Bummed Out- Leaving OR

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I've decided to leave the OR as a circulator. I'm very upset about things not working out. I went straight to the OR from school, and after a few months (3 months) of orientation, then being given the green light to go solo, despite voicing my concerns of being uncomfortable about being left alone in the OR, I've found that my level of performance flying solo has been sub-par (reflected in the attitudes of my co-workers).

I've read how some hospitals give new grads 6 months or more training. Wish I'd had more time. I really wanted things to work out, but after bumbling about, I've decided to leave.

I'm hopeful that maybe in the future I can return to the OR at another hospital. But, I am concerned that leaving with less than a year's experience will hurt my chances.

Any thoughts or advice would be well received. Thanks.

I have worked in an OR for only 2 years and I can understand exactly what you are saying. You are not alone feeling as you do. I will never understand why nurses new to the OR are treated so terribly by the more seasoned OR nurses. Why aren't they happy to get the new staff to lighten their workload? After 15 years working med/surg, the OR was totally foreign for me. My 6-month nurse internship there was made miserable by the majority of the staff--especially the other nurses. Luckily, I had a wonderful preceptor and Nurse Educator. It might be helpful for you to read about the "nurse bully". You can find info on the subject on this site and by using a search engine. Hopefully you can find ways of dealing with the mean behavior of your peers. Also, if you cannot persuade your manager to extend your preceptorship, start shopping around for a hospital that offers an OR nurse internship. I wish you well and am here to tell you that you can do it--without becoming a bully.:nurse:

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Specializes in OPERATING ROOM, ICU.

Orientation into an OR generally is about six months. They cut your time in half. Try to hang in there. Develop your own learning plan. Keep a notepad for jotting down notes to help you, things to remember: Doctor's preference, surgical procedure equipment needs, table positioning, backtable meds, etc. Shame on your facility for bailing out on you!

Best of luck to you. Keep us posted on how you're doing!

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thats sad.. just BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

EXERT MORE EFFORT TO LEARN NEW THINGS>>

LISTEN PATIENTLY..

AND GO! AJA! U CAN DO BETTER WHAT THEY THINK YOU ARE!!!

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don't leave quite yet! I was a nurse for 2 years before I transfered to an outpatient OR. I've been in the OR for 8 months now and I'm just starting to feel like I'm getting it, but not quite, still. And I've been a nurse for almost 3 years. Are there a few coworkers that you can talk to to get support from? Def keep talking to your manager/preceptors to let them know how you are feeling/doing. Also, how long have these coworkers been working that are telling you you are slow? They obviously forgot how it was for their first few months/years!! I bet after 6 months things will be a lot different for you. Just hang in there! And just remind yourself, wouldn't you rather be "slow" and thorough, than quick and had the surgeon operate on the wrong leg? I told myself at first that I would be slow and thorough. And with time, I get quicker and quicker. I'm still slow, but I'm getting better....:yeah:

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Specializes in orthopaedics, perioperative.

Hang in there. OR can be a haven and it can also be a beast. I got shoved into a new service, circulating, the other day and had NOONE to buddy with me. The clinical educator came in and spent most of the time running out of the room to get things (many, many times). I did the best I could, considering I had no one to help me/ask questions of and that I had never done that service nor that surgery before. Oh, and btw I am still in the orientation phase... I told my clinical educator I had never seen/done one of those surgeries she said nothing. Then at the end of the day she told me I had missed my opportunity to shine and that I did not do very well. I think the OR culture is similar in most places, but if your place of work is being mean to you then you deserve better. Go someplace where they will appreciate you.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Case Management, OR.

I left the OR almost a year ago after spending 3.5 years there. I had a 9 month orientation which I think was sufficient but there's nothing like being on your own the first year. There are so many procedures and MDs that you've not worked with that it does take a while to get used to it all. The word toxic is the best way to describe some ORs.

The hospital I left apparently had a less than desired reputation outside the healthcare system (I thought it was just within the system...). I interviewed at another OR in the city and the educator came short of laughing at my OR experience. She stated I would have to take a pay cut and start from scratch with my orientation. At first I thought, sure, I know I had a very limited specialty in the OR (I was interviewing for a surgery center and had done OR work in a Women's center beforehand).

I asked to shadow someone the next day to see if this is what I wanted to do...start from scratch and do it all over again. I decided ultimately to not go back to the OR because I personally was so burned out that I didn't want to see each patient as a procedure. In the end, I didn't like the idea of the revolving door philosophy of the surgery center.

Good luck with your decision...I'd say find another place and try the OR experience again.

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