I need advice from OR nurses

Specialties Operating Room

Published

Hello,

I am a 3rd semester nursing student and I absolutely fell in love with the OR since I did my OR rotation during clinicals. I want to circulate and scrub, and maybe one day become a First Assist.

Here's my dilemma. I have no previous experience in healthcare. I come from a very structured corporate america background. I'm used to teamwork and everybody playing their role to get the job done. I'm used to things happening on a timely schedule and I'm used to knowing what I will be working on for the day. I work now as a Nurse Intern on a busy Med/Tele unit, and I can say, without a doubt, floor nursing is not for me.

However, I've heard from several clincal instructors that I should get one year of Med/Surg experience prior to going to the OR. The reason is to get my time management skills down and to become familiar and comfortable with giving medications and just the medications themselves. Also, one clinical instructor said that if I wanted to go back to the floor after having done OR and I don't have no previous floor experience, it would be hard to make that adjustment. One OR nurse even told me that as of Friday, then I ran into another floor nurse on Saturday at the gym and she said she would recommend going straight to the OR after graduation.

The hospital I work at is agreeing to let me do my Capstone (Internship) in the OR next semester. If I like it, I could apply to the OR directly out of nursing school. The only drawback is that the OR at my hospital only offer five 8 hour days (kinda like corporate america) or four 10 hour days. I must admit, I like working three 12 hour days and being done for the week. My plan was to get in the OR fulltime and then work at another hospital PRN on a floor just to keep my floor skills up.

My question is do you recommend the one year in Med/Surg? Why or why not? Do you think the OR is a place for new grads? Also, how about the surgeons verbally abusing you? How do you defend yourself against that knowing you will have to work with this surgeon day in and day out? Also, is that as common as I hear?

Any advice would be greatly appericated! Thanks in advance!

If the hospital you're interested in will accept recent grads, and you love the OR that much, I'd say go for it. I don't really think that floor nursing time management skills translate much to the OR. On the floor, you're juggling several patients, keeping track of their meds, times for vitals, MD orders etc.

In the OR you have just ONE patient who receives all of your attention. You'll have different time management issues-- when to do your charting, when to do your counts, placing orders for lab tests etc. It can get crazy, but for me it's a manageable sort of crazy. I went right into the OR out of nursing school although my hospital doesn't usually take new grads. I did have an advantage though: I had been a practicing Podiatrist for just shy of 30 years.

By all means do that capstone in an OR, and if you love it apply for the

job. Sounds like your plan to work per diem on a floor will keep those skills fresh for you.

Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

Well, you will get alot of advice from alot of different sources on this subject. as usual do a search on this subject, since this question has been asked many times. A year on M/S can't hurt because most ORs will just assume you know alot about routine patient care. They really don't have the time to teach practical nursing skills. Good luck, we really need nurses in the OR.

Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I agree with Shodobe, having med/surg experience is important because you need to be able to give hands on care as well as make basic nursing assessments.

As for you questions on whether the OR is for new grads i've seen newbies cope really well, and others crumble under pressure. IMHO it really depends on your personality as to whether you should go to OR straight away.

Hi :nurse:

Have you done much shadowing in the OR?

I graduated from nursing school last May and went straight in to the OR.:up:

I am soooo happy that I made this decision. I too kept hearing that I should become a med/surg nurse first. Also that my skills will be lost, even OR nurses aren't REALLY doing nursing.

This is my second career, I am in my mid forties and don't like med/surg nursing, I don't want to do it period!

Just realize that you will lose some of your med./surg pt. care skills, but gain new skills.

You still pass meds. to the field, or in irrigation, pt. care, moving, positioning, psychological support etc.. , just in a different set of circumstances and one patient at a time.

I feel that this is the one of the most tramatic times in my patient's lives and I can help to care for my patients by forming a fast and close bond. I try to really listen and observe their body language, behaviors, connections to their family, and to react and care for them appropriatly without judgement. They are vulnerable and it is up to us to advocate for them.

I know that you are getting advice from all directions, follow your heart.

Good luck with this decision..:D

Nurse2b09, I graduated June 2007 and interviewed to get into an OR training program and got accepted. I started this week and so far, I am excited to get my feet wet..My clinical teachers have said that it would be a good idea to start floor nursing, but if you know that med/surg isn't for you, then don't do it...most hospitals now accept new grads, such as ICU and OR and they do have new grad training programs. My training is 6 months and these are just the basics of OR nursing. Like most specialties, it takes about 2 years to get used to that particular area. Keep in mind that most hospitals with training programs will have contracts. that something you should keep in mind. And, not all hospitals train nurses to be both a circualting nurse and a scrub nurse...fortunately, the hospital I work for require all of their OR nurses to be trained for both....well, good luck!:nurse:

hi

I graduated 1998,and my first job offer is to work as an operating room nurse.until now iam working as an OR NURSE for almost 9 years,5 yrs in the philippines and 4 yrs in Riyadh.By May i'll be in Abudhabi,but they required me to put 1 yr experienced as a med-surgical nurse and thats another story.If you have an opportunity to work in the ward it is much better if you will accept it,even for just one year.

