Decisions decisions

[Miss_Rose]

Hi everyone I'm in need of some serious advice. I'm a new grad and I have 2 job offers on the table one is an OR RN position that is 9 minutes away from my house. Indo their periop 101 and have to sign a 2 year contract after. It's at a small community hospital and after that I choose the schedule I wanna work. There's no weekends and no holidays. There will be on call at times. Then I have a pediatric RN position for a larger health system that is 25 minutes away from me. Is 3 12 hours shifts 7a to 7p and Every other weekend and some holidays. This position will train me in peds nicu and PICU and mother baby just in case I need to float over there if they bare short staffed but me floating there won't happen often since all the staff on my unit is on the floater schedule for that.  I did a site visit and the staff was amazing at both hospitals. The pay equals out to be the same. I guess as a new nurse I'm not sure what I'm getting into with either but I know I'm interested in both. Sometimes I also hear horror stories about the OR surgeons so that's a bit scary. I would love any advice anyone has to give. Thanks sooo much in advance 

[Miss_Rose]

Thank you for responding to this because I was going to ask the same question.  I finally made a decision on a job offer and accepted an OR position in plastic surgery at a surgery center so its different doctors that come in with different preferences and the center doesn't have any preference cards. 

[ktweis, ASN]

Miss_Rose said:

Thank you for responding to this because I was going to ask the same question.  I finally made a decision on a job offer and accepted an OR position in plastic surgery at a surgery center so its different doctors that come in with different preferences and the center doesn't have any preference cards. 

no preference cards?! man that's frustrating.. 

Rose_Queen said:

It's going to take a good solid year, maybe a bit longer. It's an area of nursing that nursing school just barely touches on and doesn't give you any kind of a jump start on. It's not a quick transition. 

okay.. so I guess I should give myself a break since I'm only in my 6th week of circulating... 

[foxypaws, BSN, MSN, RN]

ktweis said:

how long did it take you to feel like OR nursing was "dead easy?” I'm in my 6th week circulating and struggling with certain specialities (mostly cases that are quick) 

I learn very quickly so it felt easy to me by two months. Much more so by four. 
 

I ended up leaving because I unexpectedly needed a surgery, but definitely will consider getting back into OR once I heal up. I found another job willing to work around my schedule and limitations with a raise so what's a nurse to do!

fast cases are always a blur because of the demands of charting and quick turn around, but once you begin to see that all cases have a same basic skeleton to them of actions it gets repetitive and easy. Then you start writing down what is absolutely necessary to chart and catching up / efficiently pre-charting non-specific details, etc. it gets easier.