Not for me

[amiss8488]

Do you ever feel that OR nursing just isn't for you? Not because you don't enjoy it but because of the people. I am hitting the end of my road with this profession. I have been in the OR for about a year and a half now. I've worked in 4 different facilities. Two of them I would go back and forth and help out at the different facilities (for experience because one was very small). One of them was God awful and I ended up leaving after 2 months (seemed like a better opportunity but the care there was horrible and the doctors were literally abusive.. One kicked me). Then I moved out of state and started at another small hospital.

I find I love doing it. I'm super motivated and spend a lot of time outside of work studying. I pick up hours and help when needed. I ask questions and know what I'm capable of. But the last few days have just been a huge downfall for me.

All the nurses and the CRNAs just have such strong personalities. They will tell you straight up anything and will never admit fault or wrong. They also know everything. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too sensitive. But today the CRNA (we will call him God) flipped out on me for starting an IV in the OR without a Tourniquet. I could see the vein clear as day. He had good veins. I know when I don't feel confident with an IV but that wasn't the case here. So I got it and he proceeded to speak down on me, put me down, and then told me to NEVER start an IV without a tourniquet in HIS OR ever again. I could see if u didn't get it. But clearly that wasn't the case. Also, i even think, maybe that wasn't the best practice? I don't know. I've seen and heard nurses before tell me if you can see it, it's sometimes not necessary. I suppose this came in my mind at the time. But also, there's a way to communicate this to a person without being an *******.

So stupid me approached God about it later and it was completely pointless. I said how I felt about it and that resulted in him getting angry and pissed off. I decided to walk away and said, I'm done with speaking to you about it and his response was, don't walk away from me and I'm giving you one more chance to get back here.

Sometimes I just feel exhausted from all the bs. Had an issue with another nurse and just putting me down and not speaking in a helpful way the other day. I'm tired of nurses who have done this for 5+ years knowing everything. I know I don't know everything and I still won't in 20 years.

So I just feel like maybe asking to switch to med surg would be better. But will it? Maybe I am the issue here. Maybe I'm too sensitive and can't take criticism well. But I have nurses tell me I'm doing something wrong and I correct it. I don't take offense and I learn from it. I just want to be a nurse, go to work, learn, help my patients, find things that might be going on, and then go home. I'm tired of these mind games of I'm better than you so I need to put you down.

Also, I'll add the I did seek some guidance through another nurse who told me some of these nurses have some pretty heavy mental health issues. Who dosnt? But then how do I deal with this without crying my eyes out and getting so upset?

Sorry for rhe long post. I appreciate your input. I really do feel that OR isn't for me anymore. Maybe even nursing if every unit is like this. It's so much easier to avoid people when you work in a large hospital. It's impossible here.

[brownbook]

You have worked in 4 different OR's in one and a half years, two were okay, two were awful?

My gut feeling is your current job is in a toxic place. From what you posted the CRNA was inappropriate and your attempt to resolve the issue was very mature. Can you apply at different hospital's OR?

No one can predict if you will find a better work environment in a med/surg unit.

If you get a job in a med/surg unit get in writing how long the orientation will be. Your med/surg basic nursing skills may be a little rusty after working in OR. Expect a steep learning curve, don't get overwhelmed. You have been through enough already!

[CAnewgrad2016, BSN, RN]

i've been an OR nurse for almost a year straight out of nursing school. i went into the OR straight after nursing school. I'm in my second OR job and just got off orientation. my personality is much stronger these days, a lot of ppl in the OR have strong personalities, you need a thick skin. there are days i feel like i'm a bad nurse. i'm honestly getting really burned out . old scrub techs who don't listen to me, scrub techs who lie to me about counts, i'm considering going outpatient actually. but bedside is the last place i want to be. you have needy patients and their family members. I'll stay an OR nurse as long as possible.

[amiss8488]

i've been an OR nurse for almost a year straight out of nursing school. i went into the OR straight after nursing school. I'm in my second OR job and just got off orientation. my personality is much stronger these days, a lot of ppl in the OR have strong personalities, you need a thick skin. there are days i feel like i'm a bad nurse. i'm honestly getting really burned out . old scrub techs who don't listen to me, scrub techs who lie to me about counts, i'm considering going outpatient actually. but bedside is the last place i want to be. you have needy patients and their family members. I'll stay an OR nurse as long as possible.

