New Grad in OR who wants to quit in less than 6 mo

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Hello all and thank you in advanced for taking the time to read this. I am a brand new Dec 2015 grad and new to the OR. I finished Periop 101 March 25 and I have been in rooms since. Now, less than 4 weeks later my hospital has me being a circulator by myself in GEN and GYN cases on April 26 and 29 with more solo cases planned for the following weeks. I am being told someone is on standby just a phone call away but none of that makes me feel comfortable. I am terribly nervous about the pace that they are moving me along because our OR is so desperate for Circulators.

I signed a 2 year contract that the hospital values at $5,000. I drive 140miles every day of the week. I knew about the drive before, but felt that I was so excited that it would be worth it. Well...needless to say this has not been worth it. I didn't know that I had so little hands on with the patient and I'm desperately missing patient care.

I'm concerned about losing my license if I make a mistake since my orientation seems to be rushed along due to the OR wanting to open more rooms up.

I turned down an ICU residency program and I really regret turning it down. I re-applied for it and had an interview that went really well. No offers have been made yet.

I am so ready to leave this job. I am desperate and would take honestly anything! Does anyone have any suggestions about my current OR job and whether it's smart for me to leave? And if my OR is moving at the normal pace for a brand new grad to the OR?

Thanks!!

Specializes in Hospice, Internal Medicine.

I've been a nurse for 9 years and am transferring into the OR. The peri-op program is one year, eight weeks classroom with modules and the rest with a preceptor. My educator said even after the one year some people don't feel like they're ready.

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A year? That is...excessive. If after a year someone isn't ready, they shouldn't have been hired in the first place. We can tell after a couple months if it just isn't the right fit.

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BUT I did have some prior OR experience and knew the staff and surgeons at the hospital I was at very well.

And that right there is the difference.

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I finished the periop program in 6 months too.. New grad as well...Then I had to fly solo. It is hard, face paced and I'm often nervous. The fast pace and the pressure to be even faster is something that makes me nervous too. Sometimes I just want to scream, "slow down" I need some extra time here! I am worried about airway emergencies as I don't know what to do, other than grab a cart... In my spare time "ha!" I try to learn as much as I can about emergencies...I'm pretty sure I like the OR... But I wouldn't be driving that far if I wasn't sure, also I like the different skill set I am learning as opposed to a floor nurse.. No families, no med pass ect. I heard it takes about 2 years to feel comfortable... So I only have 23 months left of fear and anxiety!

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
I finished the periop program in 6 months too.. New grad as well...Then I had to fly solo. It is hard, face paced and I'm often nervous. The fast pace and the pressure to be even faster is something that makes me nervous too. Sometimes I just want to scream, "slow down" I need some extra time here! I am worried about airway emergencies as I don't know what to do, other than grab a cart... In my spare time "ha!" I try to learn as much as I can about emergencies...I'm pretty sure I like the OR... But I wouldn't be driving that far if I wasn't sure, also I like the different skill set I am learning as opposed to a floor nurse.. No families, no med pass ect. I heard it takes about 2 years to feel comfortable... So I only have 23 months left of fear and anxiety![/quote

This is why I say no new grad should go into any specialty area.

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I finished the periop program in 6 months too.. New grad as well...Then I had to fly solo. It is hard, face paced and I'm often nervous. The fast pace and the pressure to be even faster is something that makes me nervous too. Sometimes I just want to scream, "slow down" I need some extra time here! I am worried about airway emergencies as I don't know what to do, other than grab a cart... In my spare time "ha!" I try to learn as much as I can about emergencies...I'm pretty sure I like the OR... But I wouldn't be driving that far if I wasn't sure, also I like the different skill set I am learning as opposed to a floor nurse.. No families, no med pass ect. I heard it takes about 2 years to feel comfortable... So I only have 23 months left of fear and anxiety![/quote

This is why I say no new grad should go into any specialty area.

I think it's unfair to say that across the board no new grad ever should go into a specialty area. I went straight into the ER as a new grad. I worked on a med surg floor as a CNA floor all through out school and prior to school and new that if I was forced onto a med surg floor out of school I would hate it. Floor nursing wasn't - and never will be - my cup of tea.

Just because I went into a specialty area as a new grad doesn't mean that now I'm essentially pigeon holed. Yes, because I was in the ER I'm well suited to emergency situations, but I'm also well rounded enough to care for psych patients, we often had floor hold patients so I can do floor pass meds, head to toe assessments, bed baths, ADLs, etc. I was VERY fortunate to have an awesome set of preceptors and an amazing support system during my 6 month long preceptorship.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

It has nothing to do with being pigeon holed but being able to learn the fundamentals of nursing which are not fully taught in school. I was a EMT & LPN before I became a RN and going to the floor for 6 months made me a better RN. Being an RN is much more than just doing the physical task but the mental task which appears to be small portion of nursing but plays a large role. I have seen many new grads struggle because they went into a specialty area straight from school. Over time I have seen more RN's adjust to the ED, ICU, and OR when they had some floor experience. If a new RN has some experience as a CNA, EMT, LPN does the time need to be a year on the floor, no but some time is needed.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
This is why I say no new grad should go into any specialty area.

That's great that you have an opinion based on your experience. I have an opinion based on my own experience, and it's the complete opposite. In my OR, the nurses who come to us from other specialties can't hack it. They end up hating the OR and going back to the floor. The new grads are the ones who stay- and the ones that we don't have to break bad habits.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Is the reason why they leave is because it was not what they expected or is it how they are treated. I have worked in 4 different OR's and you had to have experience before they would hire you. There was very little if any turnover of nurses. The reason I worked in 4 OR's is that I Am in the Army. The few nurses the Army allowed to become perioperative nurses with less than a year's experience which they would have had mire before they went through the perioperative school. Is it their "bad habits" or questions you do not like?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Deleted post

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Huh?...

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Huh?...

I must've pocket texted...carry on...

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