Can you ever go from a big OR to a small OR and be happy?

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I just started work at a new OR in a small community hospital. Really nice people but I am bored out of my mind. Also, the orientation process here was not as helpful as it could have been. No one tells you anything. This is frustrating when it comes to surgeons, policies when you're on call or in charge. Did I mention that I was thrown on weekend call after taking 2 weekday calls with someone else? And that I was not clued in to how things flow on weekends. When I took it upon my self to ask questions- I got different answers. There's just no consistency. Also, being a small hospital, the docs here are kind of spoiled. needless to say, the doc I was on call with is ticked off because things didnt go as smoothly as they could have. Other than that, I've gotten good feedback.

I don't think any of these issues are intentional- I think most of the staff has been here so long that they forget that new people don't read minds. FWIW, I'm one of several new people here and the others have complained that they feel thrown to the wind regarding policies as well.

I do miss the big trauma, the cases that come in by helicopter or off the elevator, where your pulse and mind are racing. Podiatry, D/C's etc just aren't doing it or me. I even miss the residents and the med students, lol.

I think I may have been permanently altered by working in a big place- thanks for listening.:crying2:

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

I recently moved up to Vail, co into a 4 OR facility coming from a big city hospital with 14 ORs and 2 cvor's. I did alot of cvor along with the mixed in trauma here and there. Personally im cool with the laid iback environment where im at now. Im sure in ski season it gets hopin but its nice to not kill myself every day.

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lmao!!! I had to keep looking at the name to make sure I didn't write the post gadgetrn !! Started in a LARGE inner city hospital. 22 rooms....complete chaos 24/7. High stress, overworked, understaffed, can't get instruments, shoddy preference cards cause to busy to update,etc......Recently ventured to a 10 room hospital. D&C's , totals, hysterectomies up the wazoo. Low key, low stress. HOWEVER.....the lack of communication is off the flipping chains. There are no rules. People do whatever they want to do whenever. You ask a question...pfft. good luck finding someone that knows. Blows my mind. I miss "saving lives" as I used to call it. I feel like I just help out now :(

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

It all depends on what you want. Both big and small have pros & cons just as each facility has no matter what size they are.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

The thing is, I really like the people I work with and that counts for a lot. The last place had some toxic people, to the point I ended up on BP meds.

Ive spoken with my boss and just asked that people make an effort to communicate better. I guess if I really start missing trauma a lot, I could take a per diem job at my old place.

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Specializes in OR.

To answer your question- YES! you can go from a big OR to a small OR and be happy. I went through a similar change. It did get some getting use to though. It took about 3 months for me. It was very hard in the beginning. I missed doing the "big" cases and all the chaos and excitement. But you may find that the slower pace may actually suit your lifestyle. and A lot of times it can be getting use to the people that you're working with. And it's normal to miss your old crew but after a while you'll get use to your new environment. Or sometimes you won't and it may mean moving on to another OR or even another specialty. You may find you just need a change.

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Dear GadgetRN71,

Please have a look at my thread, "INSIDE SCOOP New England Tech Nursing Prgm". Please feel free to make comment. I appreciate your previous posts and your straight-shooter attitude.

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I'm going through a similar process myself... going from 20 main OR's to 10 mixed bag OR's has been a journey. It's been 6 months for me and I'm still trying to figure it out. All of my OR jobs previously were Main OR's full staff 24/7. No day surgery stuff. Ahhhh, ancillary staff... I so really miss them!

Now its the call team after 8pm - no staff in place. No ancillary staff, except for a few old men who mop the floor and take out the garbage. No turnover help, no lifting help, no support staff. I did shoulder scopes this week. I didn't know how to position the bed, the shoulder positioner stuff/kit, the pump, the monitor, the bizillion bags of NS.... There is no help. This is day surgery stuff right???? The staff assumes I know everything because I came from one of the largest hospitals in town, but I did neuro and ortho oncology.

But hey, I'm learning something new all the time and that's the good part. As for nutty, toxic staff, they are everywhere. I was a travel nurse for a while and can truly say, the people are the same they just look different and go by a different name, but the bag of fruit remains unchanged! :)

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

gr8-

I so understand where you are coming from! I went from a large OR to a small OR and then back to a large OR. I find that there are challenges in both arenas, but know that I prefer the controlled chaos of a large OR because there is plenty of help if I need it.

BTW-you guys use NS for shoulder scopes? Not LR? Just curious.

FWIW, there is sort of an unspoken rule in a smaller OR that the new nurses must prove themselves over and over again in order to be accepted into the fold. Sometimes this takes months. It isn't easy, and it gets frustrating at times.

Hang in there and use your sense of humor as much as you can.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

It's been a little better. When I find myself tempted to roll my eyes over the drama that can occur in the new place over very small things, I remind myself that my BP has come down back to teenager levels, lol. We do a lot of Ortho too, so I haven't been completely bored. And I do like the people on my shift very much.

I'll be going back to school soon anyway, so maybe a low stress atmosphere would work out better.

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Specializes in OR; Telemetry; PACU.

gr8ape...holy cow! I would give my first born for ancillary staff! LOL! I do work ASC, and I "thought" I knew how it was going to be (i.e. in the interview, "you know how same day surgery works, right"...ummmm, sure! Not so much after all). Now I can set up a shoulder case and tear it down. I am one of two nurses who sets up the beach chair - not so complicated as much as it's a clumsy piece right? I've moved beds around here, there, and everywhere!! PITA! Clean up in OR5...start truckin' down the hall for the mop! No one's coming to help. I help or at times pull my own cases for the next day. That was WAAAY new to me! It can be crazy can't it? It's a good crazy though. :lol2:

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Specializes in Operating Room.
To answer your question- YES! you can go from a big OR to a small OR and be happy. I went through a similar change. It did get some getting use to though. It took about 3 months for me. It was very hard in the beginning. I missed doing the "big" cases and all the chaos and excitement. But you may find that the slower pace may actually suit your lifestyle. and A lot of times it can be getting use to the people that you're working with. And it's normal to miss your old crew but after a while you'll get use to your new environment. Or sometimes you won't and it may mean moving on to another OR or even another specialty. You may find you just need a change.

Unfortunately, the pace is not slower though. Lots of corners get cut regarding safety- the lack of a proper timeout procedure drives me bonkers. Half the surgeons don't do it right and/or anesthesia doesn't participate and they get away with it. If you take the time to do things right, you have the NM standing in the window, tapping his watch. :rolleyes:

Being that I come from a state where there were several very public wrong site surgeries, this makes me nervous. If it were just a matter of working with my evening crew, it would be great. But, there is a feeling on days that safety falls second to being fast. Efficient is fine, but when you over rush, that's where mistakes happen.

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