Nursing school graduation to OR?

Specialties Operating Room

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Specializes in getting it done.

i am graduating with my BSN this coming may and i am absolutely in love with the OR nursing experience. i truly would love to begin my career in the OR but i am faced with conflicting viewpoints on this decision. some nurses say i should not go into a specialty fresh out of school and that i should get a year's experience on a med surg floor first. others say that the OR has an excellent training program and would be a great place to begin my career if im really interested in it. any advice??

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We have quite a few nurses who went straight to the OR after graduation. They've done just fine.:)

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I think what they were trying to say is that surgery nursing and floor nursing is totally different things. Yes you will care for your patients etc… but there is so much that is different. I think they are saying it is the “like falling off the bike” thing. If you do it after school (floor nursing) you will remember how to do it. If you run straight into surgery, you will forget a lot of things you learned in school about floor nursing.

Needless to say, many people go straight into surgery without ever looking back. It is what they love and where they need to be.

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I went straight to the OR with no med-surg experience, and I love it. Most OR's have at least 6 months of training/precepting, so you'll be well prepared. Go for it, and enjoy!

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Specializes in OR.

I went straight into the OR after 2 months on a med/surg floor just out of school. I miss starting IVs and not knowing what all the drugs are (except the ones used in the OR), but I love the OR. BTW there are quite a few threads (some very long ones) on this topic. You may want to do a search for them.

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