New Grad Starting OR in 2 Days...

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Starting my first nursing career position in the OR on monday :uhoh3: Just wanting to know if anyone can help me out by explaining to me what their typical day is like. doesnt have to be a novel just give me a simple idea of the skills i should study up on to make sure ive got down, what your patient load is like, and just what kind of things your typical day has you doing. thanks for your help!m

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Chances are, your first day will be either classroom or observation. Have you already finished the hospital's orientation?

Things you should know before entering the OR:

-sterile technique (such as knowing what is/isn't sterile, that a non-sterile person doesn't reach over a sterile field, etc)

-foley insertion (cases over a certain length of time/abdominal surgery/some laparoscopic cases usually have a foley inserted)

-keep your eyes and ears open; you can learn a lot just by watching those who have been there

You should also check out the sticky at the top of the forum- So you're observing in the OR for more tips.

As for patient load, it is always one at a time. Depending on the type of surgery, you may see only 2 patients for your shift or you may see 7 or 8. Back fusions take much longer than hernia repairs, plus it also depends on how long it takes your surgeon. We have some that can take out a gall bladder in 20 minutes skin to skin, and some who take 3 hours to do the same procedure.

Also, coming into the OR with no experience, not much will be expected of you except to be willing to learn. Don't expect too much too soon- it can take a year or more to be completely comfortable. That's why many orientations last 6 months or more.

It also helps to have daily goals in mind, such as today I will focus on prepping, and then do all the preps for the day with a preceptor's instruction. Maybe another day focus on the anesthesia component.

Not sure how your orientation will be set up, but the way mine worked was some classroom with skill labs (we prepped and positioned each other) as well as clinical with a preceptor who guided us. The first few days were truly just observation, and then gradually we started taking over preps, counting, hooking up equipment, etc.

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Hi,

I'm also a new grad who will be starting out in the OR Monday week. Thanks for the great reply to this thread answered a few of my questions and settled some nerves. Best of luck to BrandNewRN83 hope everything is going well.

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Could you tell me what hospital you're at? I will be graduating in May of this year and am having difficulty finding hospitals that have new grad programs in the OR.

Thanks,

Jennifer

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Specializes in OR,ICU.

i am very excited for you. i first went to the or after having been an icu nurse for 16 yrs. and quickly realized everything i knew pretty much didn't matter in the or.priorities are different,felt just like a new grad myself.try to find a good preceptor,also i found getting a little notebook that fit in my pocket for jotting down notes was very helpful,it became my or bible.also,always get a copy of the or schedule . i practiced trying to be able to look at the procedure and be able to pretty much know what equipment, instruments,etc would be needed.keep in mind surgeons have personal preferences.it will be at least 1 yr. before you start to feel slightly comfortable.also don't take things personally,you will probably face passive aggressivness to outright yelling from nurses and surgeons.learn the equipment and how to hook it up.good luck and stay with it.:smokin:

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