Not Happy With My OR

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Hi everyone. I went straight into the OR right after i graduated nursing school. I took the AORN periop class and signed a contract. I am not happy working in this OR for many reasons. I dread getting up every morning to go to work. When i am at work i want to leave because the environment feels toxic and draining. I really don't want to be there and this feeling is awful. I've talked to some nurses with similiar feelings. Some have said this is one of the worst ORs they worked in and would never even think about coming back to this place, these are experienced travelers telling me this; however, i've heard from other travelers its not too bad and they've seen worse. Since i've been there over a year i've seen so many nurses/techs come and go. I haven't seen any travelers come back. I want to quit but due to the contract i have to stay for 10 more months. If i get out the contract i have to pay back all the bonus money which is a good chunk of change. Working in this OR has me wondering if becoming a nurse was a mistake. I thought i would love the OR, i was so excited about it. But now I feel disappointed,sad,hopeless,frustrated, irritated and like i wasted so much time with school. Then again i love the medical field and there is so much to do...but i don't know what kind of nursing i want to do, i already know i don't want to do floor nursing. When i graduated i was stuck between choosing the OR and ED. Who knows maybe i just need to work in another OR because alot of OR nurses seem to LOVE it and i keep thinking why don't I. I want to love my career!! The OR i work in has some issues and it needs some work, something that i can't change. The only thing i can change is my attitude towards this place or just change jobs. This is really hard because i really don't want to break the contract but i don't want to stay and if i leave i don't know where i want to go.... sigh. Just needed to get this off my chest right now as i am dreading work tomorrow.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry.

I'm really sorry you're going through this. *hugs* Is there any other OR, within the same company/hospital in which you can transfer? Some hospitals are owned by the same company and some nurses can transfer to other hospitals under the same branch of the company. I've seen it happen a couple of times. Unfortunately, because of the contract, I think you'll have to endure the rest of those ten months. :( I hope your work environment gets better. Patience and perseverance will get you a long way in this situation, I think. Good luck!

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10 months is nothing. Be tough and prevail. Make sure you exercise every other day such as jogging to blow off steam. Take care of yourself. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Think of yourself as an athlete whose mission is to make it through the next 10 months. Spend the next 10 months planning what job you are going to get next.

O.R.'s do vary a lot. I have worked in 6 different O.R.'s. I absolutely hated 3 of them. I like where I work now but I am tired of nursing in general and plan to leave nursing in a few years.

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I'm really sorry you're going through this. *hugs* Is there any other OR, within the same company/hospital in which you can transfer? Some hospitals are owned by the same company and some nurses can transfer to other hospitals under the same branch of the company. I've seen it happen a couple of times. Unfortunately, because of the contract, I think you'll have to endure the rest of those ten months. :( I hope your work environment gets better. Patience and perseverance will get you a long way in this situation, I think. Good luck!

Unfortunately, i can't transfer to another OR. I have to stay with this hospital. I could transfer to another area of nursing at the hospital but then again i would have to go through training and would probably go through the same thing. I don't see my work environment getting better anytime soon, it seems to have gotten worse. I need all the luck i can get. Good thing i do have patience. Thank you for your support.

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Also, use all of your vacation days during the next 10 months. Every day off helps. I suggest that you spread your vacation days out. Instead of taking 2 weeks off, ask to be scheduled one day off every other week or so. It will help you pace yourself through the next 10 months.

Do you have a cat? If not, adopt one. They reduce stress. See link....

http://www.petfinder.com/

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10 months is nothing. Be tough and prevail. Make sure you exercise every other day such as jogging to blow off steam. Take care of yourself. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Think of yourself as an athlete whose mission is to make it through the next 10 months. Spend the next 10 months planning what job you are going to get next.

O.R.'s do vary a lot. I have worked in 6 different O.R.'s. I absolutely hated 3 of them. I like where I work now but I am tired of nursing in general and plan to leave nursing in a few years.

You're right 10 months is really nothing. It'll fly by. I still can't believe its been over a year since i've graduated nursing school. You mentioned don't drink, seems like i drink now more than ever. I used to drink maybe once a month on a weekend, if even that. Now that i think about it i've been drinking 3-4 times a week! I get so stressed out/tired after work that i just want to veg out and drink a beer or glass of wine after work. That needs to stop!

I think its a great idea to visualize myself as an athlete on a mission! It'll take some work but if i'm going to make it through the next 10 months without having a nervous breakdown i need to take your advice. Thank you.

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By the way, once you are good at your job, you will be treated a lot better if you switch hospitals. You will be seen as an experienced nurse instead of the nurse that everyone trained and picked on.

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Also, use all of your vacation days during the next 10 months. Every day off helps. I suggest that you spread your vacation days out. Instead of taking 2 weeks off, ask to be scheduled one day off every other week or so. It will help you pace yourself through the next 10 months.

Do you have a cat? If not, adopt one. They reduce stress. See link....

http://www.petfinder.com/

Awesome another great idea! So far i have 40 hours of vacation days to use!!! I will definately do that because working there 5 days a weeks is exhausting! I do not have a cat but i do have a dog. She does help to reduce stress, she makes me laugh.

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i've been drinking 3-4 times a week!

Okay, stop drinking and start exercising. Don't join a gym. Gyms are too inconvenient and easy to quit. Either start jogging around your block or buy a treadmill or exercise bike. Get in good shape. Exercise improves mood and makes you stronger. Being able to handle a hard workout gives you the confidence to handle a hard day at work.

When you have a really bad day at work, go home and exercise! Blow off steam!

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Awesome another great idea! So far i have 40 hours of vacation days to use!!!

Also, single days off are more likely to be approved than week long vacations. Just request a few days off per work schedule and indicate that you do not care which days off you get.

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Okay, stop drinking and start exercising. Don't join a gym. Gyms are too inconvenient and easy to quit. Either start jogging around your block or buy a treadmill or exercise bike. Get in good shape. Exercise improves mood and makes you stronger. Being able to handle a hard workout gives you the confidence to handle a hard day at work.

When you have a really bad day at work, go home and exercise! Blow off steam!

You're absolutely right, it really does. Right now my confidence is way way low. Time to get back into it. Its been a couple of years but i have to do it!

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I entered the operating room in 1996 as a new grad. It was the hardest year of my life. I was so nervous and many surgeons and coworkers were so mean to me.

One year later, I changed hospitals. I liked it there A LOT better. Since I was experienced, everyone treated me with respect.

I recommend you try travel nursing 10 months from now. You can even do travel nursing at a local hospital. You will obligated for only 13 weeks. It is a great way to test drive a new hospital. If you like it, extend your contract. If you don't like it, try another hospital.

The only problem with travel nursing is that you have to work full time for 13 weeks. If you can afford to work per diem, try a new hospital 10 months from now per diem. Then you work only when you want to. I have been working per diem since 2003 and I will never go back to full time. Just make sure you can buy your own health insurance. See link....

https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/Alliance?allid=Yah26044&sid=tlp

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