Is experience circulating in a plastic surgery center enough to apply to a hospital OR?

[JanRN104]

Hello Everyone!

I am a new grad witg 6 months of experience on a med surg telemetry unit. I was recently offered a job at a plastic surgery clinic and am wondering if this experience will benefit me in the future.

It is a small surgical center with one plastic  surgeon (the owner) who operates there regulary. There are 2 dental surgeons who operate a few times every couple of months. I worked there as an LPN for about 5 years as a scurb tech. As an RN I would be responsible for pre-op/circulating/PACU in additon to preparing for AAAASF certification. 

The surgeon plans to retire in 5 years and I am worried about being able to find a job at that point. Would 5 years of experience at an ambulatory plastic surgery center be enough to land me an OR position at a hospital? 

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

It might give you an edge over someone who's never set foot in an OR, but depending on the type of hospital you will likely need a thorough orientation. I work in a level 1 trauma academic setting. Our orientation for RNs with comparable experience is 1 week per service. RNs with limited experience such as single speciality or small community hospitals that don't have the complex cases would be 2-3 weeks per service.