Getting your foot into the OR

DanielOR_RN · Feb 22, 2016

Hi Heartaflutter,

I will be starting my OR training next week. I have no previous nursing experience. I graduated last year in August and took my NCLEX mid November. The OR has always been my passion so after passing my NCLEX I immediately started looking for OR nurse residency programs with Periop 101.

Not every hospital offers Periop 101, it is a training program. We were told that our training is 6 months paid internship. I did have to move 3 hours from my city to a closer location to the hospital. I don't regret the move, I wanted to do anything to make my dream of working in the OR come true. If you are very interested in working in the OR try to look online for these opportunities. I've seem them scattered throughout the year across almost every state, even in Alaska.

Some people say that med-surg experience is good for the OR since we don't do many IV's, etc. I tend to disagree since med-surg has nothing to do with the OR. They are two completely different animals. I wish you good luck and I hope you fulfill your interest in the OR.

scrubulator · Feb 24, 2016

I came straight from school to OR. I can agree that floor (med-surg...or any other floor specialty) has nothing to do with the OR. My midwest hospital gave me 6months of orientation (in addition to my New Grad RN Residency) which seems to be the norm.

My advice is to stay at your first OR hospital for at least 2years. If you stay at the hospital for just 1 year, half of that is just orientation so how much do you really know? Also, I (as well as many of my coworkers) felt that a year and a half of OR experience made us feel comfortable. I still remember making the one year mark and not feeling as confident. So again, 2 years if you can but thats just my advice.

Lastly, if you do shadow go to a room with multiple cases (joints/PEGs/ports). This is where you will see how fast everything goes. Some days you have super long cases and boring (hallelujah ), but the tough days are the 6 small cases in your room and everything is BOOM.BOOM. BOOM.BOOM.BOOM.BOOM. As much fun as it to look at the surgeries, in these room make note at the circulator and scrub-this could be you, can you handle it?

Heartaflutter · Feb 24, 2016

Hello everyone,

Update: pretty sure HR At my current hospital dropped the ball to let me shadow [emoji58] what else is new.

I did apply to an OR position at my current place. I heard the morale isn't too hot down there and that's why people have come and gone quickly. I'm also questioning how much orientation id be getting....and experience since we're a smaller community hospital. ( my ultimate goal is cardiac OR)

As far as perioperative internships, there are none in my area right now (NewEngland) that I could find. Many hospitals are seeking experienced OR nurses.

DanielOR_RN · Feb 25, 2016

Don't let that get you down. Look for OR Nurse residency opportunities, they usually have them in every state a few times a year. I hear summer is a huge season for those kinds of opportunities. You have to keep checking every single day. I got in through a job fair!! I went in not knowing, and they liked me enough to push me through to the 2nd set of interviews. You really never know who is going to give you that opportunity to let your dreams come true. Keep your head held up high. If you want it enough, you'll get it. I was in your shoes not to long ago.

Heartaflutter · Feb 29, 2016

Don't let that get you down. Look for OR Nurse residency opportunities, they usually have them in every state a few times a year. I hear summer is a huge season for those kinds of opportunities. You have to keep checking every single day. I got in through a job fair!! I went in not knowing, and they liked me enough to push me through to the 2nd set of interviews. You really never know who is going to give you that opportunity to let your dreams come true. Keep your head held up high. If you want it enough, you'll get it. I was in your shoes not to long ago.

Thanks Daniel, I did my research and found a program in New Hampshire at Dartmouth Hitchcock. It seems the only take people with less than a year experience but I will try to contact a nurse recruiter