New Grad Interviewing for Pre-op position. Any Advice?

solneeshka, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2011

Just saw your post now. How did it go?!

OneOfTheGoodGuys · Jun 30, 2011

I feel like it went very well, however there are not a lot of resources available in this specialty for new graduate nurses. During my tour of the unit I asked the nurse educator about resources she might have in place for a new grad in pre op and she just looked kind of stunned and said "hmmm...I don't know I'd have to talk to so-and-so to see what we have..." The manager said that she had kind of just expected to interview me and that would be it, however she said she was pleasantly surprised, and she believes that I have the right personality and mindset to make it in this area as a new grad. The only problem is that this area of nursing is "a graveyard for ICU nurses" (The managers exact words, not my opinion at all) and she said that some of her nurses aren't "Fuzzy" meaning that they may not be too excited about having some young pup new grad running around asking everybody questions and looking for people to mentor him. The manager said that the main stipulation at the end of the interview would be the response from the general staff, and whether they would be willing to welcome a new grad on to the unit. She said it would be a hard road for me, and that I would be under the microscope in the beginning if I get the job, but if I make it she would be willing to move me around the entire surgical area after I spent some time in pre op (I expressed an interest in getting to know the entire surgical side of nursing including pre op, OR and PACU). I'm very excited and I hope there is someone on staff willing to take on a new grad, because as much as I want this job I do not want to be thrown out there without any lifelines and would rather not get the job if the majority of staff is heavily opposed to a new grad being in that area. So I don't know. I wrote her an email asking about whether she had reached a decision and talked to staff yet and have not gotten a response as of yet. I'm keeping my fingers, toes, and nose-hairs crossed.

solneeshka, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2011

Well, she was right about the graveyard comment. I've noticed that at our facility, too. But in a way, I think pre-op would be good for new grad because they have a more focused range of responsibilities. You could really focus on assessments and starting IVs, things like that, without having to deal with scheduled meds and fetching snacks and people ringing the call light all shift long because they're bored. And if you would later have the opportunity to move around to other peri-op areas, so much the better. PACU could lead to a career in the ICU, if you were interested in that. It sounds like you made a good impression! Somebody there will be willing to field your questions, and this could lead to all kinds of opportunities for you. Good luck, I hope it works out!

elgin1962 · Jul 3, 2011

The graveyard comment is because pre-op is littered with nurses who have done their years in ER, ICU, etc and are looking for what Pre-op offers. I don't want to scare you but you should understand what you are going into right off the bat. It is extremely fast-paced, there are times you will only be able to watch and ask questions later. Due to the demands of the position our department will not even interview someone with less than 5 years of experience unless they already have pre-op nursing experience. You must have really impressed them and I do hope someone will take you under her wing and give you a chance. Focus on learning how this particular department runs and what they need from you as opposed to anything you read in a textbook. We have no educational opportunities for new orientees either. Everything you learn will be OJT and if it helps to write yourself some notes, then bring something that will fit in your pocket. I routinely have days I start 20+ IV's, draw lab, get consents signed, call errant surgeons to sign orders, interface with X-ray, EKG and lab,fax all orders to the pharm, make sure all gets charged for, call all the patients for the next day, write the board, run up to the floor to start a 'hard stick' IV;my co-worker will do the assessments on the EMR,VS, ht,wt, we both fill out as many charts for the rest of the week as possible....this is just off the top of my head. We recently got a 3rd RN after 3 other orientees either left or were terminated. This is a very experienced nurse who transferred from another dept. I truly wish you well and hope the rest of the staff makes every effort to give you the support you need for a very demanding position. Please let us know how it goes in the days and weeks to come.

OneOfTheGoodGuys · Sep 20, 2011

Well this is a bit late to post however, I recently received a PM from someone asking me how this situation panned out. I do not have enough posts yet to have PM privileges so I will post the answer here. I did not receive this position. The manager contacted me and told me that her hands were tied and the resources were simply not in place to bring on a new grad. This was devastating at the time, however turned out quite well for me.

I am now a recent hire in an intermediate care medical unit at a local teaching hospital with magnet status, and am very excited with all the resources that are in place at this location for new grads, and my manager is super supportive and loves new grads.

I am also involved in doing per diem work for a home health agency, so I take over home health clients for nurses that are out of town or just want days off and I love it. The patient population that I work with is awesome, and I am learning a lot from a very talented nurse that works from this company and is wound certified. I have learned an astonishing amount about the rationales behind some of the treatments used in wound care which was a topic only briefly touched upon in nursing school.

ICU was my first choice, and I am still planning on getting there eventually, however I am pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying the work I am doing now. Perioperative nursing would be fascinating and quite different from other areas of nursing, and someday down the road I may return to this specialty. In the interim, I am quite happy with the path that I am on. That is the one of several reasons that I was attracted to nursing, it offers a wide variety of work environments to sample as you like. Thank you very much to everyone who took an interest in this post and took the time to advise a new grad. I wish you all the very best in your endeavors.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2011

Good for you, glad to here you are happy. This just shows all the different areas of nursing that are out there that most of us do not think about. As far as the graveyard comment its because working in the OR is the best kept secert in nursing and once you get in you dont leave.