can I do OR and floor nursing?

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Hi all,

I am a fairly new grad working on a busy med/surg floor. We actually get mainly post surgical patients, which I enjoy, but I am also potentially interested in being a nurse IN surgery, not just with the patients when they get on our floor. I know most people have one job, but can it ever be done where you work in two different units? I wouldn't want to do OR nursing 100% of the time, but I also think I'd enjoy some variety from floor nursing too.

Also, what is being in the OR really like? I find surgery itself fascinating, but some of our surgeons can be, shall we say, not the nicest people in the world. I also sometimes wonder how long you have to stand for and what happens if you have to pee? Do you go from surgery to surgery the entire shift or is there some downtime? Some insights on OR nursing would probably help me too.

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A couple of per diem staff I work with have OR as their full-time job and then they work per diem in the ICU.

That way they keep their non-OR nursing skills strong while earning extra money.

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Specializes in ED, OR, SAF, Corrections.

You can certainly work as my jobs as you have the energy for, but you can't just 'take' an OR position without training. It's not an area you can just 'float' to, like from one ward to another. It's usually a 6-8 months training program. There are a LOT of things to learn.

I remember thinking when I went into the OR that because I'd worked ER/Trauma for so long that I'd just slide right in without difficulty. Oh boy was I wrong. It's another world entirely. But if you want to there is no reason why you should'nt give it a whirl - I don't think I'll ever leave the OR.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

OR training/orientation is so intense that most hospitals in my area require a signed contract and commitment to work in the OR for x number of years.

Perhaps after several years' experience, you could work both.

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Specializes in OR.

Hey! I was in your shoes not too long ago. I started working in the OR a couple months ago, my background was tele/PCU. I was so worried that I would lose my skills that I tried to work tele per diem. Didn't work.....the OR is M-F and working on the weekends was soooo exhausting. I only worked per diem a couple months before I quit. Trying to arrange holiday shifts with working another job full time is crazy and I had all these mandatory meetings at the hospital where I worked tele, and they were all during the week, and I could never attend! I finally quit when the hospital wanted me to attend a 7 hour class ONLY offered during the week or else I would be terminated.

Plus, when you start your Peri-Op 101 course its full time and very tiring. You can always try to work per diem but dont be surprised if you feel stretched thin. I found that I LOVED having weekends off and that working all week, plus the weekends, was way too much.

I was very worried about "losing" my nursing skills. But once I got into the OR I found that I am gaining many more skills and that I (for once in my nursing career) really enjoy my job. So I felt a peace about leaving my floor job and totally concentrating on the OR. (btw, you never completely lose your skills. I totally left floor nursing for 2 years and came back to it with no problems.)

I dont know of any hospital that will take a new OR nurse part time or per diem. They all require at least a 2 year contract.

I love working in the OR. As far as downtime, it totally depends on the day! But about 90% of the time I get 2 20-30 min breaks during the day (but I'm in a smaller OR). Some surgeries (like plastics or ortho) can last ALL day. But a lot are only a couple hours long and you can see many patients during the day. Some cases are only 10 min long! Most surgeons are ok and take the time to teach if you have an intelligent question.

:redpinkhe OR nurses are the best!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

As others have said, the orientation for the OR is long and intense. Many also say that it can take up to a year or two of experience to feel comfortable. We only have one per diem nurse, who also works in the ICU. Probably the only reason it works out is that she was a surg tech before going to nursing school.

Re: surgeons' attitude. Should you make the decision to switch to the OR, you may find that those same surgeons who have an attitude on the floor are the most fun to work with in the OR, and those that have a great attitude on the floor may be the most impatient, rudest, and most foul-mouthed in the OR.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't work in the OR, but I thought I'd mention what I do know from doing observation time in the OR a couple times. I haven't seen anyone actually say what an OR nurse does, and perhaps the OP doesn't know.

From what I've seen, the OR nurse is almost always a circulating nurse. Not too often they get to scrub in (at least not in my area) because the hospital can hire a scrub tech that goes to school specifically for scrubbing, and they are probably cheaper to hire. The circulating nurse handled a lot of paperwork. I always saw them make sure they had consent for surgery, ensured a "time out" was done, verified allergies, etc. They also knew what the surgeon's preferences were for gloves, sizes, and what kind of prep they used. Whenever the surgery team needed a new piece of equipment that wasn't already on the table, the circulating nurse had to get it. Which required them to know the names of all the different things used in surgery. They seemed to have a pretty busy job, and had to know a lot of equipment. Which is why my hospital does a 6 or 8 month long orientation period for new OR nurses.

Like I said, I don't know all of what OR nurses do. If I left anything out, I'm sorry. Please add to or correct me on anything.

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