GN hired as a Circulation RN any advice on what to look at prior to starting?

breebree177 · May 8, 2017

Congratulations! I'm currently a new grad who did her final preceptorship in the operating room (and I am too studying for the NCLEX now lol) I found operating room nursing textbooks worked really well as a resource when I was learning about scrubbing and circulating, the one I recommend is "Berry & Kohn's operating room technique", really helped explain a lot about the OR. Good luck in your new position!

Argo · May 17, 2017

Just watch some greys anatomy and your good to go.

birdie22 · May 19, 2017

Of course you're excited and want to get a leg up, but enjoy the time off before you work, no need to pre-stress, there will be plenty of that to come!! That being said, honestly, some advice would be to learn that it will be challenging and difficult at first and dont sweat the small stuff. Be mentally tough and prepared to take criticism. You might (will) feel like an idiot a lot at first. That will sllllooowwwwlllyyy go away. If you can learn to be competent at work, the confidence will eventually come. good luck!

AORN1994 · May 20, 2017

Congratulations!! Honestly, don't worry about anything until you start. The OR is a tough place to learn in so it's best not to stress yourself out before hand. You will learn on the job. No one expects a new graduate in the OR to be knowledgeable about anything, and that is OK. Ask questions, even if they seem stupid. If you don't know what something is, just ask. People will be extremely receptive to you, and others will be extremely mean about it. Take everything with a grain of salt.

I began as a periop nurse right out of school as well. I agree with the last poster - be prepared to take criticism! There are a lot of "type A" personalities in the OR and it can be a hard place to learn because the seasoned nurses are used to running rooms their way. Some nurses are EXCELLENT preceptors. Cherish the ones who really make you work. Ask to be with the nurses who seemingly throw you to the sharks. Although we all learn differently, I find that's the best way to learn in the OR. Simply watching won't cut it. The first time a nurse had me run the room on my own while she went for coffee was terrifying, but I learned more in those few hours than I did within weeks of shadowing. That being said, some nurses are not meant to be preceptors. They will criticize you, haze you, and make you feel like any small deficit is a major flaw in your nursing ability. Do not listen to it. Honestly, I found that a lot of the heat I took was from surgical techs and nurses, not the surgeons or residents that everyone warns you about.

You will do great!! Just remember - it's a different type of nursing. Cut yourself a lot of slack, and don't take anything personally. A lot of people were tough when I started, but as you become more experienced and confident, you learn not to pay attention to it. This stuff isn't taught in school, and it could take months or even more than a year to become comfortable working independently. Just take your time, and try to learn at least one new thing every day. I always tell new nurses that if they can go home at the end of the day and say they learned just one thing (from the names of instruments, to how to set up a certain piece of equipment), they are going to be successful. This takes time. Best of luck to you!!

PS - You may even take heat for being a new nurse in the OR. People often gave me criticism because I didn't "pay my dues" in med-surg. This is an older mentality of nursing that isn't relevant anymore. I see nurses come from school who pick up on the OR patterns faster than any seasoned nurses (and I only started a few months ago - talk about your high turnover rates). It just depends on your ability to adapt to new situations, deal with people, and willingness to learn.