Residency or on the job training?

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I am currently considering nursing school to become an OR nurse. I work in a specialty hospital right now, and all of our nurses do on the job training to circulate. I think it's the same for all of our local hospitals since none of them offer a residency. This is also a place that almost exclusively uses surgical techs to scrub. The only nurses that scrub in my hospital have previous experience and are taking over that role because we are short several techs.

I really want to learn to both scrub and circulate if I go this route. I am wondering if it's a better idea to go through a residency program that would allow me to learn both. I love the surgeries themselves, so scrubbing really appeals to me. I know that role is disappearing for nurses, so I have considered both surg tech and PA programs. But I don't want to be limited to the surg tech role, and I don't think I'd be happy in the PA role with all if the responsibilities outside the OR setting. I have much more of the "nursing" personality than the "PA/medicine" one.

I am also wondering if it would give me a more thorough base for working in the OR, compared to on the job where you are learning just how your mentor does things.

Does anyone one have any experience where they found one option to be better than the other?

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Residency for sure

Pa- that's 2 years repeat school + $$ might as well do np

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I already have a masters in sports medicine, so PA school would be 2 years. But for NP I would have to do both nursing school and NP. Are there very many opportunities for NPs in the OR without having clinic or rounding responsibilities? Those are the things I'm hoping to avoid. Essentially I would like to first assist in the OR with the option to circulate.

Why do you say residency? What are the benefits that you've seen compared to on the job?

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I'm a bit confused right now, even if you wish to do your residency (nurse residency that is) you need to go to nursing school. I was under the impression you already have your RN licensure...

Pa school is two years anywhere. I finished my RN bachelors in 1 year idk if that's something you wish to pursue but the year flew. But they told us if we wanted or positions being a first assist would be the best way

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Yes, I would have to go to nursing school prior to a residency. I am currently considering my options as far as where I want my career to go next, and so I'm trying to get a better idea of my path if I went with nursing.

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Specializes in Med/Surg - PCU - PeriOp - CDA/Obs.

HTCC... You don't even have an RN license yet. With your masters you could probably get into an accelerated program and be done within a year. Then it's another couple of years for an NP. However you will have no clinical experience. The education is useless without clinical knowledge. You have to walk the walk and talk the talk.

If you go the RN route, I would get some floor experience first and then decide on a specialty. There are so many options as an RN but you have to have experience on the floor in order to build your knowledge base and advance. Lots of options.... TONS!!!! but you have to have experience. Also, any organization worth its weight will have a reimbursement program that will pay for you to get your NP. Why pay for it if someone else will.

As far as the OR...

They really don't use NP's within the OR setting. You might do education, or managing as an NP but not working as a scrub or circulator. And, as you have pointed out many organizations use scrub techs and are not training RN's for that role. While an organization may train you to scrub in, that alone does not make you a first assistant and I would imagine that it might be out of your scope of practice and open you up to some liability. You would need to pass the CRNFA exam in order to get a job anywhere else in any case.

For the most part, in order for you to be hired as an OR RN many organizations are requiring the completion of the PeriOp 101 course through AORN. In order to sit for the CNOR test you have to have 2000 clinical hours as an OR nurse. Thats about full time 5 days a week 40 hours a week for 2 years.

-Matt-

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Somehow we got away from my original intended question. I think I included too much additional info as far as my thought process on where I want my career to take me!

If I want to learn to scrub and circulate, is a residency a smarter option than doing on the job orientation? Would I learn enough to be a really good OR nurse without the formal education plan of a residency?

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Specializes in Med/Surg - PCU - PeriOp - CDA/Obs.

The point that I was trying to make was that you can't even begin to think about scrub/circulate/residency without your RN license (formal education) BSN. One step at a time.Once you have the license then you can see what options will be made available to you, and there are many.

You will become more 'marketable' with experience. Your experience will help you gain entry into a residency program or other areas of nursing that might appeal to you. There are many.

Without a formal certification (CNOR) your residency may not be worth much in another organization who will be looking for the certification and perhaps even the AORN periOp 101 course completion.

It would be a waste of resources to take a new nurse with no experience into a program.

I am curious though...

What prompted you to attain a masters in sports medicine?

I presume you spent 6 years in attaining the degree, why throw it away by going back to school to get another bachelors (BSN)?

Would your education lend itself to your pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy?

-Matt-

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Thanks for your insight Matt. I do understand that there are steps I need to complete before I get to my ultimate goal. However this will be a second career for me. I know what I want to do, and I'm trying to make a plan for how to get there.

I have worked in sports med for about 15 years now, and I just feel like its time to change. Despite the fact that it's a masters level career, I feel very pigeon holed. I've worked in every setting available to me and I need challenge to keep me focused and excited about my work. I do love a lot of what I do now when it comes to patient care, but ultimately I want to spend all my time in the OR. Right now I'm split between doctors office and periop. Plus, I don't want to be limited in the specialty I can work in like I am now.

A few people in my position go to PT school, but most chose PA. Honestly, therapy is the least favorite part of my job so that is definitely not an option for me! And while some PA duties appeal to me, I've had the opportunity to work with one here and interact with the others. My personality fits in much better with the nursing model. And I've seen how they ultimately get dumped on (unless they work with an amazing dr) with call, and clinic, and rounding, and on and on and on! If I wanted that I'd go back to some of my previous jobs - long hours, low oay, and no respect leads me to burn out quickly!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

The important question isn't really residency vs. OJT. It's more about the quality of the orientation period. Those are things you would need to learn at an interview- asking questions about length of orientation, structure, support, things like that. Either way, you are really putting the carriage before the horse. Work on getting into and through nursing school first. You may be convinced that the OR is what you want right now, but that may change throughout school- it did for me. What I was convinced I wanted to do turned out to be my least favorite clinical experiences.

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