travel circulators

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I have a question for all you traveling nurses out there. I have been back in surgery for one year as a circulator. I worked surgery about 10 yrs ago for a 3 yr period. I am in an independent outpatient surgery center. I am considering traveling and wonder if I have enough experience. Should I go to the local "big house" for more training for awhile before I travel?

Thanks for the input....Karen;)

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all I have to say is GO FOR IT!!!!

one year experience is all most companies require for a nurse to have....the hardest thing to learn is where supplies are located...but it is do-able

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Thanks for the reply heartholder. My main concern is working in an outpatient facility versus a bigger facility that does alot more procedures than we do. I wonder if there are travelers that do mainly outpatient? I have worked at Healthsouth facility for about 3 1/2 yrs and I thought maybe I would see if they even have a travel nurse program within their system so I could keep my time with them? Thanks, Karen

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I just posted a reply on another thread..but anyway-I started out with 4 years LPN scrub experience and about 6 months RN circulating experience at a small hospital where we did only general surgery-no vascular(except vein strippings), no ortho or neuro, or hearts.I did have some nerve wrecking experiences on my first travel assignment at a hospital that did everything! But, I stayed at that hospital 6 months-scrubbed and circulated-learned alot, and left with a party given by the staff and alot of friends.I know now I can scrub and/or circulate alot more-still alot I don't know and pray everyday on my way to work-but am enjoying the adventure!It is difficult at first if you have been in one place or out of circulation to learn of all the newest instrumentation and different names for instruments...

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GOOD for you kathyann!! It is soooooo good to see people like you who have the courage and confidence to embark on a travel assignment in an OR, where you don't know the docs and their routines and unique instrumentation. The fact that they threw a going away party for you says one he** of a lot--obviuously, they respected your courage, chutzpah, skills, knowledge, and personality, and were sad to see you leave. I wish more nurses were like you (see my thread entitled "what's up with nurses who refuse to scrub?) I hope I get to work with you in an OR someday, on a travel assignment! e-mail me privately sometime and tell me if you are still doing travel assignments and where you are going next; let's compare experiences. I think I would like to do one in NYC, and, in 2 years (when I turn 50) go do one for a year in Saudi, Arabia.

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