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Discussion

0 acute experience into OR?

HI! i wanted opinions from nurses regarding someone (me) not having had any acute care experience (i've been working in LTC for 2 yrs) getting a job in the OR.. is it smarter to pass on that and go into med surg/PCU? obviously i'm gonna take what i can get, but if i'm just starting out, would jumping into OR be too high of a start?

opinions/experiences appreciated :)

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    I started in the OR as a new grad without any experience anywhere. The only reason I can see med surg being necessary is if you can't get into the OR as an external hire (very competitive) and would take a med surg job to get access to internal job postings and establish a history with an employer.

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    I'm currently in a periop 101 residency program that accepts both new grads and experienced nurses. 3 out of 10 in our group are former LTC nurses. The nurse managers for our particular program really tend to like that experience. I'm a new grad, and I haven't been there long enough to know the details of this preference, but several of the managers have mentioned it. Of course, the OR is a completely different breed of nursing....but it is definitely apparent that the skills of professionalism, organization, time management, critical thinking, and autonomy transfer exceptionally well. Good luck to you! I love the OR so far; I'm about 6 weeks in. It is a tremendous learning curve, but having the support of a structured curriculum helps ease the transition, in my opinion. :)

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    thanks Rose_Queen, good to know :)

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    thanks Rose_Queen, good to know :)

    and Kalycat, thanks too.. i wonder why they say they like LTC experience for OR, wouldn't have thought they have anything in similar except prioritizing which any field of nursing does lol. But thanks! i haven't seen any residencies in my area but having been an RN for 2 yrs, i dont think i qualify for any newgrad programs...

    question: if i dont have the Periop 101 done, does employer provide upon employment or should i do it before applying for job?

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    Sure why not. If the OR is willing to hire and train you then you should go for it. OR is not like Med-Surg and I am not sure that working med surg first would even matter. Different skill set.

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