I don't want to pigeonhole myself

[Kat12340]

Hi everyone, I accepted a position in the pediatric OR at a top children's hospital on the west coast. However, I really want to travel nurse In the future once I get 3-5 years of experience. I feel like the pediatric OR will pigeonhole me if I don't get experience at a level 1 trauma center with adults as well. The pediatric OR is a level 1 trauma rehabilitation center.

I would also need scrub experience to travel nurse but I won't get that in the pedi OR since they use scrub techs only. There is some push back with the perioperative education department to allow their nurses to scrub. However I'm not sure if they will ever get approved for it.

 So should I shoot for at lest 2-3 years of experience in the pediatric OR then look for a trauma OR position that actually allows their nurses to scrub?  Will  starting off in the pediatric OR pigeonhole me from going into trauma?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

We all have to start someplace.  Since you want OR, Peds OR will provide you with basic experience in OR nursing: OR setup, instrumentation, working with OR Team, patient advocacy, getting along with surgeons, etc.

Nursing Specialties Guide has indepth info on this specialty.  After that first year, you may be able to switch to an adult OR, especially if the PEDS hospital is part of a larger health system.

You may want to consider the Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) a perioperative registered nurse who functions in an expanded role -- an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) functioning as a first assistant to the surgeon. 

I'd take the position, learn and grow into the role.