New grad interested in operating room nursing

Published

I am currently in nursing school and this summer I had the opportunity to shadow/assist circulating nurses in the cardiovascular OR for 4 weeks. I absolutely loved my time there and couldn't imagine myself being a nurse in any other setting. I would like to become an OR nurse when I graduate, however I have heard that it is better to begin with med/surg in order to gain direct patient care experience before moving to the OR. Should I move straight to the OR upon graduating or go the med/surg route first? Thanks in advance for any advice! Also, I would love to hear from some current OR nurses about how they started out.

Thanks for the information. I too will be graduating from nursing school with a BSN. I would absolutely love to get a preceptorship or externship or into a program that will train me as a new grad to be in the OR. My question is: How difficult is it to get into these type of programs? Is it smart of me to count on getting into one of these programs or should I have a backup plan? Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CVICU CCRN.

I can only speak to my region.... It's pretty competitive. I would have a backup plan or two. We had 180+ applicants for 10 spots. One of the ladies in my cohort had applied to this program 3 times. The good thing is, because this particular residency accepts both new grads and experienced nurses, it's never too late to make the transition. I would recommend reaching out to OR educators in your area via email, if possible, and getting an idea about available programs, requirements for entry, how often they're held, etc. Our educator was also great about setting up job shadow days for students who were interested in pursuing the program. This was a good practice all the way around, I felt. It gave the future applicants a glimpse of what OR nursing is really like so they could make an informed decision, and it gave her a chance to only interview people who were sure they wanted to pursue the role. Good luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CVICU CCRN.
Thanks for the information. I too will be graduating from nursing school with a BSN. I would absolutely love to get a preceptorship or externship or into a program that will train me as a new grad to be in the OR. My question is: How difficult is it to get into these type of programs? Is it smart of me to count on getting into one of these programs or should I have a backup plan? Thanks!

Ps, just wanted to add: the OR was available as a practicum location for my BSN program, but you had to request it in advance and make arrangements with the faculty lead for the final semester. Not sure where you go to school, but it's never to early to start exploring your options with the practicum coordinator!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would say the one year of med-surg is not essential. I was offered a position in the OR about six months before I graduated.

Nothing is impossible!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I personally believe the "you need 1 year in medsurg" thing is a bogus myth. You'll hate it if you don't want to be there. There are plenty of perioperative nurse training programs or residencies that accept new grads. If you've got a passion go for it! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
There are plenty of perioperative nurse training programs or residencies that accept new grads. If you've got a passion go for it! :)

I agree with this. However, for those who want to go straight into the OR as a new grad, just keep the big picture in mind. If you plan on doing it for a while and then transferring somewhere else (like med/surg, ICU, ED, etc...), you might find yourself disappointed down the road. The OR is specialized to the point where you don't do assessments, pass meds, manage IV's, interpret labs, or manage multiple patients simultaneously. As an aside, I know several OR nurses who wanted to later transition to the ICU and med/surg and they had an extremely difficult time. Actually, the units they were interested in took new grads over them. I'm not saying that this is the case everywhere, but it's something to think about. Now, if you know that your passion is the OR and that's all you want to do (at least for the forseeable future), then go for it and learn as much as you can! In nursing school I had to spend a day shadowing in the OR and I pretty much wanted to gouge my eyes out I was so bored.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I did OR for many years. You will find places that will take you right from nursing school, but there are a lot of things to consider. I have seen a lot in my days. I will tell you that the brand new nurses coming right out of college to the OR are lacking general medical knowledge regarding lab tests results, empathy for the patients in the OR, equipment troubleshooting, etc. It is good to get experience in the basics of nursing before moving on to a specialty like the OR. It will always be there, but once you make a decision to go there you are limiting yourself for any future job mobility. A nursing floor isn't going to be too keen on hiring a nurse that has been working only in the OR. Keep in mind, once you make a decision to go to the OR it is hard to get out to do any other sort of nursing job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@target did you not like OR nursing or switch specialties. I'm only in my first semester and want to go into OR as a new grad more and more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was in the same boat, I hated med surg and ICU rotations when I was a student and chose OR as a new grad.

It was the best decision I have ever made.

It is true that you lose "nursing skills" such as NG tube/vents/hanging blood etc...the motor memory associated with those tasks mainly.

However, if your goals are to: 1) stay in OR 2) become a nurse practitioner 3) PhD/DNP, not having those skills that you typically use on the floors will not hurt you (they were absolutely irrelevant to my career progression into advanced practice). But if you want to go into med surg/ICU later, it will impact your ability to leverage your skill set to hiring managers. That said, it is possible for a manager to hire an OR nurse into ICU/med surg (I have many friends who have done just that at UCLA Medical Center), as long as you are open to training and additional in-services. Also, my friends who successfully transitioned from OR into ICU applied during off-season hiring (ie: when new grads were not interviewing) when they knew of recent resignations in ICU.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@Hello123456 i sent you a PM

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi--I just came across this post. I hope you have been successful in obtaining a position in the O.R. I did go directly into the O.R. as a graduate nurse. However, I designed and implemented Penn State's O.R. Preceptorship during my senior year. That gave me a bit more gravitas as a graduate nurse. I was in the right place at the right time. My Mom was an O.R. and recovery room nurse, so I had exposure. The O.R. is a dynamic place to work. I always worked in teaching hospitals where I could constantly learn. Surgeons are in teaching mode due to having residents, and the nurses and tech's get to learn, too. I was fortunate to train in scrubbing along with the circulating responsibilities. Knowing the needs of the scrub tech is necessary to being an effective circulator. That dual role may not be an option today. I left active nursing to raise a family. I miss it, but I haven't found an 8 hour period of the day that I don't want to be available for my kids, yet. Someday, I will go back. No where else in nursing will a nurse's role as patient advocate be more important than in the O.R. Good luck to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion