How do you get a chance in the OR?

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Hello! I was wondering what the best approach to getting into the OR would be? A long term goal of mine is to get my CNOR and RNFA certifications. I'm not afraid of doing the hard work; I'm unsure about how to go about being offered a chance in the OR. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :eek:

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Specializes in Telemetry/Cardiac Floor.

Just apply, no?? They are always short.

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LOL-I have been applying. I should've put a little more information up. I'm a new grad, and I've been trying to find residencies but the next cohort dates aren't listed. I don't even know if they hire new grads in the OR :) If you are an OR nurse, maybe you could share how you got into the OR, as in what makes one more marketable when applying for this position?

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I know quite a few of my fellow new grads got jobs right away in the OR by applying and following up with phone calls. Do anything to can to let them know why you want to work OR, and why you are dedicated enough to put in the hard work that comes with training for the position. I am finding more and more, a lot of jobs may say "x amount of years of experience required" but in some cases they actually prefer a brand new nurse that they can mold and shape to meet their needs. Good luck and don't give up!!!

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Thanks, Sweets! It's encouraging to know this is a possibility-Do you know whether your fellow new grads have applied directly with the hospital and then followed up or have they been applying via search engines? Good luck to you too in reaching your career goals :)

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Specializes in Education, OR,CVT Stepdown,Psych..

We take new grads (and current RN's without OR experience) twice per year in our PeriOp 101 program through the AORN. That's how I got into the OR. I was already a staff nurse, but had no OR experience. I will say this though: make sure this is something you REALLY want to do. It costs alot of money and about 6 months (minimum) time to train a new OR nurse. We lost 2 from our class right after training because they decided they wanted more patient contact, which is why I personally think that we shouldn't take new grads. Nothing against you, it's just that if you get floor experience first, I'm sure you'd appreciate the OR even more. I know my experience (nursing home, home health, stepdown, ICU, nurse manager) makes me love the OR and appreciate only having one patient at a time (and they're asleep!) LOL

At any rate, good luck with your job search. If the OR is what you really want to do-you won't be disappointed!

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We take new grads (and current RN's without OR experience) twice per year in our PeriOp 101 program through the AORN. That's how I got into the OR. I was already a staff nurse, but had no OR experience. I will say this though: make sure this is something you REALLY want to do. It costs alot of money and about 6 months (minimum) time to train a new OR nurse. We lost 2 from our class right after training because they decided they wanted more patient contact, which is why I personally think that we shouldn't take new grads. Nothing against you, it's just that if you get floor experience first, I'm sure you'd appreciate the OR even more. I know my experience (nursing home, home health, stepdown, ICU, nurse manager) makes me love the OR and appreciate only having one patient at a time (and they're asleep!) LOL

At any rate, good luck with your job search. If the OR is what you really want to do-you won't be disappointed!

Can you PM me what hospital you are with? Even though I'm a new grad, I'm in my 30s and I have worked EMS and as a Nursing Assistant, so I can appreciate focusing all my attention to one patient at a time-One of the things I didn't like was having 14 patients in an ortho floor as a nursing assistant and not being able to give them 100% of my attention. I work with an OR supervisor so I've spoken to him about what it entails; unfortunately there are no external openings. I would love to get into a PeriOp program-you don't happen to know when the next cohort date is, do you?

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My OR takes new grads, and they really like us to refer people. I would try to network as much as possible, and if you can get a hold of the contact info for nurse recruiters and call them. Other than that keep trying. You might have to take another job while looking and apply as an internal candidate. That never hurts!

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SnowStar-any way you can let me know what area of the country you are in? I would LOVE to get into a residency program, and I've been looking online for information on them-I am happy to hear though that there is a chance I could get into the OR without experience if I'm unable to land a residency spot. Thank you for the good news :)

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Specializes in Education, OR,CVT Stepdown,Psych..
Can you PM me what hospital you are with? Even though I'm a new grad, I'm in my 30s and I have worked EMS and as a Nursing Assistant, so I can appreciate focusing all my attention to one patient at a time-One of the things I didn't like was having 14 patients in an ortho floor as a nursing assistant and not being able to give them 100% of my attention. I work with an OR supervisor so I've spoken to him about what it entails; unfortunately there are no external openings. I would love to get into a PeriOp program-you don't happen to know when the next cohort date is, do you?

Our next cohort date for PeriOp 101 is in the Fall sometime. I'm thinking October or November. I'm at Northwestern in Chicago.

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Thank you so much, Chicago!

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Specializes in OR; Telemetry; PACU.

Also look for ambulatory surgery centers as opposed to hospitals. Some are willing to hire new grads. I work with a nurse who was a new grad last summer, first job in OR and she's excellent.

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