Yeah it seems like it's always something. I've worked at places where the techs are horrible. They treat you like dirt because they have done this for 20 or more years. I really don't get it. Why more experience makes you better. It definitely helps but I'd never put myself above others. And I agree, bedside nursing just isn't my thing. I'd even be willing to go there if given the opportunity at this point.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

But today the CRNA (we will call him God) flipped out on me for starting an IV in the OR without a Tourniquet. I could see the vein clear as day. He had good veins. I know when I don't feel confident with an IV but that wasn't the case here. So I got it and he proceeded to speak down on me, put me down, and then told me to NEVER start an IV without a tourniquet in HIS OR ever again. I could see if u didn't get it. But clearly that wasn't the case. Also, i even think, maybe that wasn't the best practice? I don't know. I've seen and heard nurses before tell me if you can see it, it's sometimes not necessary. I suppose this came in my mind at the time. But also, there's a way to communicate this to a person without being an *******.

So stupid me approached God about it later and it was completely pointless. I said how I felt about it and that resulted in him getting angry and pissed off. I decided to walk away and said, I'm done with speaking to you about it and his response was, don't walk away from me and I'm giving you one more chance to get back here.

.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.... I work bedside and have encountered some doctors that are impatient or arrogant, and plenty of annoying family members, but nothing that made me have the visceral reaction that I had imaging myself in the situation you described here with "God". There's no working with that. Patients and family members can usually be reasoned with if you try to hear their concerns, I usually have pretty good luck at least getting a working relationship, if not one where they actually some some respect. Obviously there are some that are going to be more rigid than others but bringing them around to see the rationale for why you're doing what you're doing, why there are restrictions on X ("no, you can't eat solid foods/just lie in bed all day/smoke in the hospital/whatever because of blah blah blah) is a skill just as much as assessing and IV insertion. And honestly... the rare belligerent ones don't tend to stick around too long anyway. But I can't remember the last time I had a non-psychotic patient (literally) that I couldn't at least get to a point of a respectful coexistence, even as I was going over their AMA paperwork and DCing the IV.

But God there.....nope. Nope, nope, nope. Not even a little bit. I am not someone that just "walks out" but I don't think I'd be able to keep myself from doing that, listening to him go on and refuse to even consider that there is a path here beyond his preference. If he wants to be so particular about "his OR" then he can do all the necessary jobs in "his OR". There's no reason to micro-manage people, especially when you see you have people that want to do well and are doing an appropriate/effective job (i.e. you got the IV, just not in his preferred way). I'll take the family members that you have to win over because they're suspicious of healthcare, the occasional needy patient or even a condescending ad locum hospitalist that doesn't have to occupying my same space for extended durations, ANY day before accepting the overcompensating twit you described above.

[amiss8488]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.... I work bedside and have encountered some doctors that are impatient or arrogant, and plenty of annoying family members, but nothing that made me have the visceral reaction that I had imaging myself in the situation you described here with "God". There's no working with that. Patients and family members can usually be reasoned with if you try to hear their concerns, I usually have pretty good luck at least getting a working relationship, if not one where they actually some some respect. Obviously there are some that are going to be more rigid than others but bringing them around to see the rationale for why you're doing what you're doing, why there are restrictions on X ("no, you can't eat solid foods/just lie in bed all day/smoke in the hospital/whatever because of blah blah blah) is a skill just as much as assessing and IV insertion. And honestly... the rare belligerent ones don't tend to stick around too long anyway. But I can't remember the last time I had a non-psychotic patient (literally) that I couldn't at least get to a point of a respectful coexistence, even as I was going over their AMA paperwork and DCing the IV.

But God there.....nope. Nope, nope, nope. Not even a little bit. I am not someone that just "walks out" but I don't think I'd be able to keep myself from doing that, listening to him go on and refuse to even consider that there is a path here beyond his preference. If he wants to be so particular about "his OR" then he can do all the necessary jobs in "his OR". There's no reason to micro-manage people, especially when you see you have people that want to do well and are doing an appropriate/effective job (i.e. you got the IV, just not in his preferred way). I'll take the family members that you have to win over because they're suspicious of healthcare, the occasional needy patient or even a condescending ad locum hospitalist that doesn't have to occupying my same space for extended durations, ANY day before accepting the overcompensating twit you described above.

