Am I Suited to the OR?

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Okay guys, I have been lurking and learning here for several months now. I am trying to decide whether the OR might be a good fit for me after I finish school.

I am a 44M, currently working as a remote medic on an oil rig off the coast of Trinidad. I have been a paramedic for many years and am in the process of finishing up my RN through Excelsior. I am accustomed to having to think and act independently and do quite a bit of differential diagnosis out here.

I am attracted to the OR for several reasons. First, I am a very organized person and I enjoy the technical aspect of cases. I would NEVER want to work in something like pediatric oncology. Second, the ability to focus on one patient at a time is quite attractive to me. Third, I would like to investigate the possibility of becoming an RN First Assistant.

I am interested in CRNA, but I don't know if I want to do that much school right now.

Help me out, please. What traits and talents are most important for an OR nurse and especially a Male OR nurse? Thanks

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

Can't answer to OR, but if you are sharp, like a challenge, enjoy autonomy and like playing with "toys", then ICU might be a good fit!

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ICU is definitely one other area in which I am interested. I enjoy the technical side of medicine, enjoy anatomy, and like having a good degree of autonomy. I know that I would not like med/surg long term due to having so many pt's to deal with at one time. I feel that I have already done the ER/medic thing and am looking to go in a more advanced area.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

Well, new ICU nurses are always welcomed and in short supply - you sound like you'd be great at it. I did it for 8 years and still found it challenging and interesting. Best move I ever made. Many nurses move from ERICU and you might find that ideal.

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