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 just yet. I just don't know if its smart for me to quit so quickly? If I should stay at least 6mo? If it is normal for me to be circulating solo so quickly?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advanced!
140 miles commute daily one way? Sometimes enthusiasm ,like a new romance, can be blinding.I have heard of new grads starting in specialties and succeeding, but it all depends on how much support you get from the organization, preceptors, coworkers. Jumping from one employer to another without 1 year of longevity will be a red flag for future employers and continuation of this cycle will put in end to your nursing career. This job in the OR, with this type of commute does not appear to be a good fit for you. However, It's important to learn as much as you can about the ICU job. Ask them questions in regards to orientation and how much they will support a new RN. Is there any possibility you can shadow an RN for this organization? It will give you a feel for THIS ICU and your coworkers. Will they support your learning needs? Your icu experience in nursing school with the support of your school and instructor may not be a good indicator of what you will experience in your new employer's ICU. If I ever decide to take on a new job in the future, if anything, I will ask the employer to allow me to shadow a nurse. Sometimes employers are so eager to fill a vacancy that they will omit or misrepresent information. At the same time, as a job seeker, we are putting our best foot forward, and employers can assume we have the experience to walk in and take over without sufficient orientation. Go ahead and make your move, but don't just run. Make the right move for you if you have a second chance. Otherwise, this cycle may repeat and I know this is not what you want to start your long term nursing career.
Thank you so much for replying! The 140 is round trip. The preceptor I had in the ICU i had worked with previously so she really let me stretch my wings in there. I asked a ton of questions about precepting when I went on my interview. I apologized and I really was honest on the interview about my mistake and I told her how appreciative I was of her even taking my call and interviewing me because she didn't have to. I'm definitely taking my time to figure things out and learn as much as I can in the process so if I decide to look for PRN in the OR I can.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Pixie.RN I plan on paying out the contract. In nursing school I was able to shadow in the OR for 1 day for 3 surgeries. I'm not sure about others experiences, but at my school OR experiences was limited. I will say that I didnt do my homework. When I went to the OR I didn't pay enough attention to my role in the OR.
As far as what I know about the ICU, I precepted in the ICU for over 6 weeks while in school. I loved it and thought the OR would be the same. Hindsight has been 20/20.
It is impossible for nursing school to give an adequate glimpse into each specialty. Those schools who do provide observation days in the OR focus on the surgery, not the duties of the nurse. Seems to be a big reason a lot of nurses decide the OR is not for them- they have unrealistic expectations.
However, as I said in your other post in the OR forum, that is an unfair expectation to have a new OR nurse circulating solo only a few short weeks into orientation. Speak with your manager/educator and see if they will work with you. If not, there's probably a reason for staffing shortages.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
You are aware that you'll owe money if you break the contract, right? I don't have much experience with OR beyond what I did while deployed, so I am not sure what the normal progression is for newbie to circulator. If you do make the leap to the ICU, I hope the commute is at least shorter for you. Part of me thinks that you signed a contract and should honor it — they have made a significant investment in your training that $5000 doesn't cover.
You say that you weren't aware of the lack of hands-on as an OR nurse, which leads me to believe that you didn't research the specialty at all. Have you researched ICU nursing? It would be terrible to break this contract, pay that money, take a new job, and not like that job either.
Springchick1 I really wonder that if I were to have a different experience if I would be so miserable. I simply hate that I was in such awe looking at the surgery that I didn't pay attention to my role. My goal is to stay 6mos. The drive is getting old for a place that I feel is rushing me out of orientation. Did you have an opinion on whether you think this is a regular pace or not?
Seems fast to me. Our orientation is a minimum of 6 months in the OR. That doesn't include any class time/videos/whatever. That being said, it takes at least a year to feel comfortable in the OR with proper orientation.
I am also a new grad OR nurse. I have signed a 2 year commitment at the hospital that hired me with a $2,000 pro-rated reimbursement if I quit. I am part of an OR Consortium training program (consisting of about 25 nurses from various hospitals in the area) which has helped me gain a foundation. It lasts 3 months and is a combination of classroom time, written work and practicum in scrubbing and circulating at my hospital. I will also have a consistent preceptor for another 1-3 months after the consortium is over. Also, I have been simultaneously involved in an RN residency at my hospital just in case the OR doesn't work out, then I can be placed elsewhere to fulfill my 2 year contract. I believe I will circulate general cases to begin with and then move on to more involved cases. So far I really like it but I've never been so exhausted in my life! However, nursing in general is really hard work. I wish you all the best and hope you find a spot where you can be happy!
