Curious about OR nursing

[justmia1089]

Hello! I'm a new grad, just passed my boards in February. I'm currently working on a really busy med surg floor, it's great for learning, but I'm not sure if it's something I want to be doing a year from now.

My favorite rotation in school was when we went to the OR for half the day. I loved it. I've always been amazed with surgery and often wondered if this is where I should be. Can someone tell me what it's like to be an OR nurse?

Thanks in advance!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

That's kind of asking a lot. You can ask 20 different OR nurses what it's like to be an OR nurse and get 20 completely different answers.

So, here's my perspective as a cardiothoracic surgery circulator: It can be crazy. It can mean dealing with surgeons who are either suffering from a god complex or (naughty word synonymous with a certain orifice related to the end of the GI tract). It can be depressing when you learn that the aortic dissection you spend 18 hours working to save didn't make it. It can mean a restricted personal life because it means taking a lot of call. It can mean seeing an immediate difference in your patient's life or hearing about how a patient's life changed for the better down the line- that saddle PE patient who came in purple and hypoxic and trying to die who pinks up after the clot is removed and you later learn recovered with minimal neuro deficits or that AVR patient who used to not be able to climb a single flight of stairs without being winded can now play in the backyard with the grandchildren. It can mean developing incredible teamwork with your coworkers and developing relationships where you help them out and they help you out (covering call for important events or emergencies, for example).

Have you checked out the FAQs in the OR forum? There's a lot of good info there and through some of the other threads in the forum for those considering OR nursing as a career move.