has anyone left the OR for the floor? or after 1 year?

Specialties Operating Room

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hello..i appreciate the wonderful advice and comments from everyone here. I was just curious..i'm slowly getting a bit comfortable now in the OR, but personality wise i am not sure if i am a fit for the OR. I am pretty quiet and reserved and i don't know joke around as much with the surgeons yet cus i still feel i need to harness my skills in the OR. Anyways, i spoke with my manager and she was encouraging about that and said well, if it doesnt work out, we could transfer you to another unit? I thought about it and I am at a crossroads. I feel like I have already spent 3 months trying to adjust so I should stick it out. Just curious if anyone left the OR to go back to the floor or left after just 1 year?

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Specializes in OR.

I can't imagine ever leaving the OR for the floor. However, everyone is different. It may take a few different units, or settings to find your niche in nursing. I'd give it a year before switching. Just keep trying till you find the right fit...you may need to think outside the hospital. You'll know when it's the right fit, and you'll gain some invaluable wisdom along the way.

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I am new to the OR after working the floor and I can't imagine going back. Maybe you could try accepting a PRN position on one of the other units if you really think you would like to consider a change. If you are comfortable with the level of patient interaction you are getting in the OR I would not suggest a position on the floor, but I understand some people have a better bedside manner and want to be more involved in direct patient care.

By the way there is nothing wrong with being a little quiet and not making jokes, as long as you are a team player and have the patient's best interest in mind, that is all that matters.

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.

The "floor" is the exact reason I am in the OR...I could never do floor nursing...Im just not that type of nurse....

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I have been in nursing for 8 years and trying to get on with the OR team. I can't take the floor anymore and hoping this is finally the right fit!

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Specializes in OR.

Hi dontcallmeamurse,

How's it going since you posted in July? I'm about to start working independently in my OR after 10 months of orientation, and I'm still not sure if it's the right place for me. But I have several compelling reasons to stay put for now:

  • Hours: if I wasn't working 7-3 weekdays, who would pick up my son from school?
  • The "grass-is-always-greener/out-of-the-frying-pan" question: this is my first job in nursing. Would I be happier in a different nursing job? I have no way to know.
  • My indenture: I agreed to stay two years after they trained me. And what other nursing job is going to offer a new grad a 10-month orientation?

I don't think I'll ever be one of the cool kids in my OR. I feel as if there will always be people looking at me wondering why on earth the manager ever hired somebody as slow and stupid as me. I hate the feeling I sometimes get that my employer wants me to look after doctors more assiduously than patients. I wonder if the OR is ever the right place for an introvert like me. But I'm making it work. Just about.

Where's your head at?

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Specializes in OR.

Advise from a "seasoned" OR nurse.

Give it at least 2 years before leaving the OR... if you still want to leave, then do it!

Good Luck!

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, OR.

Three months is not enough time to make an educated guess. It takes about 1 year to feel proficient and about 2 years to be confident in your abilities in the OR. You learn something new everyday and are exposed to a real time anatomy lesson, something you can't get anywhere else. If you stay in the OR you will learn to anticipate, get experience in a wide variety of cases, learn the equipment. It's fast paced and you have to get your experience under your belt to learn how to assert yourself concerning safe practice and safe patient care. I agree with the above comments.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
Advise from a "seasoned" OR nurse.

Give it at least 2 years before leaving the OR... if you still want to leave, then do it!

Good Luck!

Agree, it takes longer to comfortable in the OR then most other areas of nursing. Depending on the size of the hospital and the number of services that work in can either shorten or lengthen the time it takes. But as Box. says if you do not like it after 2 years or so it is time to find a area which is more suited for you.

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Specializes in Surgery, Geriatrics.

It took me a year in the OR before I knew that I liked it. It is overwhelming and a lot to learn. You need to give yourself more time and take the experience in stride. There are a lot of Pros and some cons, but not many. The more experience I get and the more comfortable I get the more I like it. I feel really good about myself when someone comes to me for help and I know the answer. :nurse:

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Specializes in Trauma, Education.

I got a job on a pediatric floor after being in the OR for 3 years....but that was only because when I moved, there were no OR openings. As soon as one opened, I applied. Fortunately I got it because I am not a floor nurse. Give yourself time- OR nursing is tough if you are someone who wants to know it and be able to do it quick because it is a much longer learning process. However, if you don't like it, i know how nothing stinks more than being someplace you hate for 36-40 hours/week. Just keep in mind the exact same thing could happen on the floor.....good luck and go with your gut!Rbs105

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