changes are good right?

[it's my journey]

Hello all :)

I'm sure many have touched on and discussed being new to OR nursing. This is another one of those posts, although I am checking in with you all on possibly a different note ...

I have registered to start my OR program in September, but like any change in life, am having thoughts of: am I doing the right thing? why am I doing this now? yes, I definitely need a change and hopefully this is it that will bring my passion back to nursing.

So I'm about 15 years from retirement and would really like to settle into a job that I love and look forward to. Ward nursing has taken it's toll lately and I need a change before it becomes needing a whole career change. I have shadowed in the OR to get a feel for it and pretty much spent my whole day off there as I enjoyed it so much. BUT this was only one day and it was a shadow shift ... I guess I just really need to hear PROS and CONS to changing nursing focus to the OR.

I have heard so many positive things about the OR and have been encouraged by several OR nurses to pursue it as "you won't go back to ward nursing", you'll love it. I have heard only one negative that a friend of a friend who took the specialty and then HATED it (yes, a very strong word!) ... I realize this can be of any profession, specialty, etc, depending on personal preferences/experiences.

ANY and all input would be most appreciated! I know I just need to find out for myself, but as an "older nurse" (I'm just not in my 20s anymore, lol!) I would love the perspective from all, but would also like to hear from anyone who went into the specialty later in their careers.

Thanks so much!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'm a nurse who realized during nursing school that a general med/surg floor would never be where I would be happy. I've been in the OR my whole career, so I can't really help you with the whole change part. However, I can tell you that what I like about the OR is the limited interactions with family members, having only 1 patient to focus on, great teamwork, the opportunity to earn extra money by taking call, and a few other little things.

These are my tips for being a success in the OR:

Things that I found helpful:

1. Knowing what cases I would be on for the following day. This allowed me to get copies of the preference cards so that I could look them over at home (yep, that's right, at home- homework doesn't end with graduation).

2. Breaking the learning into chunks. This day, focusing on setting up the room. That day, focusing on prepping and positioning. Some other day, focusing on documentation. Much easier to absorb and retain when not getting so overwhelmed by trying to do everything.

3. Keeping a small notebook handy to write down useful/important information. My notebook for my current position (that I have so well memorized that I don't actually carry it around with me anymore) has a list of important phone numbers such as blood bank, PACU, service line coordinators, charge anesthesiologist, and so on. It also has a cheat sheet for how to order blood products and intraop lab tests (a necessity when changing from paper to EMR). And then there is a section for each surgeon I work with where I can write down little idiosyncrasies: preferred radio stations and things like that that wouldn't appear on the preference cards.

4. Understanding that OR nursing is a whole other ball game- school has very little exposure (typically a single observation day) and it's extremely different than working on a med surg floor or any other type of unit. There's a common saying that it takes a year to begin to feel comfortable working in the OR. Don't expect yourself to get everything right off the bat- it's going to take time and there is a steep learning curve.

5. Along with #4, understand that there are going to be good days and bad days. The bad days might be those where your patient doesn't make it off the table or those where just when it felt everything was clicking, it all feels like your first day again. Even us experienced nurses have those kinds of day: new equipment is purchased, new procedures are developed, and we have to learn from point zero how use/do everything.

6. There are a lot of instruments and suture used in surgery. You may want to look into some books, websites, or apps that have images of instruments, what they are used for, and any alternative names. It can be confusing when someone asks you for a kocher clamp when everyone else calls it an oschner. (Yep, 2 names for the same instrument- and that doesn't include surgeon pet names.)

7. Understand that when someone goes off, it's almost always at the situation and not directed at a single person. Surgery is routine to us, but it can still go real bad real quick. It's not uncommon to see a surgeon suddenly start using some impolite language (we have a few that could make a sailor/truck driver blush). Now, throwing instruments and directing personal tirades at staff is not okay, and a good management team will support their staff and ensure corrective action.

[it's my journey]

Thank you Rose_Queen for taking the time to reply with such good information! It will be a change, for sure, moving toward a different nursing focus with some growth and lots of learning. Your helpful tips are great and I will definitely be following them. Thanks again!

Cheers :)