New grad interested in operating room nursing

dcwang · Jul 2, 2015

Nursing student here. Prior to nursing school, I had to opportunity to volunteer in pre-op, PACU, and I got to shadow in the OR. I love all these roles. From what I know, some new grad programs do take students in the OR, but some require a year or two of med surg/acute care experience. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

From talking to some nurses, many who like OR dislike med surg and those who like med surg dislike OR. It's an amazing specialty, and I find myself wanting to go into OR nursing more and more~.

BarbaraNM, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2015

Quote from bre7397

You definitely can't just "move" into OR nursing you need at least 1 year experience in med-surg and med-surg also usually requires 1 year experience as a nurse in general.

This isn't necessarily true. My manager hires new grads all the time with no problem.

Me too... Brand new ADN grad and hired into a Nurse Residency Program! It starts next week. 6 month training with a job commitment/guarantee for 2 years. I was told that no one is hired into the OR without prior experience UNLESS they are selected for this program.

noelly10 · Jul 2, 2015

You definitely can't just "move" into OR nursing you need at least 1 year experience in med-surg and med-surg also usually requires 1 year experience as a nurse in general.

I think that varies with the facility. I know the hospital back at home hires new grads in the OR. But the hospital I'm at does not hire new grads in the OR. And not only that, I was hired into a med surg floor fresh out of school.

noelly10 · Jul 2, 2015

Wow. Open mouth insert foot. Seems as if I should have read all the comments first! Definitely just restated what everyone else said.

noelly10 · Jul 2, 2015

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From talking to some nurses, many who like OR dislike med surg and those who like med surg dislike OR. It's an amazing specialty, and I find myself wanting to go into OR nursing more and more~.

I am one of those! I HATE OR, but absolutely love med surg. One thing I didn't like about the OR was the fact that wearing a mask almost all day or for hours at a time was not very comfortable to me. At times for some reason it made me lightheaded. Also, they tend to keep the OR VERY chilly (understandably so)...but I cant stand shivering and being cold. Also, I didn't like that your only job is basically to help set up the sterile field and run around to get whatever the surgeon needed. You can't always see the "gruesome" stuff because the surgeon needs his/her eyes and head right there. And I'm just a person who likes to see stuff and whatnot. Of course you have other things to do rather than the few I mentioned, but that is why I never sought out OR nursing. If you really want to be in a little more action and be in OR, maybe consider CRNA?

dcwang · Jul 2, 2015

@ noelly10. I am the only person (or two) n my class interested in OR nursing. I'm only on my first rotation in nursing school, but I am starting to think more and more I would not like working in med surg. I find that a lot of the patients are suffering on the floor with several comorbitiies. I love being in OR, as I don't want to be in the sun. I like devoting myself to one patient and I like patient care, but I can also be an introvert, even though I like interacting with people who I get to know. I've seen surgeons lose their temper, but they are mostly angry at the situation. Plus, the anesthesia provider helps to monitor vitals . I love the role of circulator, they still get to be active and move around. However, I'm in a state very saturated with new grads, so I might take any job I can get in the hospital .

One med surg nurse told me that OR nurses don't do anything, which is completely not true! I've also been told that you lose your "nursing skills" as an OR nurse. That hasn't deterred my interest in OR nursing as a nursing student :)

noelly10 · Jul 2, 2015

@ noelly10. I am the only person (or two) n my class interested in OR nursing. I'm only on my first rotation in nursing school, but I am starting to think more and more I would not like working in med surg. I find that a lot of the patients are suffering on the floor with several comorbitiies. I love being in OR, as I don't want to be in the sun. I like devoting myself to one patient and I like patient care, but I can also be an introvert, even though I like interacting with people who I get to know. I've seen surgeons lose their temper, but they are mostly angry at the situation. Plus, the anesthesia provider helps to monitor vitals . I love the role of circulator, they still get to be active and move around. However, I'm in a state very saturated with new grads, so I might take any job I can get in the hospital .
One med surg nurse told me that OR nurses don't do anything, which is completely not true! I've also been told that you lose your "nursing skills" as an OR nurse. That hasn't deterred my interest in OR nursing as a nursing student :)

Then OR may be the right fit for you! I always say, someone has to do it! Just one question, have you shadowed in OR yet?

dcwang · Jul 2, 2015

Yes! I've written that before. I loved it more than any specialty at the moment but I still want to keep an open mind :).

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2015

Go for it, OP. We need more OR nurses. I love it, every day and every case is different, you have to think on your feet and when you have a good group, work can be fun.

Also, you don't have to do that many weekends, you get your breaks and lunches and there is the opportunity for overtime via call.

I went straight to the OR after graduation, BTW.

Penny_Cillin · Jul 2, 2015

Here's the deal:

*Most* ORs offer an internship for new grads, as well as RNs who want to transition to the OR. Internship is a few months of hands on training, as well as (possibly) some lab/class time (for learning how to do 5 min scrub, gown/glove. Etc). Its all about sterile technique, case flow/time mgmt, and knowing where stuff is.

Also, know that circulating in cardiac *is very different* than circulating in any other service. I would say that adult hearts is probably the most complex service for circulators (and everybody else)...especially if they want to scrub as well. (Think CABG/Valves, heart transplants, TAVR, ECMO, LVAD...you get the picture)

That being said, CVOR will push your skill level far and fast. You'll learn a lot about well, everything. It's totally worth it.

Nothing more satisfying than seeing a transplanted heart begin to beat...

Mesencephalon, MSN, RN · Jul 9, 2015

From talking to some nurses, many who like OR dislike med surg and those who like med surg dislike OR. It's an amazing specialty, and I find myself wanting to go into OR nursing more and more~.

This is so true! I didn't like med-surg that much but I LOVED my OR day. I think it's because med-surg and OR are like night and day-- one patient vs four patients (for California), working alongside a team for an entire operation vs working independently for most of the day (when assessing, charting, giving meds, providing wound care). My mom was a med-surg nurse before she worked in OR/PeriOp and she feels the same way. I guess the two specialties attract different types of people.

kalycat, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2015

Add me to the list of new grads who went straight to the OR. I was hired in to an AORN periop 101 residency program at a teaching hospital. The first 10 weeks of our program was predominantly classroom curriculum, culminating in the AORN final exam. We then started full days in the OR and will continue for 6 months prior to transferring in to our surgical specialty area. Altogether it's about 9 months of training and orientation, with the expectation of a minimum 18 month commitment following training. That said, they have been known to release nurses from their contracts on a case by case basis or if it was decided that a nurse was not a good fit for the department.

My hospital accepts both new graduates and experienced nurses who are new to the OR in to this residency. The OR is definitely highly specialized and requires a different set of skills than other areas of nursing. It's a steep learning curve and the program is quite demanding. That said, the rewards are excellent! Our educator stated up front that she prefers to have a mix of new grads and experienced nurses in a cohort since both bring different things to the table and can support one another through the transition.