Experience vs. None

Editorial Team / Admin · Nov 17, 2009

I think it would depend more on other traits than experience vs. department transfer. Interest in the job, how they handle stress, that sort of thing.

ajaxgirl · Nov 20, 2009

Would you hire a nurse that has experience but does not work in your hospital or the nurse that does work in your hospital with no OR experience?

A nurse with OR experience.

linda2097 · Nov 20, 2009

Experience is much more important. O.R. skills are hard to come by. A lot of nurses who transfer to the O.R. have no idea what they are getting into. It takes at least a year to train a nurse to work in the O.R. It's much better to hire someone who is already trained.

shodobe · Nov 21, 2009

It depends on the person. Experience with an attitude doesn't cut it as opposed to an energetic individual willing to do almost anything to learn. Know-it-alls tend to be a real downer when trying to precept someone with just the dept runnings. I have never been a real fan of filling a position with a "warm body" just to appease the moaning, groaning masses. It also depends on what position you are trying to fill, the size of your department and if you people willing to train someone from scratch. It can go both ways, disaster imminent!

newbeeORRN · Nov 21, 2009

I am a new RN, I went to school at a small community college and got a two year degree in July this year. My past experience in OR or nursing in general were very limited. I worked in LTC for less than a year and as a vet assistant durring school(where I got surgery experience). I knew from the time I started school I wanted to work in the OR. I sent out resumes and applications to more hospitals than I can count. I kept running into the whole we want you to have some experience to work in the OR or at least two years of acute care experience. I hated that, how are you to get experience if no one will take a chance on you. I interviewed at a rural hospital, 6 hours from where I was living, for a surgery RN. They took a gamble and hired me. :up: I relocated and have been at the job for two months now. My supervisor/mentor/trainer has been a sugical nurse for 30 years, and she tells me all the time how quick I am picking things up, quicker than any other nurse without experience she has trained. Not only do I pre-op, circulate, and recover, I am also working in Endo. It has been the greatest experience I could ask for. I know I have a very long road ahead of me but I couldn't ask for a better mentor and surgical team to work with and some pretty nice docs too. All I have to say is... to all RN's that really want a job in surgery, and don't have experience, don't give up! :yeah:

linda2097 · Nov 21, 2009

Disadvantages of hiring a nurse with O.R. experience:

1. Might be hard to get along with, but can easily be fired if this is the case.

Disadvantages of hiring a nurse WITHOUT O.R. experience:

1. Might be hard to get along with, but can easily be fired if this is the case.

2. Costs the hospital almost a year's pay to train because they have to double up with an experienced nurse. From a manpower standpoint, they are worthless to the hospital until they are able to work on their own. This means that if you hire an unexperienced nurse, you are hiring that nurse to work NEXT year. So you paying them big bucks NOW to work next year.

3. They don't know what they are getting into. They might quit the O.R. once they find out what it is really like. I've seen this happen many times. Imagine paying someone $50,000 to train for a year only to have them quit. Now you are back to square one. You will be kicking yourself for not hiring the experienced nurse in the first place.

4. It takes several years to become an excellent O.R. nurse. Every year of experience is incredibly valuable.

5. I'm guessing here, I would think that unexperienced nurses are more likely to commit a nursing error and harm the patient than experienced nurses are. My dumbest mistakes were committed during my first year.

Conclusion: Experienced OR nurses are a VERY valuable commodity. This is why travel nursing is such a booming business. Always hire an experienced nurse whenever possible. You can always fire them if they are lousy. Better yet, if only one experienced nurse is applying, hire BOTH the experienced nurse and the unexperienced nurse. Most managers never hire enough staff and then they wonder why they lack staff a year later. People quit. People retire. People relocate. People get injured. People call in sick. People go on vacation. Hire as many nurses as management allows.

nrsman1 · Nov 21, 2009

But in order to gain OR experience someone has to take a chance on that inexperienced nurse sometime. It is a gamble but you may hire that one inexperienced nurse that loves it and will be there for the next 20 years. Also as far as cost is concerned I would assume that the more experience nurse would be pain more than an inexpeienced nurse so I guess it all comes down to a gamble.

linda2097 · Nov 21, 2009

But in order to gain OR experience someone has to take a chance on that inexperienced nurse sometime.

Hospitals do what is in their best interest. They hire unexperienced nurses when experienced nurses are not available. That's how I got my first OR job.

nrsman1 · Nov 21, 2009

That's true

HRM672 · Dec 1, 2009

As someone who is trying to get into the OR and is about to be forced to leave a facility I love in order to do so...I agree that it will cost alot to train me. I just wish they would do it anyway :) I really love the hospital I work at, but not enough to ignore an OR opportunity somewhere else. I have been told my hospital will NEVER train someone to OR. They will only hire experience.

ihicreated · Dec 2, 2009

I think it would depend more on other traits than experience vs. department transfer. Interest in the job, how they handle stress, that sort of thing.

Hi, I was just wondering if you had any advice for someone who is wanting to become an O.R. Nurse? I was a unit secretary in the E.R for 10 years, a Hospice LVN for 4 years, and recently graduated from R.N. school with honors.

I am not having any luck getting a position in the hosp. for anything, especially the O.R. which is where I truly want to be. I also tried GN positions for O.R. but they said that I lacked the experience they wanted. Would you have any suggestions for me? Where would I start so that I can gain the experience? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Ps. I am in the Fort Worth area.