I am a new grad that was offered a job on a telemetry floor in a hospital where there is not a contract to sign. I was also offered a job that is an OR fellowship that starts with 6 months of training so I would have to sign a 3 year contract. When I graduated I told myself that I just WOULD NOT sign a contract. I am a married 38 year old (no children) and held my first job for 7 years and 2nd job for 12 years before leaving to go back to school so I am not a job hopper but I don't like the idea of signing my life away. I don't know if it is worth my sense of freedom. It seems like a great opportunity that I would be crazy to turn down BUT I am just not 100% sure.
The tele job is my first choice out of floor jobs (I was also offered a job on neuro and another job at a long term care facility) but I never saw myself as a floor nurse, although I could do it and would be great for experience & it would just be a stepping stone. I liked the director & she really liked me. She is big on growth and learning & doesn't expect you to stay on that floor. She says I could transfer to another department after a year.
Schedule and having a work life balance are important to me at my age. The OR fellowship is 4 ten hour shifts & I would work one weekend every 6 weekends. I would also be on-call two days every 6 weeks. They do self scheduling. I really don't like the idea of being on-call but I realize it is part of the job. The tele job is day shift 7a-7pm 3 days per week, 36 hours. I would work every other weekend (not a problem) but maybe not because some prefer to the weekend shifts for the diff. Basically OR =less weekends and being on-call. Tele = more weekends and no on-call.
I feel with tele I would move into other roles easier than OR vs OR and deciding to move to another dept because it is so specific.
Another problem is that a prior clinical instructor had her students at the hospital I would be at. She told me about this program because I was talking to her about OR. She got me the interview because she just ranted an raved about me to the charge nurse. The fellowship was full but they brought me in and offered me this position. It is kind of last minute. I feel they are doing me a favor and I know my instructor pulled strings. She just has been very impressed with this hospital. So I feel the pressure to do prove to everyone why they did this for me. However, I don't really like favors being done. So if I turn it down I will feel embarassed and that I wasted everyone's time. I honestly didnt' think it would pan out.
I think I would be a good fit for OR but I only shadowed a nurse twice in school so I can't really be sure. BUT I would be in contract for 3 years. That is a long time to not be in the right spot. Another problem (sounds dumb) is that I remember being in the OR and not being sure I could work there because it is soooooo FREEZING and I hate being cold and am always cold.
Plus, being on-call makes me REALLY nervous. So while tele may not be the dream job I would feel free and know I can grow. I graduate Summa Cum Laude so I feel I can succeed and am will move on to great things.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
From the perspective of RN jobs in the OR, it can be said "The door only swings one way." By that I mean that moving to a bedside job after being in the OR for a while can be challenging. Generally, once nurses go to the OR... they stay there.
Generally, they stay because they like it. I have worked with many nurses who have decided to leave the OR for one reason or another- usually because they didn't grasp the reality. It can be challenging to move from the OR to another unit, but the same can be said for many nurses making a change of specialty. What seems to matter most is the attitude of the nurse making the change and the support provided by the new unit. I've seen former coworkers successfully transition to ICU, home health, hospice, med/surg, and other specialties.
Invitale- I do really want to be an OR nurse. I was just scared. It is more of a confidence issue than not wanting the OR. I was worried if I didn't do well and needed to get out of the OR then I would be stuck in contract. Otherwise, I prefer to stay at employers a long time. I decided to believe in myself, and the program. I am sure 6 months will teach me what I need. I am just not used to it because we mostly see regular floors on nursing school. I am going to trust myself and trust the training and go for the gusto!! I am sooooo excited, I really am. I really have no interest in a floor job. I felt I was 'settling" and I didn't go back to school for a second career to do that.
Bottomed out...what is "LA"? Yes, they told me my call requirement is the best I will find in town and that they try VERY hard not to call you in. There is 24 hour coverage...so it is just if they get really slammed. It is a large OR with 36 OR rooms (if I remember correctly) so there is a lot of staff. I will just deal with it, whatever happens. It is worth it.
