NSICU to OR guidance appreciated

[Leaninstreet]

I have been working on a Neuro ICU unit at a large teaching hospital for the last two years. Our patients are sick but definitely not the sickest when compared to other intensive care units at the hospital. I feel I am competent on my unit but I don't necessarily enjoy the continuous families, baths, and certain aspects of bedside care.

In nursing school I loved my OR rotation, but ended up entering the ICU because I had aspirations to become a CRNA. Since then I have decided not to pursue that career and am now thinking about going back to my original plan of being an OR nurse.

So now to the questions:

What ICU skills can I expect to be useful to me in the OR?

Are there any particular areas of stress which would be increased in the OR as compared to the ICU?

Any other l thoughts/opinions on the switch?

All replies appreciated! Thanks.

[Mr. & Mrs. RN]

I don't know about the other RNs here, but in our OR you don't need any special ICU training and few of us carry our ACLS. We are surrounded by doctors and anesthesia all day. Your ICU skills would better equip you for a PACU position. Most nurses love PACU. It's great that you have neuro experience, especially if you want to do those kinds of surgeries. Otherwise, OR nursing is a whole other realm. You've got to learn all the instruments, gadgets, and gizmos. There's just no where else you can learn these things. The only thing I can think of is anything you do in ICU that requires you to use sterile technique.