Advice for surviving OR consortium!!

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Hello!

I just graduated in December and my first job hit the mark in the operating room, the only place I have ever wanted to work. Now, I have worked in a small surgery/ procedure center, but honey... let me tell ya' this is NOT the same!

So far, it has been great! Doing the consortium and a week of classes about instruments, scrubbing, safety etc... However, every time I was in the OR (for active observation for two weeks prior to the consortium starting) I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT! I mean, I even walked into a room without a mask on once!

I know its just a transition into a whole new environment but is there any advice any OR nurses out there can give me to surviving this transition? I am aware of the fact that I need thick skin and I do have it, but I'm the one that beats myself up most of the time for making "newbie mistakes".

1. Is it weird that I'm terrified of scrubbing??? No bathroom breaks and standing there with a preceptor, assistant and surgeon!!! AAHHH! I want to do it obviously, but how long did it take until you could scrub a hernia repair for instance.

2. Also, the OR is a very isoteric community so I'm trying to ease myself in gently and just trying hard at learning my roles and being as "competent" (hahaha yeah right) as I can be. Naturally I am a pretty social, outgoing person but I think this could be a good idea.

3. I am scared to find out who my RN preceptor is! What if I can't communicate with them!?

Need... advice...and... words of encouragement from stranger RN's!!

Thanks in advance!

Ps. Your experience/story would also be great along with your leaning curve if you down't want to answer my crazy questions!

K.

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

wear a mask all the time to get used to it. I have been in the or for 12 years and forget the hat and mask on occasion, foolish.... it happens.

read a periop text book, learn possitioning and preping.

take in all you can from all the nurses that precept you, focus on either circulating or scrubbing and learn it well before you go to the other. you will pick up traits from every nurse you train with.

go to aorn website and look up their standars and read them, get a study book for CNOR exam and read it, it will help you be a better OR nurse.....

take it easy, we are all just people too...

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Yeah thanks for the pointers. Good to know even experienced RN's forget the small stuff sometimes. Next week we're scrubbing and we'll be doing that for 4 weeks. Hopefully, that's enough time to take in enough to do it. After that, we circulate for 12 weeks. Today we had a 7 hour skills lab. I brought home some supplies to practice closed gloving which I SUCK at! I want to appear competent in this mundane task before I show up to scrub on Tuesday!

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

Sorry for the poor spelling and grammar, I was posting from my phone. I was a scrub tech and still scrub on occasion. Learn both skills, it will make you more marketable. Within 4 weeks you will learn basics but by no means tell people at future jobs you can first scrub big cases in cardiothoracic, vascular, ortho, gyn or urology.... The instruments are all different but the basic skills remain the same. If you want to further your scrub skills, when you circulate PAY ATTENTION to everything that is going on. You should pay attention anyway to stay a step ahead of the surgery but look at the steps and instrumentation/equipment/supplies that are used also.....

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Wow! I need to get an iphone with my new paychecks if you can easily type all that on it!

Anyways, since I've had a couple of hours to debrief by working out, shopping and ... tanning :-(... I've gotten a little perspective. Hopefully all of these skills (ie. closed gloving, flipping and opening) will become second nature pretty soon and I'll feel a little more confident. That way I can focus on the surgeon and the patterns that occur while he/she's performing the surgery.

Haha. The problem is that I get so excited that I have to tell myself to go slow and not break the field(s) when I'm doing the opening and gloving. Stress equals hurry which equals contamination for me at this point. Not good. I hope I'm cut out for this!!!! Maybe I'm too "exuberant" for the OR!

Did it take you a little while to fully acclimate to the deliberate, careful, but quick pace?? What floor nurses don't know is that the OR is actually really hard and we have to know so much!!! They think... just one patient...what a cush job. However, the way I see it I have like 6 patients in each case! The whole room and everyone in it!

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

every day that passes you will become a bit more comfortable. Dont ever think you have it all down, that is when you get sloppy, when you think you know it all.

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Specializes in MedSurg (Ortho), OR.

I know the feeling... Like you I was anxious before everything and wanted to be speedy... But, one of my surgeons told me this, slow and steady, speed will come when you are ready... hope that help

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As a former cop, I'll add this "mantra" to help you stay focused when in intense situations:

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

The premise being that if you slow down, you calm your nerves and that equates to less mistakes thus equalling a faster/minimal error performance.

Hope this helps. It always was in the back of my brain when in gun-fight range simulations and critical incident responses.

I hope to have your opportunity when I graduate in 2011!

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Specializes in L&D, OR, travel.

About "liking" your preceptor: Hopefully you are in a progressive thinking facility where you will be matched with someone that suits you. Adult education is all about open communication where the learner is able to speak up about their learning style and needs. Not every experienced nurse makes a good preceptor, and many don't enjoy it. Unfortunately there will be days when you are with those nurses. Be confident in what you know, have done before like gloving or counting sharps and sponges, etc. and observe and listen, taking care to not ask too many questions if a staff member is acting preturbed or irritated (or giving you the silent treatment). There are plenty of those around. Hopefully your educator knows about them and will keep you clear of them, while you're fresh. Getting a text book is a good idea. Maybe your unit will have one to borrow, or try a med/nursing library.

Deb

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Phew...

Well I finally relaxed enough on the field to think things through and take my time. While I have little blunders here and there, I'm experiencing waaaay less "tunnel vision". I like all of the advice about being slow actually being quick. I totally hear you. I'm opening up everything slow and I can see that with time, I'll end up gaining speed the right way. Same goes with loading ties and sutures, (finding instruments is a bit of a frenzy for me still but I'm working on it.). I finally realized how much I don't know and I am starting to take notes. Its getting used to the whole thing (including surgeon interaction and the helpful "hints" they drop). I think scrubbing is really helping me see the room a whole different way.

I know this sounds CRAZY, but I didn't realize the extent at which the scrub and circulator have to know what's going on on the field! Eye opener!

I'm pretty much wondering what I'll screw up tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure it wont be the same things today or the day before. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday and we'll see where it takes me!

K.

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