New Grad offered OR job...thoughts

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Hi guys! I'm new to the website and also new to nursing, passed my boards last tuesday! WOOHOO! So I interviewed today at a local hospital for an OR training program and I got the job!!!! I am so excited but I am worried because I live EXACTLY 30 minutes away, I told both HR and the OR director of this but I am still worried about taking call. Does anyone have any experience in not being able to report on time? Im sure people have been late before...right? While I am supposed to respond within 30 minutes that would be no problem at all when the traffic is light....but in a traffic jam..what do you do??? I have accepted the job but I told HR that I would call them tomorrow to confirm it after I talked it over with my spouse. Thoughts?? Am I making the wrong decision? This is such an amazing opportunity I just want to make sure its the right one. Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in CNOR.

Check with your hospital about the possibility of an on-call room. I, too, live 30 minutes away from the hospital, but my manager was very serious about being there and ready within that time frame. My hospital has a place for us to stay if we are on call.

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Specializes in Primary Care; Child Advocacy; Child Abuse; ED.

I'm graduating but have been offered an position in the OR. Congrats by the way! They told me until training is done you wouldn't be on call which is 6 months after that they have a place you can use if you are far away. Good luck with your new job!

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Thanks guys!!! I didnt even ask that! Im so excited Im going to take the job, call is only 3-6 shifts a month so if they dont offer a place I will just figure something out :) So excited!!

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Congrats! The OR is bad ass! Specialized areas are the best place to be in the world of Nursing. Don't worry about taking Call and travel time. There are ALWAYS people in the OR who love call pay and will be willing to take your call for you. With that said, there WILL be times you'll be stuck with your call but I wouldn't worry too much about it. They NEED you to be there for the emergency/urgent case. ****'em...**** happens....we're only human. Enjoy the OR!!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I live about 15 minutes from work . . . in good weather, up to 45 in bad. My area is expecting a winter storm tonight into tomorrow and over the weekend. I am the second call person tomorrow (only 2 hours unless cases aren't done and the first call person can't relieve me) and the first call person this weekend. In the past, I have spent a lot of time "living" in the OR lounge in order to meet the time requirement during snowstorms. Right now, I keep a bag in my car just in case there's a reason I would be better off staying in the hospital than trying (unsafely) to make it in from home.

With only 3-6 shifts per month, perhaps one way of dealing with it would be to stay in the facility until after rush hour. You can always bring a book, tablet, or laptop. Your facility may even offer free wifi that you can take advantage of. I really do not recommend trying to push the limit and making a habit of being late. We have a 3 strikes and you're out rule. Yes, some will be lenient with less than 5 minutes of being late as long as it doesn't become a habit, but we have recently fired several people for either not answering their phone or showing up late. It really is a patient safety issue when the vast majority of call ins are for emergencies, and a team member's lateness can literally mean the difference between life and death.

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OR call means you need to be there in the time frame. Period.

I've spent a lot of time on call...and let me tell you the night is sleepless if you live 30 minutes away. Keep in mind you will need a couple of minutes to answer the phone/page, stumble out of bed, and four minutes minimum to throw your clothes on, grab the keys, get in the car, and get speeding off down the road.

Add in another three to five minutes for getting parked, out of the car, a run through the parking lot, and clocked into your OR department.

Talk to your manager, as the "30 minute rule" may be time of call-in to time you hit the floor, not merely drive time.

And by the way, congratulations on the position!

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Thanks guys for all your support and feedback! I think if my hospital doesnt have a on-call room, I will just hang around at a friends house in town! Im super excited!!! and SOOO nervous! lol

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Sorry NursingGirl9!! I forget to include that I have a badass job and work for the government. We don't have a written "policy" so to speak on response time for call. So...it's "said" that we're supposed to be in by 30 minutes but we're not monitored. It usually takes anesthesia a good hour to get into the hospital. So....don't listen to me!!! In other words....get you some experience and then get a bad ass job for the government!!

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Congrats! I know some people who just stick around with friends who are closer to the hospital or, if it's an unusual circumstance that you might not make it right on time, just call the front desk. If nothing else, at least they'll know you'll be a bit late. The people in charge of call said that they'd rather that than just wait for you to waltz in 15 minutes after the fact, looking frazzled. Things happen.

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