Day in the life of an OR nurse.. what's it like??

[Epona]

Hello! I am a new RN thinking of doing an internship in the OR. If it goes well, they will put me into the OR upon completion of the program. I have always wanted Trauma, OR or Cardiac. My favorite rotation in RN school was the OR.

Here are my questions:

1) How much standing do OR nurses really do?? I imagine a lot, just trying to get some actual perspective.

2) Do they get to help ever with the surgery?? (Besides passing equipment and the like).

3) I know when a surgery is going on, one cannot leave... however, how often can they take a quick break... like to use the restroom or eat a quick snack??

Any real insight is very much appreciated!!! THANKS!! :redpinkhe

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

Ok, here are some answers..

-you're right, there is alot of standing in the OR. Good shoes are very important.

-Sometimes RNs do scrub. Depends on if you've been taught(some places teach the nurses to scrub) or already know how to(I was a surgical tech before I was a nurse so I can circulate and scrub). There are nurses that can first assist-meaning that they can suture and do more invasive things, but this is extra training.

-The OR is great in that we get our breaks and meals almost all of the time. For an 8 hour shift, I get a half hour supper and a 15 minute break. I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't gotten a break and when this happens, I punch out "no meal". If you really have to pee or something during a case-you can ask for someone to cover you briefly.

Good luck with your interview!

[Anisettes, BSN, RN]

There is also a lot of equipment you'll be required to move and set up, like fracture tables, microscopes, and other specialty equipment. Some of it can be quite heavy and cumbersome.

I think most OR's have some stipulation that you be able to 'move or lift 50 lbs' or something like that and because the OR IS an equipment intensive area, if you can't do it, you really can't expect to work there. Of course there may (or may not) be help available to assist you so you must be able to work independantly with minimal assistance.

Of course no one will expect you change out the top on an OSI table on your own - that IS a two person job, but you should be able to lift and maneuver the attachments on your own if they want to go from say the table being set up for a spine to one for rodding a femur, that kind of thing. And patients are not light, even a tiny person is dead weight when coming out of anesthesia and you have to be able to transfer them (WITH assistance of course). That kind of thing.

And it's not so much the standing (that's more with scrubbing - LONG periods where you can only shift your weight from foot to foot basically), circulating is more being quick to run and fetch when things are needed - surgeons don't understand the concept of patience being a virtue.

Oh, and a bonus if you can grow a thick skin - that one will come in the handiest. But I love the OR.

Good Luck!