Leaving the OR

Seeing Myself Out · Jul 23, 2019

Sorry to hear that. Not everyone fits into the specialty they were hired into right after nursing school, myself included. I think it's completely ok to dislike some nursing specialties and work towards a change.

Where are you located? I'm begging to get into the OR but haven't had any success. What do you dislike about it?

Davey Do · Jul 23, 2019

4 hours ago, Tpax said:
alot of my other new graduate friends think going into the OR is a bad idea because I will lose the skills we learned in school and I will have trouble leaving the OR if I want to.

In the broad scheme of things in our nursing career, we learn, associate, practise, lose, relearn, forget, remember, don't remember, commit to our long term memory potential, cruise, struggle, and make headway. Nursing is a process we will do well at most of the time and not do so well at other times.

As you see from my "specializes in", I've worked in many different areas of nursing because I wanted to experience as much as I could, and because I allowed The Fates to guide me.

As my time in nursing comes to a close, I can say it has been one heck of a trip. And it wasn't one heck of a trip because I fretted over losing or keeping skills. Nursing has been one heck of a trip because I embraced each area in which I worked.

In a nutshell: Do what you want to do, Tpax, and it will all work out, or come out in the wash.

The best to you!

TriciaJ, RN · Jul 23, 2019

I've worked a lot of areas and did not let fear of "losing skills" stop me from doing what I wanted to do. I enjoyed every specialty I tried (except OR; I enjoyed and completed the classroom portion and found myself hating the practicum so I bagged it) and only ever acquired new skills.

Tpax · Jul 23, 2019

Which I agree with. I've decided to give it a try because it's a good opportunity and a chance to broaden my skill set. On the contrary I am a planner so if i end up not enjoying it I wanted to know what units would take a nurse with only OR experience or if there is truly a stigma against OR nurses?

Crash_Cart · Jul 23, 2019

ER is pretty chaotic and stressful. Be ready for that.

I worked in both. OR was more like working a production line, but at least it was a lot more organized and expectations were predictable.

That's not the case in an ER. It's more like you're working in a war zone and anything can happen at any given moment. Very unpredictable.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2019

10 hours ago, Tpax said:
I am a new graduate RN who got an opportunity to work in the OR via a year long orientation. I had always thought the OR was interesting but I was orginally interested in the ED. I decided to go to the OR because I thought it would be a great chance to learn something new and exciting as I grow as a RN. On the contrary alot of my other new graduate friends think going into the OR is a bad idea because I will lose the skills we learned in school and I will have trouble leaving the OR if I want to.

OMG! Anytime anyone uses this illogical thought process I think really have no idea what skills actually are. It really bothers me when people use this excuse to either disuade someone from trying something new, or because of their fear of change or doing something different.

You stated you are a new grad, therefore you do not have any skills to lose, only skills to gain. The same will hold true when you want to look for a new job, you will never lose skills, only gain skills.

It sounds like you were interested in OR, that is great, learn all of those new skills, help you grow, and become an RN. Every unit is different in skills and tasks that one must learn.

Truly, you are not going to lose any skill you learned in nursing school. Every place you will go or unit /speciality you would change to would have an orientation period to teach you the new skills.

Do not let those that tell you anything about losing skills disuade you from persuing something you want. Skills are never lost, only gained.

Tpax · Jul 23, 2019

Thank you!

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2019

15 hours ago, Tpax said:
I am a new graduate RN who got an opportunity to work in the OR via a year long orientation. I had always thought the OR was interesting but I was orginally interested in the ED. I decided to go to the OR because I thought it would be a great chance to learn something new and exciting as I grow as a RN. On the contrary alot of my other new graduate friends think going into the OR is a bad idea because I will lose the skills we learned in school and I will have trouble leaving the OR if I want to. I was hoping someone could share their thoughts on this, I have been very stressed that I made a bad decision. I would also like to know if anyone had transferred out of the OR and what units would be more accepting of a OR nurse. I would appreciate any feedback thank you.

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at that little nugget. ?

Davey Do · Jul 24, 2019

15 hours ago, Tpax said:
if there is truly a stigma against OR nurses?

Hmmm... a stigma against OR nurses?

In my career, I've not heard of a stigma against OR nurses. Now I've heard of stigmas against psych nurses:

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Xance · Jul 24, 2019

20 hours ago, Crash_Cart said:
ER is pretty chaotic and stressful. Be ready for that.
I worked in both. OR was more like working a production line, but at least it was a lot more organized and expectations were predictable.
That's not the case in an ER. It's more like you're working in a war zone and anything can happen at any given moment. Very unpredictable.

I was an EMT-B during school and I could see that outside looking in. There were times I dropped off a pt to the ER and that was one of the few pt in the entire department. There were other times that pt's were milling about outside, with several on cots lining the halls. In clinicals I met an RN in the ER who said during his busiest shift he was responsible for 11 pt in the ER! I fully understand how you can get busy in the ER when you say it's unpredictable.

RNperdiem, RN · Jul 24, 2019

You don't seem to mention how much you are liking the job you have now. If you are satisfied with your work, gain some valuable skills and don't feel like you are missing out on anything.

When I was in med-surg I applied for OR because I wanted to be in a place where I worked with one patient at a time, had no family members around giving me grief, and no call bells.