Is the OR the place for me??

If you decide to become an O.R. nurse, be prepared......

to be verbally abused by physicians, nurses, and techs.

to work your butt off.

to lift heavy objects. (Many O.R. nurses damage their back).

to be very exposed to patient body fluids, x-radiation, formalin, cleaning solutions, and other hazardous chemicals.

to memorize endless instruments, supplies, and surgical techniques.

to be required to take call.

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Advantages:

You almost always get coffee breaks and lunch breaks.

You deal with only one patient at a time.

Difficult patients are much easier to deal with in the O.R. because they are drugged most of the time.

Surgery can be fascinating.

You wipe patient's butts only once a month or so.

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As you can probably tell, I do not enjoy O.R. nursing, but I will take it over floor nursing any day.

The ability to be considered a "newbie" for at least 2 years. (I came to the OR from ICU and it was tough to be "lost" for so long.

Must be very assertive and willing to "bite back" if necessary for patient safety and bite your lip instead of biting back when arguing would not accomplish anything. (and know the difference)

Very organized and very quick. Sutuations in the OR change on a dime!

Abiliity to troubleshoot LOTS of equipment. (no technophobias allowed!)

High self esteem is a must or you will get beat down.

Willingness to learn something new every day.

Good physical health. (ability to reach high things while crawling on the floor! lol )

Team work is a MUST!

I love the OR.... wouldn't work anywhere else. It truly is a big extended family with all the family squabbles included!

I am a new nurse (graduated in May & received license in July) and started training in surgery as a circulating nurse in mid-July. The OR is a fascinating place to work, but is a tad overwhelming at first. It is just a completely different world. Nursing school definitely does not prepare you to hop right in to the OR!

I feel like a complete idiot most days and ask questions that probably seem really ignorant to the seasoned nurses, but that's just the way it goes. It gets a little easier each day and my confidence is starting to go up a tiny bit all the time.

You have to have tough skin to work in the OR. People WILL snap at you. But, you just have to let it roll off your back. That is the only way you survive.

Even though it is rough at the beginning, and I'm sure it will continue to be mind boggling for at least a year, I don't regret choosing the OR and would never consider working anywhere else.

I really like all of the people I work with, it's kind of like a large extended family. I even like the people I was certain were wicked-evil my first week at work! They have all been great & are a wealth of information.

I hope this helps a little.

Yes, you must be tough skinned, which takes time to develop, but if you stay with it , it definitely develops! Starting out, you have to figure out when to speak up and when to shut up. Ask questions at the appropriate time, figure out the tenor of the room, figure out the pecking order, in addition to what the others have said. It takes time. Don't EVER say anything negative about another staff member as it will absolutely get back to them. As in a family, I can say something about them , but you'd better not! Ha! You have to figure out who knows what they're doing and who is bluffing their way through, who to trust, who you can depend on (as any other job). It is a dysfunctional family at times and funny and supportive at other times. Close working quarters everyday. Must adapt well to change and keep abreast of current technology. Interesting field for sure!

ebear

I graduate in June. I just did an 8 hour OR observation and it was absolutely fascinating. I thought for sure I was going ER, but this experience definitely makes me question that. The only drawback for me, and it could be a dealbreaker, is that most shifts are 8 hours and some are 10. Is that the standard for most OR's? Nursing is a second career for me after a 9-5 job, so three 12's was a pretty appealing aspect of nursing to me.

Nursing is a second career for me after a 9-5 job, so three 12's was a pretty appealing aspect of nursing to me.

12-hour shifts do exist in the O.R., but they can be hard to come by. Once you have experience however, you can find almost any shift you want as long as you are willing to shop around.

I am extremely excited for my upcoming OR rotation! I think OR might just be the place for me, but I still need to experience a taste of it before I commit. Currently I work in a cardiac telemetry unit, and I love the cardiac patients. I just don't feel like it's where I "belong"; like it's a jumping off point for something else. I love a challenge and I want to constantly be learning. If I like what I see, I plan on applying there, even though there are no jobs posted for LPNs. I will graduate as an RN this summer.

Just when you think you have it figured out, something happens and you realize that you really don't.

Every day is a new day, with an opportunity to learn something new.

Bored, never, unless you're doing dentals all day.

Fun, yup, as fun as you want to make it.

Football, basketball, football, basketball, football, basketball, stockmarket, financial news, world news, celebrity gossip........

I couldn't agree more with the previous responses especially:

to be verbally abused by physicians, nurses, and techs.

to work your butt off.

You'll figure it out and do a lot of lip service for the first 6 months until you find your drummer to fall into step with. Just listen to what they are all trying to tell you and then find your way. It's a great place to work and I really love being an OR nurse. Some days are easy as can be and other days I pull out my palm pilot and read psalm 51 to give me strength.