Do OR nurses have Pt contact?

[RossayRN]

I am asking because, my ACLS intructor told me today that OR nurses don't have patient contact. I am going on my second interview for an OR nurse position (peer interview) tuesday, and I still want the job either way, but I really don't know exactly what the job entails as far as patient care goes, and if there isn't any, will it be hard for me to get a patient contact job in the future if I start as an OR nurse? I am a new grad. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

OR nurses do have patient contact. We start out in preop with a patient interview, and in that short amount of time we have to gain the patient's trust as they are completely vulnerable in the OR itself. The patients also aren't always asleep in the OR- we do cases with light sedation or straight local with no sedation. Whoever told you that clearly has never been an OR nurse.

[MereSanity]

We do have patient contact (sometimes way more than you want). But the patient is usually asleep. You are a patient advocate for a human in their most vulnerable state. I was a floor nurse for 6 months before I started in the OR....I love it....I don't EVER want to go back to floor nursing!

[Scrubby]

You generally only get a few minutes of time with an awake patient before they are anaesthetised, unless they are having local and sedation. In this limited time I have to establish rapport and trust with my patient-not easy. Often people are very anxious preoperatively and it can be a very challenging job trying to make them feel comfortable.

I have found over the years that people who have never worked in the OR have this tendency to think we OR nurses don't have any patient contact, even to the point where we're not 'real nurses' anymore. When I am looking after a student nurse I emphasise to them all the patient contact we do have (even if it is minimal) to try and dispel the beliefs about us.

There is plenty of patient care in the OR. We have to ensure the patient is positioned appropriately to protect them from nerve damage, protect the patient's skin from pressure areas, transfer patients, and yes we even get code browns as well :)

[RossayRN]

Thanks for your response everyone. Meresanity, I hope to love being there like you! That's too bad that people are misinformed and spread their misinformation to others.

[nursinadream]

Lots of that (misinformation) going around. Stay informed through good sources.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Of course we have patient contact! I can't believe someone actually said that to you...what a jackwagon. Not only do we have direct patient contact, but we are the "lifeline", if you will, between the patient and the family. I cannot tell you how many times I have called family members simply to update them and they are SOOOO thankful. It is very tense waiting for a loved one while their surgery underway, and a simple call like this makes a world of difference.

The beauty of OR nursing is that you have ONE patient at a time, so you can use every bit of your nursing knowledge and experience to focus on your patient. Yes, you are interrupted a thousand times before the case, and during the case, but you are taking care of ONE patient. I used to work on a cancer unit, and I had up to 6 patients per shift. Not a wonderful scenario. I felt constantly pulled in a million directions, and felt bad that I was not able to focus on a patient that clearly needed my attention, but I couldn't very well walk away from a patient getting their first infusion of chemo to put another one on the bedpan. OR nursing opens so many doors for you, and I hope that you pursue this line of nursing.

[RossayRN]

Thanks you canesdukegirl. I went on my 2nd interview for this position (peer interview) wednesday. I am hoping I get this position, I really want it bad! I think my first interview with the OR managers went better. I won't say the second one went bad but they asked me 3 pages of questions and I couldn't give a great answer for some. When I got home I'm thinking " man I should have said more about this, and I should've said that". So I'm impatiently waiting and hoping the good Lord will bless me with this position. i will post the results when I hear something.

[BethCNOR, BSN, RN]

Your desire to be an OR nurse is obvious in your writing here, so it probably came across in your interview.

[RossayRN]

Thanks a lot Beth for that link! I have bookmarked it, If I get the position, I saw some interesting looking books on there about OR nursing that I might look into purchasing. The site is great, and it explained a lot about some of the different things you do as an OR nurse. I appreciate it.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

As a repeat OR pt. OR nurses can make all the difference. The surgery when I was 17 I had an OR nurse that I will NEVER forget. Her careing for me was unmistakable. She told me in preop holding that she would be there with me the whole time, then as I was going to sleep, she held my hand till I was out. I will never forget colleen.

[CCU NRS]

A Circulator definately has contact you interview the patient prior to surgery and you take care of them and comfort them while they are induced.