Good luck and God bless!

Hi!

I do not think a year of med/surg nursing is necessary if you are truly interested in the OR. The OR is a completely different world from floor nursing. I went straight out of nursing school into a 6 month OR internship offered by the hospital. I felt prepared to begin my OR nursing career after that 6 months ...but still did not feel very confident in my skills until I had worked in the OR for about 1 to 1 1/2 years.

Doing your internship in the OR will be a very valuable experience. You should be able to learn a lot and figure out if the OR is really for you. (I did my nursing school internship in L&D. I soon figured out that I hated it!! But, I was glad to figure that out before applying for a job!)

As far as hateful surgeons.....they can be a little testy on occasion. However, if they see you are trying and genuinely interested in learning they are usually pretty cool. Where I work, we actually have great surgeons for the most part and we have a lot of fun as a team!!

I consider myself a pretty shy and timid person BUT you will learn REAL QUICK to stand up for yourself. And in my experience, once you show those few cranky surgeons that you won't allow them to talk to you in that manner....they back down.

Hope this helps! And if and when you start in the OR ...don;t let yourself become too overwhelmed. It is a lot to learn ( you certainly don't learn any of it in nursing school) but it will come!:bugeyes:

Hi

There are some institutions who needs OR nurses with a medical surgical experienced ,in order for you to prepare,you should have atleast 1 yr experience as a floor nurse.its not bad to gain knowleged in the ward,so why not?.

Every surgeons has thier own preferences so don't be afraid to them.Adjustments is part of our life.Goodluck!

Specializes in Surgery, Ob/Gyn.

I graduated Dec 06 and had already accepted a position in the OR as a new grad and I took my boards before starting work. In about 4-6 months, I was already taking call on my own basically (there was a strong circulator as the assist on our team so that if I needed help someone would be there). Everyone told me I took to it very well and learned quickly. I'm still at the same hospital a year and a half later. I too hated med/surg and any part of 'floor' nursing. I always wanted to be in surgery and am looking to become an RNFA as soon as I finish up my two years of experience needed for CNOR and to start the RNFA program.

So far, there has not really been any time I have regretted not going to the floor first. There are somethings I'm not always sure about, but the great thing about the OR is that you have a team of people around you to help you out. As far as nursing skills, having the CRNA there is a plus. They worked ICU and can really teach you some things you need for the OR if you dont know it already. A year on the floor would never hurt anyone, but if you know surgery is what you want to do, and you're really into it, then I say go for it! I love what I do and I wouldnt give up the last year in surgery for anything.

Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.

I graduated 6 years ago from nursing school. I , too, had the same dilemma....I knew I was never going to work on a floor....ever...but was worried that I needed that magical one year of med surg. So, I sat down with the director of my nsg school, an older, in the trenches type of nursing veteran. I was kind of thinking she would talk me into or out of it--I was assuming she was going to lean towards "get that year of med surg"....well...she didnt. She told me that now , nurses have the opportunity to go into specialties, critical care, and even the OR if they choose. And if they truely know that med/surg is not for them...like you, and myself....then there is no reason to do it. You can learn time management in whatever specialty you choose.Really. Especially since you want the OR----I can pretty much guarantee that a year of med surg will not prepare you any better for the OR. Its truely a different world down there!!! I absolutely think the OR is fine for new grads...to be honest, I honestly dont think a nurse with 20yrs experience is any better prepared than a new grad, in terms of learning the OR...Really!!!

The surgeons....you have never worked with an arrogant doc, until you have worked with a surgeon---thats true. BUT--they want someone they can depend on, whom they can trust--if you pay attention, try your best-- ask questions-- genuinely be interested in learning--you'll be fine. The OR gets tense, sometimes surgeons yell at eachother--so its not just them yelling at the nurses...but thats the culture, and you cant take it personal..its just how it is....But you have to stand up for yourself.and thats not just with the docs...it goes DOUBLE for your fellow nurses and scrub techs--they will "test" you the most....sorry to say, but its reality. But if you love the OR, you will overcome it.

The opportunity for you to do an internship is GREAT..I didnt have that opportunity--it will make for an even easier transition as a new grad in the OR--so your one leg up there!!!

Good luck. I would say if you "werent sure" if you liked the OR or not---then deffinitely get that year of med surg. Because the OR is a love or hate type of specialty, and it sounds like you love it. Good luck!!! Let us know how you make out!!!

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