Left the toxicity

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

HI all, I dont know if anybody remembers me and my "plight" in the OR... but here is what the situation is now....

I realized that my life is way too stressful to do OR full time. I have resigned from my ft OR position at the large level 1 teaching hospital (the grossly toxic and inneficient place), I accepted a part time , basically office type position as an RN at a residential treatment facility for children. Also, I am beginning perdiem in a smaller, community hospital OR.Maybe 1 or 2 shifts per week. So, I am going from a place with 26 or's. to a place with 8!!!! Two techs are assigned to each room, which I almost fell off the chair when told that... where I was trained, we were lucky to have 1. Anyway, I was wondering what everybody thought of this, like, has anybody done this before, go from a BIG place, to a smaller one, and how did it work out? I trained ft for one year at this place, and did basically everything.. so I feel confident that I will be able to handle the new OR. I know the grass will probably not be so much greener as far as people, and stuff like that, but at least it is not full time, and at least it is more efficient, or at least well managed.( I do know that for a fact) Thoughts?????

[mikethern]

Compared to teaching hospitals, at community hospitals....

The cases are quicker because everyone knows what they are doing and time is money.

Circulators help the anesthesiologist more, which gives the circulator more stuff to do.

The staff generally is less motivated to teach new nurses.

The scrub person often has to scrub and first assist at the same time, which can be challenging.

There are no medical students and residents to make the nurses' jobs easier.

Conclusion: Switching from a teaching hospital to a community hospital is unlikely to make your job easier.

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

Compared to teaching hospitals, at community hospitals....

The cases are quicker because everyone knows what they are doing and time is money.

Circulators help the anesthesiologist more, which gives the circulator more stuff to do.

The staff generally is less motivated to teach new nurses.

The scrub person often has to scrub and first assist at the same time, which can be challenging.

There are no medical students and residents to make the nurses' jobs easier.

Conclusion: Switching from a teaching hospital to a community hospital is unlikely to make your job easier.

Interesting, mike, thanks...

I guess *every* place is different, state to state, hospital to hospital...

I am not looking for "easier"... just, more manageable... schedule wise, management wise... etc

At the large hospital, the circs had to help anesthesia ALOT. The cases were very quick, and you wouldnt believe the things the circs and techs had to go hunt down and fetch, sometimes at the other end of the place, just to get a case started. equipment missing, this trocar not there, this scope had the wrong light source, the wrong tower, instrument trays missing important items, and when you called central supply to get it, they *literally* hung up on you. And I cant think of one way a med student/resident made my job easier!!! lol And talk about staff reluctant to teach? I had the priveledge to work with the meanest pack of jackals in the US. I basically had to teach myself. I am grateful now, because I feel if I can handle that, I can handle anybody, they were a tough, bitter, disgruntled bunch.

And, as I mentioned, at this new hosp, each room is assigned 2 scrub techs.....so one can assist, if need be. I didnt even know there *was* such a thing!!! 2 scrub techs???? Not one single solitary case at the larger hospital were 2 techs assigned... not open hearts, cranis, nothing....it simply was not an option.

[ewattsjt]

my facility has 6 rooms that usually only runs 4. we almost always use a scrub and a first assistant on the cases. the circulator is usually the only rn in the room. there are a couple of rns who do assist but it is usually the csts. on the really big spine cases, two rns are assigned to circulate.

i have to agree with mike. it is more like his description here with the exception that our facility always provides an assistant if the surgeon doesn't.

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

my facility has 6 rooms that usually only runs 4. we almost always use a scrub and a first assistant on the cases. the circulator is usually the only rn in the room. there are a couple of rns who do assist but it is usually the csts. on the really big spine cases, two rns are assigned to circulate.

i have to agree with mike. it is more like his description here with the exception that our facility always provides an assistant if the surgeon doesn't.

wow.2 rn's for big spine cases?????? again, i never knew such things existed!!!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

wow.2 rn's for big spine cases?????? Again, I never knew such things existed!!!

We do this on our multiple level spine cases, since we're also using a blood processing machine. If we aren't using the blood machine, it's just one circulator.