[NathanDH]

Hello,
I will be graduating in May, and just recently had 2 interviews for new graduate OR positions.
Comparison:
Both scrub and circulate
One is larger
The smaller pays better
The beneftis are similar
Had a slightly better "gut" feeling about the smaller hospital
Orientation seemed for structured at smaller facility

I am not sure which hospital to pick. I think I could flourish in both environments. I did prefer the smaller hospital, but I want to make sure that it will give me the experience that I need to become a good OR nurse.

Any advice on how to further analyze the decision would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Nathan H

[ShariDCST]

Originally Posted by NathanDH

Hello,
I will be graduating in May, and just recently had 2 interviews for new graduate OR positions.
Comparison:
Both scrub and circulate
One is larger
The smaller pays better
The beneftis are similar
Had a slightly better "gut" feeling about the smaller hospital
Orientation seemed for structured at smaller facility

I am not sure which hospital to pick. I think I could flourish in both environments. I did prefer the smaller hospital, but I want to make sure that it will give me the experience that I need to become a good OR nurse.

Any advice on how to further analyze the decision would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Nathan H

Strictly IMHO - go with your gut. It rarely lets you down.....

[WitchyRN]

Yes, I agree with ShariD...in these situations, you're often better off going with your instincts. Plus, it's good when orientation is structured, especially when you have no OR experience. The large places can be very overwhelming to new grads at first. At the smaller place, you'll get a good variety of cases and actually, may get exposure to more specialties that way. Sometimes, the big places break up the staff into services, so you may end up doing just General surgery, for example.

Plus, the better pay is a nice touch...

[Scrubby]

I would go with my gut instinct also. It's all well and good being paid more money, but IMHO a good orientation is more important. Also you get to scrub and circulate, which i understand is not as common for RN's in the US?

[TakeTwoAspirin]

OK, usually I would go with my gut, but one thing you may want to check on first is the range of what they do in the OR. If it's a really small hospital you may not see much of a variety of cases. I know there is an argument for "if you can circulate one thing you can circulate anything", but if they don't cover all the services at the smaller facility then you may have a significant hole in your skill development. Certainly worth checking on.

Congratulations, by the way, and I am sure you are in for quite a ride regardless of which one you pick.

[NathanDH]

Originally Posted by TakeTwoAspirin

OK, usually I would go with my gut, but one thing you may want to check on first is the range of what they do in the OR. If it's a really small hospital you may not see much of a variety of cases. I know there is an argument for "if you can circulate one thing you can circulate anything", but if they don't cover all the services at the smaller facility then you may have a significant hole in your skill development. Certainly worth checking on.

Congratulations, by the way, and I am sure you are in for quite a ride regardless of which one you pick.

I did take that into considerations, and made sure to ask during both interviews. It seems that they tend to do a larger variety of cases at the smaller hospital. Mainly the difference was that the larger hospital did not do opthalmalogic or vascular.
Neither do trauma, but I am not to interested in that right now.

[brewerpaul]

Ask both hospitals if they can arrange for you to shadow for a day.
That'll give you a good feel for the type of people who work there, which can make ALL the difference in the world. Do they all LIKE each other, or do they sit around and kvetch (complain) all day? Do they help each other during down time or sit around drinking coffee?
Talk to the staff, from floor moppers to surgeons: you'll have to work with all of them.
In either event, you're in for a great experience!

[caliotter3]

Congratulations on your two offers of employment. I would ask to shadow as suggested and then go with your gut. And if all else fails, you can always toss a coin! You would get a good experience at either choice so don't feel bad about choosing one over the other.

[lanetlang]

Good day!
I've been working as an OR nurse for almost 9 yrs,5yrs local and 4 yrs abroad.my last contract finish dec last year from saudi arabia which i had a bad exprience regarding the staffing and management.I have an offer now from al noor hospital abu dhabi, i already took the licensing exam and luckily passed.they offer Dhs 4000.free accomodation.

I dont have any idea regarding the status of nurses in their operating room right now.any information from al noor hospital abu dhabi is highly appreciated.


Thank You and God bless!
Lanetlang