How to get Surgical RN job w/no prior exp?

[babblingbrook]

I've always liked the OR and am interested in working as a scrub nurse. Only prob is that I've only been a nurse for 2 years and the closest I got to the OR was as a new grad NICU nurse. I've noticed most hospitals in southern Cali want at least 1 year exp in the OR. Question is has anyone successfully overcome this and how did you do it?

Thanks!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Check into hospitals in your area. There are some who offer an internship for nurses without OR experience- it could just be that they only do them at certain times (January and July at my hospital). If there aren't, it doesn't hurt to apply anyway. They can tell you no thanks, but at least you made the effort.

As far as being a scrub nurse, there are a lot of hospitals who utilize surgical technologists in the scrub role, and nurses only circulate. That's pretty much how it is where I work- the only time nurses scrub is if STs call off or we're just short- and those that do were STs in a former life. New OR nurses aren't taught to scrub at all where I work, other than the open heart rooms.