Cross train?

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Jun 18, 2003

I worked ms/scu/er and did some recovery before coming to the OR. I found that OR nursing is a very different area of nursing than the others. I felt alot like I was starting my career over....in many ways. If you are up for a change the OR is a great place to go. In the rural hospital I worked at that had a more limited amount of types of surgeries we preformed...the RN circulated one week then was the recovery room nurse the next. We just rotated. It worked well. I think it would be much more difficult to do this in the size of OR I work in now, with all the different types of surgeries we do. Good luck with your decision.

angelaADSN · Aug 14, 2003

I am more like a floater, I guess you could say. I work PACU/surgery/holding and outpatient preop. All of these dept are by the same nurse manager. I only work outpatient when they are in desperate need of help. So once a month for them maybe. As for PACU and surgery I do those two everyday. I relieve for breaks in surgery and recovery, work holding room when need of a patient in there, especially on eye days. I am the concious sedation queen so I always get stuck with those cases. I like doing both, it keeps me on my toes! However, since I do both of these, other nurses get mad because they think I am not giving them relief, when in fact I may be in recovery because it is kids day and they are in more need of help. On top of that I occasionally have to do our payroll. It is starting to get to be more pressure so I have decided to do surgery only as soon as we are staffed enough. I like both areas of recovery and surgery. I chose surgery because it keeps me on my toes. Good luck with your decision! Keep in mind you can do both though! Believe me, I know! LOL

sharann, BSN, RN · Aug 15, 2003

Thanks so much for your answer Angela and Chrissy. I am considering cross-training to surgery, but I worry I am too "nice" (No offense Surg RN's , I just may not be strong enough to deal with doctors insults all day).

angelaADSN · Aug 15, 2003

When I first started, I cried every night I went home. Now I am alot more stronger and have a lot more come backs. I get a long with the doctors pretty well. The doctors I work with are pretty good about working as a team. Occasionally, especially when times are tough and a case is not going their way, they can be jerks and you learn to ignore them and help as much as you can. You can only do so much and there is only one of you and you just have to remind them that time to time.

live4today, RN · Aug 16, 2003

Dealing with docs: Docs are human just like nurses. They are NOT made out of supernatural material, nor do they own your life and the way you address your job as a nurse. Treat them the way you would want them to treat you. If they 'dis' you in anyway, bring it to their attention in a professionally assertive (not aggressive) way. If you think they are "above you" then they will walk all over you, but if you can accept that the only thing different about them compared to you is their choice of career.

Ignoring their rude behavior only invites them to continue being rude. Address rudeness, no matter who it comes from. Are you not adults? Are nurses adults? Are doctors adults? Then....what's the point? :nurse: