Don't think I'm an OR nurse...

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 10, 2017

Are you sure it's the specialty and not part of the transition from student to nurse? It's not at all uncommon for new nurses to have feelings like what you're experiencing- and it's entirely possible that you would be experiencing them regardless of the job you accepted. I don't know that I'd have a discussion with the manager quite yet or wait until the 6 month mark. Why not take the next week to really think about how you're feeling in regard to the job, especially in the light of whether it may be that new grad reality shock.

apd1193 · Mar 20, 2017

I also just started working in the OR as a new grad! I don't know if there is direct messaging on here, but feel free to hit me up if you want to chat. I'd give it time to sink in and really get your feet wet. But that's just an opinion, I don't have all the facts. Sometimes when you know, you know.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Mar 26, 2017

When I started just a mere two months ago as a new grad in the OR, I was so excited...
And now I'm just thinking back to the ICU position I was offered and wondering if I should have taken that because I start to miss my floor nursing student clinicals.
You beautiful people have a wonderful specialty and profession but I don't feel the "heart" I had when I started. I'm wondering if this means I should talk to my orientation manager about these feelings or wait 6 months and see....
Thoughts?

I think you need to clear up what it really is. Is it the transition from student to nurse or the fact you miss an awake and interactive patient? If the latter, then you need to transition out of the OR sooner rather than later and do everyone a favor but most importantly you. That is the beauty of nursing and the many avenues it has to offer. Good luck!

cassxd21 · Apr 1, 2017

I had a similar experience. I was hired in an OR at a level 1 trauma center, and was ecstatic about it. I had always been drawn to OR since nursing school. However, after a few weeks of circulating, I realized OR nursing wasn't what I thought it would be. I missed interacting with patients, and I felt like I wasn't using anything I learned in nursing school. Circulating nurses check their patients pre-op, and place a Foley if the surgery requires it. Other than that, we were just documenting, paperwork, or getting supplies. I liked scrubbing, but my facility had techs for that, who were very territorial and didn't like when nurses scrubbed. I decided to stay for a year and then transferred to acute care. I still love the OR and think it's so interesting, but I just didn't like to circulate, and that's ok. Nursing school doesn't really teach OR nursing, so the only way to know it's not for you is to stick it out for a while. I do not regret my year there. I learned so much, and saw so many interesting things that I wouldn't have seen elsewhere.

I will say that the most difficult part was getting hired in another service. OR nurses are in high demand because many people switch out. So whenever I applied to acute care positions at other hospitals, they would just call me back for OR.

cassxd21 · Apr 1, 2017

I had a similar experience. I was hired in an OR at a level 1 trauma center, and was ecstatic about it. I had always been drawn to OR since nursing school. However, after a few weeks of circulating, I realized OR nursing wasn't what I thought it would be. I missed interacting with patients, and I felt like I wasn't using anything I learned in nursing school. Circulating nurses check their patients pre-op, and place a Foley if the surgery requires it. Other than that, we were just documenting, paperwork, or getting supplies. I liked scrubbing, but my facility had techs for that, who were very territorial and didn't like when nurses scrubbed. I decided to stay for a year and then transferred to acute care. I still love the OR and think it's so interesting, but I just didn't like to circulate, and that's ok. Nursing school doesn't really teach OR nursing, so the only way to know it's not for you is to stick it out for a while. I do not regret my year there. I learned so much, and saw so many interesting things that I wouldn't have seen elsewhere.

I will say that the most difficult part was getting hired in another service. OR nurses are in high demand because many people switch out. So whenever I applied to acute care positions at other hospitals, they would just call me back for OR.

Allisonarr · Aug 4, 2022

What did you end up doing ? I am a new grad in the OR right now and I feel the exact same way

snapdragon13 · Aug 4, 2022

@Allisonarr it’s crazy that I wrote this 5 years ago! So much has changed in my life.

I’m sorry you are experiencing similar feelings, however I encourage you to explore those feelings. Looking back, I wish I had taken better care of myself in that moment (self-care, yoga, counseling, career mentorship, whatever floats your boat) to really think about what I wanted for myself and my future.

Nevertheless, life is a journey and a life-long career doesn’t have to be in one specialty! That’s the beauty of nursing! I was in adult O.R. for a bit then went to ICU and hated it! (Ironic, huh). When the pandemic hit, elective surgeries stopped and so did my pediatric O.R. position so I went to the pediatric emergency room and fell in love with it. I so wish I had started out my career there.

Don’t give up on finding what makes your body and heart easily get out of bed in the morning!! One of my great friends loves the O.R. and is now a travel nurse in Hawaii. She couldn’t be happier but that’s not my journey or personality. It wouldn’t make me happy to travel; I’d be so stressed!

It all depends on what you want. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to sort it out right now (the right opportunity always somehow presented itself to me at the right time) and know you won’t find the “right or wrong answer in these forums.” You can get great advice here but really you’ve got to dig into your heart and discover what you want out of your career long-term (is it happiness in a job, just a clock in clock out, traveling, superior pay or benefits, experience for graduate school, great work life balance, day or night shift?) Pick a few characteristics and see how they align with life values that make you happy.

Life is too short to be miserable at a job. Take some time to think about what you really want to do but also give yourself time as a new grad to adjust.

I hope that helps! One thing I did during that time period was get coffee with multiple people in different positions (PACU nurse, ICU nurse, infusion nurse, school nurse, and even a MD!) You’ll make great connections where you are regardless and just say “hey let me buy you coffee and can we chat about your career - I think it’s cool!” I gleaned a lot of information from them and was able to find a specialty I liked!