I kind of laughed at your response. It's just so true. I think I started to second guess myself and wonder if I did something wrong. I will say that I've talked to others and he has some heavy issues. He is known to pick on people. He has also had to go to anger management. And I think there is more going on here. He tried to sway me into his religion and I backed off. I don't think he liked that as he is head of the church as well. This kind of bothers me more because he should respect people.

Sitting down and talking with him Monday with management. Also I've decided to go to day surgery and stick there for a while. Not so much drama and interaction with him. I feel a bit defeated but it's just better there. I ended up calling him an a$$hole after I approached him and he freaked out, screaming again, yelling at me to get back there after I decided it's best to just walk away. So now it's some huge deal that I've called him that when I feel I was provoked. He's been running around telling everyone. It's just childish. So the issue is no longer that I put HIS patient at risk (or he claims) but that I swore at him. It's just childish games and I won't play.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

I kind of laughed at your response. It's just so true. I think I started to second guess myself and wonder if I did something wrong. I will say that I've talked to others and he has some heavy issues. He is known to pick on people. He has also had to go to anger management. And I think there is more going on here. He tried to sway me into his religion and I backed off. I don't think he liked that as he is head of the church as well. This kind of bothers me more because he should respect people.

Sitting down and talking with him Monday with management. Also I've decided to go to day surgery and stick there for a while. Not so much drama and interaction with him. I feel a bit defeated but it's just better there. I ended up calling him an a$$hole after I approached him and he freaked out, screaming again, yelling at me to get back there after I decided it's best to just walk away. So now it's some huge deal that I've called him that when I feel I was provoked. He's been running around telling everyone. It's just childish. So the issue is no longer that I put HIS patient at risk (or he claims) but that I swore at him. It's just childish games and I won't play.

Your description of his actions just *screams* "untreated personality disorder". And this guy is a head of a church, supposedly with followers that want to listen to him each week? No, dude, I'm not interested in your weird religion, take it elsewhere.

I'm sure that having these two leading positions (OR and church) really help feed into his insecurities.

He doesn't sound like someone you can really "win" against, because he can make anything a problem. Successfully getting an IV without a tourniquet is not patient mistreatment. To have a brain capable of even stretching and distorting that action so far as to equate it with "patient risk" is just..... you can't win. But no, I don't think you're thin skinned. He is. Look at his reactions to your perceived slight (not converting for a random co-worker?), he painted a target on your back for that and he apparently likes to scream and cry "foul" when someone doesn't immediately accept his word as gospel. Super personality disorder-y. Nobody needs to deal with that.

While he's running around and being all manipulative, you might mention in your meeting that this all started when he asked you to convert into his church and that you felt you were being punished for setting a healthy, acceptable boundary.

I've never done OR but I can assume that being stuck in the same room with someone for long periods of time can either really allow the trust (or lack thereof) of the team members to be put on display. If he's really so concerned about patient safety, then he'd want to make sure that everyone feels able to have their voices heard because we are all vital parts of the team everyday and especially in crisis/code situations. But his lack of ego won't allow that.

I'm glad you're able to make a lateral position with less exposure to him. And if, as you were previously question, OR really isn't for you, then there are other places to go. As others mentioned, it would require some studying to get back some of those bedside skills, but it's completely doable.

Good luck with your transition and your meeting Monday.

[centexnurse313]

i've been at my OR for over 2 years now. it is my second job out of school 3 years ago. the majority of the people are great and helpful; then you get the staff anesthesia and surgeons-not residents.

the worst part of the job is interacting with some people. with some surgeons, its so bad im afraid for ask a question because they will make me feel like i am the dumbest person on the face of the earth. lots of people i work with feel the same. we always say we have our resumes on standby.

before the OR, I worked on in medsurg for about a year. the coworkers were the best! very supportive and nice. i think it was the floor i was on though because i had to float to other floors and they seemed worse off. the reason i switched was because medsurg just became the same ol' thing.