CVOR nursing

CVOR is different from the main OR in that even routine cases can take a turn for the worst in seconds. It is very fast paced and information is coming at you at the speed of light at times, and you often have seconds to respond. I mean, we intentionally stop a patient's heart to work on it, and every minute the heart is stopped there is the potential for tissue death. It is physically and mentally demanding and often you work with very high intensity people. But you will learn a ton of information and if you are someone who works well under intense stress, you might really enjoy it. You will use your critical thinking skills that you have developed in the PACU, your sterile technique you learned in Main OR, but there is a lot that is different. The cases can go from routine to complex quickly, and if your patient doesn't come off bypass easily, or has a complex medical history, you may have a lot of labs to send, blood and blood products to order, different equipment to bring in and open to the sterile field, for example, maybe you have to place a balloon pump or go back on bypass at the end of a routine scheduled case. It is an ever changing environment, and thinking on your feet and being prepared literally for anything all the time is a must. Sometimes the outcome isn't good. That patient with the ruptured aorta may not survive. But then again maybe they do, and you helped make that happen. And that makes it all worth while.