Why are or & recovery specialties paid more?

Nurses General Nursing

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Me again. I'm starting to freak out here!! I'm done with school in April, and then shadow in May... I am torn between Recovery and OR nursing... I would love to do the 12 hr shift in ER, but being single with 2 kids will be a challenge. I know there are day surgery centers where I would be able to look for an 8hr shift job (or please correct me if I'm wrong). So, from these two specialties... is salary more because of the lawsuits you might place yourself into or what? And also, what about your skills? Is it really more paperwork than nursing?

Please.... if someone could please elaborate on these two specialties, I would greatly love to hear the awesome input!!

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I guess I'd challenge your premise.

At the local hospitals of which I have knowledge, nurses are paid by level, not specialty. The OR nurses and the med/surg nurses earn the same amount.

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Specializes in OR, peds, PALS, ICU, camp, school.

At most places the hourly pay is not more. In some in my area, OR does pay more hourly because they really need trained OR nurses... it's a 6 mos minimum orientation for a new grad or a nurse with floor/unit experience.

Usually, when you see OR or PACU nurses making more, it's not per hour, it's per year. Factor in the call time. Where I worked it could be 12 hours nights every other week and 24-36 hours weekend set per month. Pager toting is paid time (although minimally!) Actually coming in is time+1/2 and you could depend on doing at least 3 cases in your weekend... maybe 2-3 hours each including set up-clean up. Sometimes I was in and out in an hour and spent the rest of my weekend at home. Sometimes I spent an hour setting up for a complicated case that would take a few hours, with a case to follow. Weeknights, I rarely came in unless it was to finish a case that was scheduled to go into the wee hours. Add in that some of us took extra call shifts for c-sections. PACU was similar. OT was gathered from emergency cases- if they were bad, the PACU nurse could be called in early to help run for blood and supplies or help the anesthesia staff. If ICU was full, overflow might board in PACU and a nurse might be "asked" to work an "on-call" OT shift along side an ICU nurse.

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Several hospitals here pay OR nurses seven dollars more than medsurg nursing, regardless of level... But I have heard from professors that it's more likely becuase they have a higher chance of getting sued... I don't know.

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Specializes in ER, OR, PACU, TELE, CATH LAB, OPEN HEART.

Where are you located, because I want to come work there. I have been an OR/PACU nurse since 1978, lived in 5 different states, and NEVER got paid more than any other nurse in the hospital. I worked more MANDATORY ie, ON-CALL hours and that is why I made more money. PLease tell me who is paying $7/hr more for OR/PACU nurses.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

No difference here either, other than making more through call time. And I've worked with surgeons who have been sued for a case I circulated, and was never sued personally.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

I've never worked anywhere that paid any specialty more,.you are paid on experience. Triage is #1 in lawsuits along with L&D.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

OR gets paid a lot more here because of the memorization of instruments, constant training, and being on a neuro and or cardiac team. On call for many hours..etc., as well as the stressors of egomaniacal surgeons--and that's just a really simple explanation.

PACU is a specialty much like ICU and yes, we do get paid more because you must know how to deal with emergency situations and it requires special training..besides the potential side effects of anesthesia, airway, etc.,

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I live in the Rio Grande Valley part of deep south Texas. Mcallen, Edinburg, Pharr, are some of the little towns here. It is pure healthcare here. Of course, we were also in the news (CNN, FOX etc) and under investigation for the misuse or overuse of healthcare in home healths, adult day cares, hospitals, etc... in the nation! So, I dont know if that plays a big part on it or what. It is a low socio economic status place with Mexican majority, and Philipine nurses dominate the field here! It is an awesome place to live, but after many many years here with never ending heat, I decided to move, again. That's why I'm asking for input of anywhere but here jobs.

Thanks for all the postings!

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