Cocao_puff: I really appreciate what you are describing. You are right, I wouldn't like that. I didn't realize how bad it could be but I see that. As for yourself, there are so many areas in nursing you can go to...why don't you go for the gusto too and find something more suited to you? I think you can do it.
Been there, done that - thank you! I agree with what you said. I don't know what I was thinking. Again, I was just scared but it is attitude & mind over matter & I am going to do this & do it well if it is the last thing I do. This is why I worked so hard in school. I see your many years of nursing experience so I trust what you say. :)
Best of luck to you. This is a great opportunity. You will get wonderful OR experience in a level 1 trauma hospital. I have been an OR nurse ten years and was very meek when I started. You will find that you will toughen up, and it helps not to take things personally.
The call situation doesn't sound that bad. I'm not a fan of call, but some really like it. You may find you're one of them.
She could experience these same doctors outside the OR, that doesn't mean she should avoid it. I work on a Tele floor and I usually here positive things about the OR.
I'm with ICUman. We both work in the same market. He's in ICU and I'm in Med/Surg. Tele, Observ. unit. Cardiac pts are not fun. They are usually acute, and if you're the one watching the bank of monitors with complete concentration, well, not my cup of tea. On the other hand, OR is what I'd love to get into, but very difficult to do, at least here in this market, someone has to die to get a spot. It's a dream nursing job. You get paid more, it's easier to find work anywhere because it's a highly demanded specialty. Our contracts are two yrs, but everyone leaves after a yr. and I've never heard of the hospital "going after" someone for the money. If it was me? I"d take the OR job in a heartbeat. (no pun intended) ten hours instead of 12? believe me, it makes a difference. One weekend out of 6? Cake.Being on call? YOU GET ON CALL PAY!!!. well at least here you do. At my facility, you get sixty bucks just for being on call regardless if you get called in or not. They if you get called in, you get time and a half regardless of your hours that week. I can't wait to get out of my unit, too much frustration and stress, but I always take my on call days. 3yr contract? well.......like i said, what's the worst that might happen? You quit, they come after you for the balance of the "education and training" contract. Just say that you'll challenge it in court. Boom, they drop it. Have you worked on a tele floor for a clinical? it's not all roses. too cold in the OR, wear layers lol OR residencies or fellowships are few and far between. And also remember, if there's no contract, it can also work in the favor of the hospital too. (nothing protecting your job). Every hospital that I know of has a newgrad contract, I would be kinda leary about one that doesn't. The reason for 3yrs is understandable on the hospitals part, it's a highly demanded field, and they are going to train you for it. After they train you, well they want to hold on to you for a while since it's cheaper to train you and hold you for a couple of years than to watch you leave and spend another crap load of money repeating the process. So they assume 3yrs is a profitable marginal time scale. In this market, all new hire contracts are 2yrs regardless of unit or dept.
Update: Well, today I finish up week 9 and we still haven't received a contract but they are coming & I think soon. Our educator mentioned them again this week. I think it is crappy we haven't seen them yet because I was under the impression we get them on day 1. Any other new grads that went to other hospital for residency programs (although not OR) told me they either received the contract PRIOR to starting (so that they could review it) or they got them day 1. The 9 of us iny my group were starting to feel we were not going to get contracts after all. But we are. The last fellowship told me they got theirs about 2 months in as well & the contract is OR specific. So you can't even move within the hospital. If it doesn't work out you are stuck in the department. Apparently if you get fired you have to pay it back too.I don't plan on getting fired but what if I am not cutting it? I generally like it so far BUT I am a brand new nurse & it is so much to learn. I feel I will never be fast enough or have thick enough skin. Everyone has been nice so far though. I am really overwhelmed & still worried about call. I'd feel better if I could move within the hospital as a worst case scenario. I just don't see how they can employ us this long and then make us sign an employment contract. They have already purchased peri-op 101 for us & spent all this money training us. I think most of the others will sign the contract tho so we can't ban together & refuse hoping they don't fire us all. I am scared to sign it & want to call their bluff but then I would be the trouble maker & may end up getting fired. Right now I am still in my 90 day probationary period tho. I will have to see what the contract really says because because if it doesn't say what I was told I will be upset I was lied to. Also, they need to back date it to my hire date & not going forward. They 3 years should have started being met already. PS: my group started in the OR 4 days per week this week. Prior to this we have been in just a few times & done a day in pre-op, PACU, & GI Lab. That is it. All classroom training & the classroom training has been a waste of time. We could have been in the OR. Now we are in class on Monday & OR 4 days per week thru August 12th. I don't see how I can possibly be ready to go on my own by then. Our OR is huge & just learning where stuff is is a chore.
