ICU to OR

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I have a question for circulators. I am a new grad and have been in ICU for almost a year. I'm trying to find my niche in nursing but I have discovered that I don't like bedside. Of course that takes out a major part of nursing so I'm not sure where I would like. I've thought about OR. I've been to several surgeries with a few of my patients and liked the atmosphere but of course I didn't really see much of what a circulator does. I'm trying to setup a time where I can shadow a circulator. My question is will one year of ICU help me to land an OR job and do you feel that you are pigeonholed when you get into OR? I know OR will come with another set of problems like call and jerk surgeons but I'm just trying to explore my options.

Thanks in advance!

Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

I have 1.5 exp acute med, I am starting OR this month. Bedside was killing me. I plan on picking up prn bedside to keep those skills till I determine OR is all I want. Or what I want to major in.

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I had 3 yrs floor/ICU experience before I went to OR. I was a terrible floor nurse, I was very disorganized. I never wanted to hurt anyone by making them turn cough and deep breathe, or getting them up after surgery. I also had a difficult time with getting overly involved with patients and the families, to my own emotional detriment.

The OR was the perfect nursing environment for me- some patient contact, but then they go to sleep. And as it turns out, I am very "task oriented" and am best with one patient/case at a time, rather than dividing my attention between several patients.

It took me a year to not dread going to work every day, but I have been in it for 30 years, so it is the best fit for me. You can try the OR, but give it a while to get acclimated. If you do decide to move on, you will have that experience under your belt.

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Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

@sop you've been in the OR for 30yrs. So in 30 yrs are you still just circulating and scrub? I'm going to OR but I am worried about advanced degrees long term. There seems to be limitation for advanced degrees for OR everything seems to be someway affiliated with bedside exp

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BelleMorte, I dare say that 3/4 or more of my colleagues have a BSN, but I do not, I am a diploma nurse. There is a huge push, especially in my magnet hospital, for entry level BSN for any job. Most of us are CNOR, and probably 1/4 have a masters. All of the educators have master's degrees. CRNA's [nurse anesthetists] in my hospital are {I think all} master's, some are going for PhD's, as that is the coming entry level for them. I don't want you to confuse the term "bedside" nursing with "floor" nursing. I think of nurses who take care of patients, as opposed to managers, as "bedside" nurses.

I don't consider what I do "just" circulating and scrubbing.I do both, but I love to scrub and will do it until I retire, I hope. Holding a patients' hand while they go to sleep, positioning them safely, and reassuring the family with a phone call , as well as scrubbing and making sure I have what I need to conduct the operation safely and in a timely fashion are what I always have, and will want to do with my career. I have no desire to have a string of letters after my name that leaves me holding a clipboard and going to meetings. I understand the push for higher education, it's just not what I need.

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Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

Thanks sop, I am just starting in the OR after 1.5yrs of floor nursing. I really feel this is where I belong. Floor nursing was very stressful for me. I am good at it but I guess I never really saw myself as an NP. I just wish there was something comparable for the OR nurse, as NP is to the floor nurse. I think crna would be an option for me, but I already went to the OR and only have exp in m/s not icu So crna wouldn't be doable for me unless I left. And I don't want to job hop. I just got comfortable at the floor, not to be mixed up with happy. And I want to stay in the or and get good at it-I know I will be good at this. I guess I'm just trying to foresee my future with school and stuff. I'm not ready to say I don't want a masters yet and they are limited in the OR. Sigh..

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BelleMorte, You should get CNOR if you want to stay in the OR, and look into RNFA. You can do an NP- there are surgery groups that have NP's who see pt's in the office, then scrub in the OR to assist. There are many options, you will find one that satisfies your need for both education and useable skills. Join AORN for sure, that's the best networking opportunity. I have a feeling you will find your niche. Best wishes!

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Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

Thanks for the input sop, do you know how I find more information on the surgery groups? As in job searches etc? I'd like to find out more about this.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Well I had some questions regarding the OR but it seems you all have covered it! I am in an accelerated BSN program and I graduate next May. I'm torn as to which area I should go into after graduation: M/S, ICU, or OR. I just got a job as a nurse assistant so I suppose that will expose me to the M/S portion. The hospital I will be working at hires new grads into their OR, which is why I am interested.

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, OR.

The future looks bright for those nurses who possess critical skills and additional specialty training. Many will not value your training because there is a long tradition of OR nurses being so task oriented, but that is changing. From an ICU nurse myself, I feel that ICU training is one of the best springboards for any area you want to pursue. The assessment skills are above any other and that can alert you to subtle signs of something going wrong. You are in tune to alarms and can anticipate that anesthesia may need assistance. You also are used to looking for problems associated with blood loss, pre-op lab values that may spur you on to asking questions about what the surgeon may be needing relating to additional orders or pre-emptive, proactive supplies or tests that may be needed during surgery.

While many in this posting already have stated that they don't like bedside nursing, I would rather say that I like the one-on-one approach to care and that the pre-op connection and assessment that you have with the patient is paramount to patient satisfaction and alleviating some of the fear associated with surgery.

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After you have worked in the OR for a year or so, to get your feet on the ground, start asking surgeons that you enjoy working with if they would ever consider an NP or RNFA to help them in clinic and assist in OR. After a year in the OR, you should have a clearer picture which way you want to go to further your education. Just be aware that jobs like that are rare and don't pay as well as hospital employment. Good luck. [ps- sorry it took me so long to reply]

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I was under the impression that getting your NP and working with a Dr. as an RNFA paid very well. I seem to recall reading on one of these AllNurses forums about NPs who have OR experience and first assist experience who end end up doing the same job as a surgical PA more or less, and making some $ in the process. Am I mistaken? Can anyone validate this?

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Specializes in Operating room..

Our NP's do the same job as PA's in our OR...I would think the Drs prefer them due to having that initial healthcare background (whereas a PA can have any degree prior to going to PA school an NP has a nursing background). Our NP's in the OR grew up in the OR and can scrub and assist in any case from neuro to open heart.

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