Is OR nursing too specialized to move to other fields if forced (layoffs etc)

[SnowStar4]

i'm a student who is going to graduate in the fall. i really want to be an or nurse. it has been my goal since i started school. right now i am a tech on an orthopedic surgery floor working on transferring to an or to get my foot in the door.

my problem is that people keep telling me how i am going to lose all of my "nursing skills" by being an or nurse and similar disrespectful things. my response is something like "i will be a nurse, just with a different skill set than floor nurses. nurses have many different roles...but we all have skills!"

people are starting to get to me. i am scared that if i go this route and something happens that i lose my job, i will be stuck. what if there are no or jobs out there and no one will hire me on a floor because "lost my skills? does that worry you guys? i am probably just paranoid because this is a career switch for me after too many layoffs in pharmaceuticals, and i now am perpetually afraid of layoffs but i am getting nervous.

does anyone work contingent in a different kind of department?

any insight would be great.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

I have known a few nurses who have gone to other areas after the OR, so it's not impossible. However, I've worked in 3 ORs and have never seen OR staff laid off or had their hours cut. Middle management, yes, but not the staff. As a matter of fact, there is a shortage of OR nurses and plenty of overtime available, especially in the big ORs

If you want the OR, go for it. Instructors and some floor nurses often talk trash about the OR-they really don't know what they're talking about anyway regarding this specialty, so just ignore them. Follow your heart. Any questions about the OR, PM me.:)

[Argo]

What squirrel said........ most of them, 95%+ could not hack it in the OR. I have never seen RN's get laid off in the OR. Fired yes..... I have been in big and small ORs for 12 years.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I have known a few nurses who have gone to other areas after the OR, so it's not impossible. However, I've worked in 3 ORs and have never seen OR staff laid off or had their hours cut. Middle management, yes, but not the staff. As a matter of fact, there is a shortage of OR nurses and plenty of overtime available, especially in the big ORs

Where do you work that hours aren't getting cut? We're currently telling several people each day not to come in for their shift the following day, although they are not planning to lay anyone off (just not replace those who leave).

As for whether or not people can go to other areas and succede, the answer is absolutely! We had one CTOR nurse move to preop- did a fantastic job there (even better than the preop nurses who had been there forever since she knew what the OR REALLY needed), we've had some go to ICU, and one just left us to join hospice. That's the great thing about nursing- if you decide you want to try something new, there are so many areas to choose from!

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

Where do you work that hours aren't getting cut? We're currently telling several people each day not to come in for their shift the following day, although they are not planning to lay anyone off (just not replace those who leave).

As for whether or not people can go to other areas and succede, the answer is absolutely! We had one CTOR nurse move to preop- did a fantastic job there (even better than the preop nurses who had been there forever since she knew what the OR REALLY needed), we've had some go to ICU, and one just left us to join hospice. That's the great thing about nursing- if you decide you want to try something new, there are so many areas to choose from!

I work in a big hospital in New England-we actually need more people, and there's plenty of call for those who want it. Even if elective surgeries go down, people are always getting into accidents.

[SnowStar4]

Thanks for your input!

[MereSanity]

In my hospital all other departments had lay offs but not the OR...it takes too long to train an OR nurse...If I had to work the floor (please God no!) I would need to get acclimated but it would only take a month or so to be off and running (which is shorter than a normal orientation). OR nurses are very adaptable. I LOVE my job and would be bored to death on the floor. I pray I never need to find out anything about floor nursing (except that I'm glad not to do it).

[redraider1977]

OR and PACU are the only areas im interested in. I will go anywhere in the country after graduation to get the experience. Hating working on the floors.