Med-Surg first or OR?

[Yive]

Hi all, I am currently a senior Nursing student getting my BSN.

I have always been interested in OR and have had a chance to shadow a circulating nurse in the OR - I plan on looking for more shadowing opportunities in the OR to make sure it's really the path I want.

However, I have gotten lots of different input and advice. I've been told that it's a good idea to go a med-surg floor for atleast 1-2 years before going to the OR just so I have experience. They explain that because OR is so specialized, if I decide to leave that area and go into bedside nursing, it would be like I was a new-grad again. Yet, others advise me to just pursue what I want - to apply for the OR instead.

I would really appreciate any insight or advice - a part of me would like to go straight to the OR because I don't want to have to wait and it's where I ultimately want to be. However, I want the med-surge experience in case of the possibility that I may potentially decide that OR isn't my one true passion and I would lack the bedside nursing experience/knowledge.

Also, I was told that in the event that I wanted to go onto the floor after being in the OR, it is easier to apply and be considered for an ICU unit - is this true or is that just applicable to certain hospitals?

Thanks!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I went straight to the OR out of school. Med surg experience is not going to translate into the OR- we're our own specialty. And unless you go to the floor within a year or two of starting in the OR, you're going to need a refresher on your assessment skills anyway.

[Sour Lemon]

I think of med/surg as "security". If there's only one type of nursing in any particular place, it's likely to be med/surg. There also seem to be more med/surg positions available than any other type.

As someone who planned to move away and wasn't sure where I'd be moving to, it made sense for me to start in med/surg ...but if I'd had a strong interest in OR and knew that I'd be able to stay in areas with plentiful OR jobs available, I would have gone with OR.

[Caribbean_cruzin]

I think it will depend on what the particular hospital has for their own hiring guidelines. Some facilities want you to have a year or two of Med/surg experience, get grounded in nursing first before going into their chosen specialty. Others will hire new grads and train them on the job. If there is a particular facility you're interested in working for it would not hurt to contact the RN recruiter and ask just that. Good luck!

[Yive]

Thanks for the advice! I'll probably go ahead and do that.

I was lucky to shadow the clinical administrator and was informed of an OR program that is offered for new-graduate RNs. Some preceptors I've been with tell me that there is a 'guarenteed' pathway if you work on a med-surg floor for a year and then apply for the OR. A lot of my preceptors tell me that they suggest 1-2 years on a med-surg floor instead. However, OR's always been something of interest to me and although I enjoy bedside nursing during clinical, the idea of OR has never left me.

[Yive]

I see, thank you for the insight - I'm currently at 80% of applying to the OR right after I graduate. I'm still hesitating because I'm just afraid of closing off opportunities.

One of my clinical instructor was in the OR but switched to an ICU floor due to school time conflicts and suggested 1-2 years of med-surg/bedside nursing before OR just so you have prior experience if you ever need to transition from OR to the floor.