'll be able to have your pick of jobs, good luck.