How to get out of the OR

[stalbott888]

I started out as a Surgical Tech. I did that for 10+ years before I got my RN. I got my RN, because I was burnt out. I wanted to broaden my horizans, and now that I have my RN, I can't get OUT of the OR!! Nobody will even give me a chance in psych, hospice, case management..some of these genre's that I am interested in, so passionate about and so willing to learn!! I CAN learn!! I figure if I made it thru nursing school, I must not be too much of a numbskull.

Why are they so unwilling to train anymore? 30 years ago all you needed to be was a nurse, you could do anything you wanted! I know! Because my first job out of high school was writing student loan checks to nurses back in 1979. I knew nurses, I saw how they could flit from one area to another, and they were embraced!! Today..if you don't have a rich background in whatever it is your applying for, forget it! Or..you have to be accepted into a fellowship or an internship..

it's really frustrating. I want to do something else, this OR nursing circulating thing is NOT rewarding for me at all.

Thanks for the vent!

[lidleanjel]

Have you tried to go to a med-surg floor or ICU? I was a OR nurse and did not care for it much. I then was hired in ICU and love it.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Unfortunately, in most places it's an employer's market at the moment. The number of applications they receive far outnumber the available positions. And with a business mentality, who are they going to choose for a position, someone who's never worked in that specialty and will need extensive training or someone experienced in that specialty who should only need a brief orientation to the location of supplies, the computer charting system, and specific policies?

[RobtheORNurse]

In this market you have to be willing to move. Try travel nursing in those areas and gain the experience that employers are looking for. Another field may be the device industry as a clinician for the company. Most medical device companies have nurses on the team to serve as an internal consultant. I made the switch to this field from the OR and could not be happier.