Putting you by yourself at 4 mos is not 6 mos orientation.
Why aren't you saying no to working alone? (I don't know OR but I do know about not caving to something inappropriate, unsafe and not what I agreed to).
"I haven't completed the 6 mos orientation. I will not accept a solo assignment before my orientation is complete."
You can quit but I think that's foolish given that anything else you try will be a gamble as well and you can go from a successful career start to being one of those nurses who never gain traction in their careers. Not to mention having your confidence shattered.
140 mile round trip? Tough. You signed up for that. Are you really going to risk looking like you can't make a well thought out decision?
The duties aren't what you saw on TV? Tough on that too. Are you willing to sound like a little girl?
One more mistake in choice and you risk having 2 false starts on your resume. You can do all the research you think is needed but you're still gambling.
The only thing that should be your hill is working solo too soon.
I am also a new grad OR nurse. I have signed a 2 year commitment at the hospital that hired me with a $2,000 pro-rated reimbursement if I quit. I am part of an OR Consortium training program (consisting of about 25 nurses from various hospitals in the area) which has helped me gain a foundation. It lasts 3 months and is a combination of classroom time, written work and practicum in scrubbing and circulating at my hospital. I will also have a consistent preceptor for another 1-3 months after the consortium is over. Also, I have been simultaneously involved in an RN residency at my hospital just in case the OR doesn't work out, then I can be placed elsewhere to fulfill my 2 year contract. I believe I will circulate general cases to begin with and then move on to more involved cases. So far I really like it but I've never been so exhausted in my life! However, nursing in general is really hard work. I wish you all the best and hope you find a spot where you can be happy!
What you have stated is exactly what I was expecting coming into my job! I thought I was going to have full support. A consistent preceptor sounds awesome, I've worked with over 10 nurses and ALL of them have different ways of doing things (even count sheets which I would think would be standard).
I think the chaos is really just driving me away. And for me to be driving this far, I can be unhappy closer to home.
Putting you by yourself at 4 mos is not 6 mos orientation.
Why aren't you saying no to working alone? (I don't know OR but I do know about not caving to something inappropriate, unsafe and not what I agreed to).
"I haven't completed the 6 mos orientation. I will not accept a solo assignment before my orientation is complete."
You can quit but I think that's foolish given that anything else you try will be a gamble as well and you can go from a successful career start to being one of those nurses who never gain traction in their careers. Not to mention having your confidence shattered.
140 mile round trip? Tough. You signed up for that. Are you really going to risk looking like you can't make a well thought out decision?
The duties aren't what you saw on TV? Tough on that too. Are you willing to sound like a little girl?
One more mistake in choice and you risk having 2 false starts on your resume. You can do all the research you think is needed but you're still gambling.
The only thing that should be your hill is working solo too soon.
Thank you for your reply. I have voiced my concern to the manager. She said if I think that I'm going to working with a preceptor for 6mo that is simply not going to happen. That was her exact words, once I get one area I will work solo there and move on the more with a preceptor. So say I have a GEN case I have those then I will do those solo and she will add in ORTHO with a preceptor. I just don't agree. As far as the distance, I signed up for the distance so that isn't a problem, it only sucks when your not happy. I get up at 4am and home by 5p every day...if I was kinda happy with my situation then it wouldn't matter.
Thank you for your reply. I have voiced my concern to the manager. She said if I think that I'm going to working with a preceptor for 6mo that is simply not going to happen. That was her exact words, once I get one area I will work solo there and move on the more with a preceptor. So say I have a GEN case I have those then I will do those solo and she will add in ORTHO with a preceptor. I just don't agree. As far as the distance, I signed up for the distance so that isn't a problem, it only sucks when your not happy. I get up at 4am and home by 5p every day...if I was kinda happy with my situation then it wouldn't matter.
Since I don't know OR, I don't know if what they're doing is reasonable or not. I'd want to get a consensus from those who do know and go with that.
I have received some apps from nurses who clearly tried a few different things from 6mos to a year at a time and I won't even consider them. And we have a lean market.
CaliNurseLouisiana
25 Posts
Thank you so much for replying! The 140 is round trip. The preceptor I had in the ICU i had worked with previously so she really let me stretch my wings in there. I asked a ton of questions about precepting when I went on my interview. I apologized and I really was honest on the interview about my mistake and I told her how appreciative I was of her even taking my call and interviewing me because she didn't have to. I'm definitely taking my time to figure things out and learn as much as I can in the process so if I decide to look for PRN in the OR I can.