Just a question?

shodobe · Oct 16, 2008

Is your 8th day being precepted or are you on your own? A 30 bed OR is quite large and sometimes you can get lost in the hectic schedule. There will be days even later on where you will feel dazed and confused! This is a natural feeling it will get better. I am assuming this OR has specialty areas where some nurses stay in one specialty and don't really move around? If so then maybe you would be better off staying in some lower stress cases and avoid Neuro, OH or Peds for the time being. Not saying even in General, GYN, Plastics that the **** can hit the fan. If you truelly feel that the OR is for you this feeling of despair will go away. Just don't expect it in 2 months, 4 months or even up to a year. Taking care of one critical patient in the OR with all of the lines, anesthesia wanting this and that, the surgeon not being his/her jolly self, can make those 12 patients on M/S seem like heaven. Hang in there. There will be days where you are feeling really good about yourself and other days where your not sure if youv'e got your shoes on correctly. Good luck!

ChrisRN08 · Oct 16, 2008

Is your 8th day being precepted or are you on your own? A 30 bed OR is quite large and sometimes you can get lost in the hectic schedule. There will be days even later on where you will feel dazed and confused! This is a natural feeling it will get better. I am assuming this OR has specialty areas where some nurses stay in one specialty and don't really move around? If so then maybe you would be better off staying in some lower stress cases and avoid Neuro, OH or Peds for the time being. Not saying even in General, GYN, Plastics that the **** can hit the fan. If you truelly feel that the OR is for you this feeling of despair will go away. Just don't expect it in 2 months, 4 months or even up to a year. Taking care of one critical patient in the OR with all of the lines, anesthesia wanting this and that, the surgeon not being his/her jolly self, can make those 12 patients on M/S seem like heaven. Hang in there. There will be days where you are feeling really good about yourself and other days where your not sure if youv'e got your shoes on correctly. Good luck!

I was hired for the neuro core, todays I was in general with a DR who was cursing the whole day.

shodobe · Oct 16, 2008

They can get a bit cranky. So, are you mainly staying in Neuro or are you going to touch on all specialties? As far as a cranky, nasty surgeon there isn't too many suggestions but there will be alot of opinions on how to handle them. If you are in a teaching facility and have residents then you will get the ones who want to act like the chief. You will have days that everything seems to go wrong and you wonder, "What the heck am I doing here!" Shrug that off to a learning step. I hope you have a NM or a charge that doesn't let the surgeons run roughshod over the staff. Good management will allow so much until the surgeons are told to lay off the staff! Learn everything you can, don't be afraid to ask questions especially the surgeons. They like to think you are interested in what they do. I have found out over many years the cursing surgeon isn't referring to you as much as they are to themselves.

brewerpaul · Oct 17, 2008

8 days? You're not even a newborn yet!

As you've already noticed, the OR is entirely different than floor nursing. Be patient with yourself and give yourself time-- there is a LOT to learn.

RNOTODAY, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2008

Dont worry--- this early, and for a long time to come, if you were NOT confused/wondering...than I would be wondering about *YOU*...know what I mean?

The OR takes a really long time to become comfortable. Get the basics down: suction, bovie, counts and consents, and the rest comes. It does. The most important thing is to remember: You will encounter many difficult personalities in the OR, and the surgeons are the least of your worries. You need it to roll off your back, its not personal. And even if it is, .... get over it anyway.... Never pretend to know something when you dont, no matter how basic you think it is. I have just over a year in the OR, at 2 different facilities. Both are big academic teaching level 1 trauma centers. There are still things I dont feel comfortable with.... But honestly, every single case I complete makes it a tad bit easier. Honestly. You just gotta do it, over and over again. The other day, one of the veteran nurses and I were talking. She has been in the OR for 25 years. She works in ortho. She was telling me, that if she had to go and circulate a case like a lap chole, she would absolutely be lost. Now, even me with my baby circulator self, find a case like a lap chole an easy as pie case.But, she doesnt do general , or aything laparoscopic for that matter. So, that put things in perspective for me.

Remember: the people who are doing the same cases every week/day are going to be experts in that area. If you were in one service all the time, so would you, too. So dont let them discourage you. You'll learn soon that the real rock stars are the ones who can function in EVERY service.

Welcome!!! I love the OR.