Not Happy With My OR

Specialties Operating Room

Published

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.

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!

Keep it simple. Exercise 20 minutes every other day. Once you get in shape, you can exercise more than that. Just do something vigorous like jogging that makes you breathe hard. This is best for relieving stress.

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This is the most challenging job ever and i've had alot. I've never been so nervous and so scared almost everyday for so long. To be so stressed for over a year is just insane. I can't wait until i feel comfortable. When i first started i thought the OR staff were odd people. Doctors and nurses expressed how they didn't like new people in their rooms. I would try to be friendly and say hi to people and got ignored...and still do. It used to bother me alot as i am sensitive but it doesn't bother me as much now. I think i've learned to deal with it. I thought about travel nursing and it seems like something i would be interested in. I've talked to alot of the travelers at my hospital and they seem to love it. Something to look forward to.

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All you can do is do your best.

When at work, do your best.

When you are off, sleep a lot, exercise, and pamper yourself. Take hot baths too.

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Specializes in OR, and more recently PACU and SDC.

You've been given lots of good advice here. It' sad to think that you've invested so much (time and energy) already. My only suggestion is to use this time to the best advantage. Be a sponge and learn everything you can in the next 10 months, then, you can move on, taking all this information with you. There are some great OR's and some wonderful nurses, just difficult to find sometimes. I personally like bigger hospitals with a younger group of nurses (about 8 - 10 years experience). Be patient. Carpe diem!

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Listen to Mike.

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10 months is nothing. Be tough and prevail.

Lol, I totally disagree. I've been a nurse for 15 years, and it took me a while to realize that being miserable is not worth any amount of money.

I've quit bad jobs, and paid back bonus money before. To get out of a miserable situation and move on, the $$$ is totally worth it, imo.

Life is too short, I worked too hard, and I'm too good of a nurse to be miserable.

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I personally like bigger hospitals with a younger group of nurses (about 8 - 10 years experience). Be patient. Carpe diem!

That's good advice. University teaching hospitals are like this. Lots of younger nurses in an environment where teaching is the norm. Circulating is easier because residents and med students do a lot of the work.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
That's good advice. University teaching hospitals are like this. Lots of younger nurses in an environment where teaching is the norm. Circulating is easier because residents and med students do a lot of the work.

I agree also..when I first came to my current hospital, I was dreading the whole med student/resident thing. But they have been a great help and most are nice. Last week, one of our few jerky surgeons was being difficult with me(because I'm new there, I think) and one of the residents was making faces at him behind his back. LOL, that took some of the sting out of the nasty attending's behavior.

I have also found the teaching hospital environment to be challenging and exciting. Unlike some of the smaller OR's(where people can give you grief for offering new ideas and ways to do things), larger hospitals see a lot of new faces and they tend to like those who show enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and challenge yourself. Issey, I remember when you first started posting here..you were so full of enthusiasm. I think your OR is the culprit and you need to leave as soon as you can. I also agree with Mike that 10 months is doable, and if you don't have the means to pay back the bonus, just stick it out and come here to vent in the meantime..Ha, maybe us new OR nurses can start an online support group!:lol2:

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Maybe you could train to work in a different department while you stay in the OR some of the time. One of the things that would be wise to keep is your OR experience. Not many other hospitals will train you to work in the OR and may not hire you to work in theirs until you have at least 1 year experience. I had gone through a phase when I had first begun working in the OR and remember thinking "Do I really want to work here in this dungeon full of A**holes?" I realized that I did want to work in the OR, regardless. What are the real issues you are having? Would they be different if you were at a different hospital? A different area of nursing altogether? Are you having issues with people? Administration? Also, remember that ALL nurses experience burn-out, maybe it is like mikethern says and you just lack initial experience competence will breed confidence. Also, you are right when you say if you left you would have to go through orienting all over again. Lastly, the OR is not for everyone, I know a girl and she went through all of the orienting and decided she just didn't like the OR, she liked the guts part but the whole thing was too overwhelming so she transferred to endoscopy amd she gets the OR feel without having to deal with all of the surgeons and call and stuff and she loves it!

:D :Melody:It's not easy being green:Melody:

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Med-Surg/ED.
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.

I totally agree. You can get thru the next 10 months- learn all you can, don't get sucked into the negativity. You already sound like you have a healthy attitude by saying the only thing you can change is YOUR attitude. I hated my first ER job, but I stuck it out for a over a year, and it was the foot-in-the-door I needed to a GREAT job that I loved. It'll be behind you b/f you know it. There is a huge need for experienced OR nurses. Think of this as a stepping stone to reach YOUR goals. Good luck!

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Mike has given some great advice! You can finish the contract!!! It will make you a better nurse.

When you do leave, it gives you additional OR experience. When you finish the contract and do leave, remember that when a facility offers a huge bonus with a contract; there is usually a reason. Smaller bonuses are usually due to nursing shortages.

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Specializes in jack of all trades, master of none.

Awww... You'll be ok. Since I've quit smoking, I've found that I'm using my "dang it, I'm having a craving" breathing, every time I'm having a bad moment at work. It really helps, alot.

I'm looking into agency... I get treated like crap anyway, so I figured I might as well get paid a bit more to deal with it. Plus, I am soooo tired of getting crappy cases & screwed with call b/c I refuse to play kissy face with the bosses. I've got too many working years left to have to deal with these juvenille (sp?) antics.

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