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Discussion

Best unit to prepare for OR?

Hello! I have been dreaming of being an OR nurse for the past three years, I think the job is the greatest!

I graduated in 2006 and worked on a tele floor for 1 1/2 years. Then my husband and I moved overseas to work for a humanitarian aid organization in central asia. I was supposed to be doing nursing work, but that never worked out and have been doing all sorts of "non-nursing" stuff for the past year and a half. We are coming back to the states soon and I have been drooling at the thought of working in the OR! (I swear I spend TOO much time in this forum looking at different threads and advice :D) The only problem is that there aren't too many OR jobs, and being out of nursing for 2 years doesn't exactly look stellar on my resume :banghead:. I have purchased Alexanders Guide and have looked into signing up for an OR internship through a CC in south florida in case I can't get a job. But do any of you have reccomendations on what type of floor to work at if I can't get an OR job? I really hated telemetry, but I'll do anything to get to the OR! Would working on a surgical floor be the best way? or maybe ER?

:redpinkhe Thanks!

Jess

Featured Replies

I went to the OR from ICU and I really think there is no better training. I knew how to deal with airway issues, lab results, aseptic technique and so much more. It is also a real pressure cooker area, so I knew I could handle that aspect. Plenty of shifts with no time to sit down, dealing with families and paitients in crisis situations.:twocents:

Good Luck

Endoscopy is pretty similar to O.R.

or Cath Lab

  • Admin

The OR truly is a specialized area. Regardless of where you start your career, you will still need a thorough orientation- most are 6-9months for someone with zero OR experience. Yes, med/surg will teach you time management. Yes, ICU will teach you drips and airways. But the OR requires a different skill set. Time management is necessary, but the anesthesia provider is the primary person dealing with drips and airways. The OR nurse must be able to gain the trust of a patient in very little time- and then must advocate for him or her when they are at their most vulnerable. Situations can change very quickly in the OR (not that they don't in other specialties, but chances are you won't have to evacuate a room with someone's aorta clamped in med/surg).

Some hospitals require a year of med/surg before you can specialize. Others don't. If you know that your heart is set on the OR, skip all that. I did, and while I'm still learning new things every day, I felt that I had enough support throughout my orientation (and it continues to this day) that I'm competent to do my job.

Have you had the chance to observe in the OR for more than a surgery or two? Part of my interview process was to spend a day shadowing. Request it if you haven't already, just to see what a typical day is like.

While the hospital you choose to work at may have some input with requiring experience, I see no reason why you shouldn't evaluate the pros and cons and potentially skip other units and go straight for the OR.

If you haven't already, go ahead and apply to any and all OR Internships you can!

Many hire right out of school, and with you having other experience, I'm sure you'll find someone willing to train you.

Best of luck...the OR is great!

:bugeyes:PSYCH !!! ;>)

  • Admin
:bugeyes:PSYCH !!! ;>)

To relate to the patients or to your coworkers? :chuckle

All of the above + nurse managers !!!!:jester:

I went into the OR 6 months after I got my license. Nothing can "prepare" you for it except working in it. Keep looking for a hospital that has an OR internship. Don't waste money on a class. They'll teach you everything you know. Read your Alexanders. They are becoming more common. also wouldn't worry about the gap for 2 reasons: 1. you were living abroad and 2. you've already worked on a floor/icu unit.

  • Author

Thank you for all your responses. I pray every night when I get home that I will get an OR internship!

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