Be aware, a lot of places do not count your orientation/preceptorship time as part of the contract. I had to sign a 2 year contract since I went into acute care, with a 4 month preceptor period. My 2 years don't start until I've finished those 4 months.
Update: Well, today I finish up week 9 and we still haven't received a contract but they are coming & I think soon. Our educator mentioned them again this week. I think it is crappy we haven't seen them yet because I was under the impression we get them on day 1. Any other new grads that went to other hospital for residency programs (although not OR) told me they either received the contract PRIOR to starting (so that they could review it) or they got them day 1. The 9 of us iny my group were starting to feel we were not going to get contracts after all. But we are. The last fellowship told me they got theirs about 2 months in as well & the contract is OR specific. So you can't even move within the hospital. If it doesn't work out you are stuck in the department. Apparently if you get fired you have to pay it back too.I don't plan on getting fired but what if I am not cutting it? I generally like it so far BUT I am a brand new nurse & it is so much to learn. I feel I will never be fast enough or have thick enough skin. Everyone has been nice so far though. I am really overwhelmed & still worried about call. I'd feel better if I could move within the hospital as a worst case scenario. I just don't see how they can employ us this long and then make us sign an employment contract. They have already purchased peri-op 101 for us & spent all this money training us. I think most of the others will sign the contract tho so we can't ban together & refuse hoping they don't fire us all. I am scared to sign it & want to call their bluff but then I would be the trouble maker & may end up getting fired. Right now I am still in my 90 day probationary period tho. I will have to see what the contract really says because because if it doesn't say what I was told I will be upset I was lied to. Also, they need to back date it to my hire date & not going forward. They 3 years should have started being met already. PS: my group started in the OR 4 days per week this week. Prior to this we have been in just a few times & done a day in pre-op, PACU, & GI Lab. That is it. All classroom training & the classroom training has been a waste of time. We could have been in the OR. Now we are in class on Monday & OR 4 days per week thru August 12th. I don't see how I can possibly be ready to go on my own by then. Our OR is huge & just learning where stuff is is a chore.
When I've looked into the OR, in my area there has been 6 months of training. Talk to someone about individualizing the length of orientation if you're not comfortable near the end of your training.
The classroom stuff happens at every single nursing job. No getting around it.
Yeah, it has just been straight 2 months of 5 days per week of textbook training on OR when we could be in the OR more or lab. Our educator rushes thru powerpoints and then acts like we are dumb if we ask questions so we don't ask questions. She is condescending & when she is done rushing thru powerpoints we get to hear her complain or talk about personal problems. We are all to be there at 7:30am but she always has some excuse and we never start until about 9am. We enjoyed it for awhile but we got old and as nurses would rather be up and moving around. Oh well. Most of that part is over. I love the fact that the training is long. It needs to be long. My whole group just wishes the first 2 months were not wasted with death by power point but more hands on since it is a hands-on job.
Update: Well, today I finish up week 9 and we still haven't received a contract but they are coming & I think soon. Our educator mentioned them again this week. I think it is crappy we haven't seen them yet because I was under the impression we get them on day 1.
TIME OUT. You have been through 9 weeks and now they want you to sign a contract? What do you think will happen if you don't sign it? If they let you go, they are throwing away all the money that they spent over the last nine weeks....not a smart move for them. You may very well be able to call their bluff on this, but are you willing to take that risk?
Larry2016
157 Posts
Only do the contract if tou rwally believe you will love OR.