Can OR Nurses just work for plastic surgeons?

orrnlori, RN · Apr 28, 2004

Plastics is my first love, I would pick a plastics case over any other case to work in, I even like the the big bloody burn cases. If you work in a hospital, most likely you will have to work in all areas and with all services. With time, they will place you in plastics as often as feasible if you needle them enough and if the surgeons like you and know that you know what they want and how they do things. You need to cultivate it everyday in the OR. In my hospital, evey service has a service coordinator that takes care of the needs of only that service so that position gets you into plastics cases more often than any other. Still, there are days when plastics isn't working. So on those days you will have to work where they want you. And that makes sense so you can stay well rounded and be versitile. Our plastic's coordinator is a great nurse, I love to work with her. And she has my dream job.

If you truly only want to work in plastics then you need to work in a surgery center that only does plastics. You can even get a certification for plastics surgery nurse, costs about 400.00 and has CEU's and renewal fees. (Do a search on the web, it takes lots of practice hours and a big test.) Plastic surgery has many sister-type cases. I also like Oral-Maxilofacial surgery, orthopeadic hand, and general surgery breast, neck and face. A lot of times plastics is lumped with ENT though. I dislike ENT a great deal overall. The last thing I want to do is spend my days putting in ear tubes and doing tonsils. BBBBOOOOOORRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG. Sometimes plastics is lumped with ophthamology, not as boring but quite dissimilar. Never have figured out why anyone would put the two together.

I love my plastic surgery docs, we had one bad egg but he's gone now. My residents are darlings. Plastics has one of the longest residencies so I get to keep them for over 3 years after they've done their 5 years general rotation.

Reconstructive plastics is extremely interesting and aesthetics is fun and fascinating. If I worked in plastics everyday I wouldn't even consider leaving the OR to teach. But it's not feasible to be in there everyday.

Good luck to you. Read up all you can about your interest. Clinics don't pay as much as the hospital but would be a great place if you love the cases.

CIRQL8 · Apr 28, 2004

Plastics is my first love, I would pick a plastics case over any other case to work in, I even like the the big bloody burn cases. If you work in a hospital, most likely you will have to work in all areas and with all services. With time, they will place you in plastics as often as feasible if you needle them enough and if the surgeons like you and know that you know what they want and how they do things. You need to cultivate it everyday in the OR. In my hospital, evey service has a service coordinator that takes care of the needs of only that service so that position gets you into plastics cases more often than any other. Still, there are days when plastics isn't working. So on those days you will have to work where they want you. And that makes sense so you can stay well rounded and be versitile. Our plastic's coordinator is a great nurse, I love to work with her. And she has my dream job.
If you truly only want to work in plastics then you need to work in a surgery center that only does plastics. You can even get a certification for plastics surgery nurse, costs about 400.00 and has CEU's and renewal fees. (Do a search on the web, it takes lots of practice hours and a big test.) Plastic surgery has many sister-type cases. I also like Oral-Maxilofacial surgery, orthopeadic hand, and general surgery breast, neck and face. A lot of times plastics is lumped with ENT though. I dislike ENT a great deal overall. The last thing I want to do is spend my days putting in ear tubes and doing tonsils. BBBBOOOOOORRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG. Sometimes plastics is lumped with ophthamology, not as boring but quite dissimilar. Never have figured out why anyone would put the two together.
I love my plastic surgery docs, we had one bad egg but he's gone now. My residents are darlings. Plastics has one of the longest residencies so I get to keep them for over 3 years after they've done their 5 years general rotation.
Reconstructive plastics is extremely interesting and aesthetics is fun and fascinating. If I worked in plastics everyday I wouldn't even consider leaving the OR to teach. But it's not feasible to be in there everyday.
Good luck to you. Read up all you can about your interest. Clinics don't pay as much as the hospital but would be a great place if you love the cases.

Pretty well, ditto. Again, well put by Lori. Just to add to Lori - I am Gyne/Urology charge nurse (what her place would call coordinator), and I do ALOT of urology and gynecology. I love plastics, but urology is MY first love. I do most all surgeries. Cardio-Thoracic is another dept, so none of that, and I just do basic ortho cases. Other than that, all surgeries are fair game.

Still, no better place to work as a staff nurse than the OR.