Question of different Personalities NtheOR

Specialties Operating Room

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:caduceus: need info about different personality types working in the or, if that works, "or" if their is just a few selected bunch who can work there..and the "dreamer/want-ta-b-personalities never get in. i've never worked there, but maybe some of you have other that "perfectionistic personality" that have been interviewed and accepted for employment in the or. please fill me in on what is optional for all personality types.

i am a freshman in college and interested in nursing. i am 21 and "yes of course need a lot of experience" because i am still considered new to the world and the nursing profession..which is all true.

however, before i jump into anything too soon what do all the "pro/old" operating room nurses out there think about these questions from your own experience and words of wisdom please enlighten me.:roll

do only "perfectionistic types of personality" work in the or??? :o

"or"...(smile) can other types of personalities work there too, like people who are serious, but have personalities too and like to have fun. :lol2:

is it probably safer to have just the really serious, perfectionistic types of personalities to work there because they are prone to make fewer mistakes, and are great with details? :crying2: or are there other types of people who make it in the or who aren't always like the "this is a sterilized area, don't smile" bunch. :balloons:

i am asking those nurses out there that have the experience, know what they are talking about, have worked in the or with other people...oh, and they have to be old beyond 40 and experienced in the fields...otherwise i might not trust your opinion. (no offense, and all do respect to the younger generation.)

i have heard good things about the or like the surgeons who are smart enough to laugh to release those "needed to be released hormones" and who even listen to music :melody: while they do their work in their sterile environment.

i wouldn't know because i haven't even gotten into nursing school. i hope to, though, by next fall (2007). i was just curious to ask the or nurses this question because working in the or seems like it would be an interesting specialty in which to work. :penguin: (i've heard its cold in there!!!)

any comments, words of wisdom or advice from the or pros out there is and will be greatly appreciated. my personality is serious when i need to be, but i like trying a bunhc of different ideas. i'm pretty well-rounded, clara barton type 5'1 and 120 pounds. i ride horses, play piano, attend a baptist church, play the piano, read alot, swim, climb high rock-walls, i try to run 3-4 times each week, i watch my diet very carefully. i am not considered a perfectionist,(my older sister is) but i am quiet a lot of the time due to the (use-to-be-rare-came-back-in-the-eighties fact of being homeschooled in a christian family for all twelve grades, the 2nd girl, fourth child from a totally homeshooled family of seven. (my parents believe in love. they found it when they were five)..35 years later are still together and are still "in love"--praise god! i am taking on-line classes at home. thank you very much for any comments at all and for, of course, your time in answering any of my above questions. all for the glory of god!! thank you again!!

any infromation is appreciated.

:typing [email protected]

"For God so loved the world that HE gave His one and only Son--JESUS--that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting Life." Jhon 3:16 --God said it..The BIBLE.

Specializes in jack of all trades, master of none.

wow!! lots of info there... i'm tired from reading it.

anyway, it takes all kinds!! you can be quiet, funny, whatever. as long as you can be honest, reliable, & be able to stand up for your patient. you are responsible for the safety & welfare of that patient, asleep on the table, who is unconscious & unable to make any kind of decisions towards their care.

i find that it helps to be a perfectionist & somewhat obsessive helps, too (for me, anyway).

btw... what's with "old" stuff? "pro/old" operating room "

"oh, and they have to be old beyond 40 and experienced in the fields...otherwise i might not trust your opinion. (no offense, and all do respect to the younger generation.)"

40 does not make one old & some people may take offense to such talk.

if you do a search, you can easily find the average age of an rn these days.

Specializes in Surgical.
As long as you can be honest, reliable, & be able to stand up for your patient.

ditto to that... where I work we have everything from laid back hippie types to way rigid "Type A" personalities. I wouldn't say any of them are better than the other because of personality or style.

But you do absolutely have to learn the job and know what you are doing. Other nurses, techs, doctors, and most importantly THE PATIENT will be relying on you. :)

Thank you for the information you sent. I am sorry about that only wanting to hear advice from "old OR Nurses" its just that I didn't know if I would be getting credible information from some of the new just starting out OR Nurses.

You knowing what you are talking about is what I needed to hear. So, thank you VERY much your message sent in response. I appreciate it immensely. I can be very verbal at times that is why the message was long, and talkative. Thank you very much about your comments. If you have time do you mind answering these questions:

Are there other scents than "mint" to put on the inside of "the mask" prior to the precedure?

Are the procedures usually back to back during your shift, and do you go back and forth to other operating tables/mayo stands or is each Scrub/circulating nurse responsible for just a certain operation?

Do all OR medical personel feel like their legs will collapse after a few hours? I have heard that the operations range from 4-6 hours. I have pretty strong legs.. the farthest I have run is (12 miles this summer) and it was only by the Grace of God, I had been training, but I prayed asking God for strength prior to my run. I don't know, though, being around the Anesthesiologist or when the person is being opened might make me faint. I haven't had the experience, yet, during a clinical in Nursing school maybe that will be a good preperation for it.

I'm still researching the different specialties, but do not yet know in which environment I will choose to specialize. That is why I am inquiring. Thank you for all, and any others who want to input. Thanks again!

Dream Chaser at the moment ~ Anna Miller (future RN)

Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

As an "old" nurse of 30 years experience I agree with the other posters on what it takes to work in the OR. Yes, we play all types of music, from Pavorroti to 9 Inch Nails and beyond. Quiet and sometimes very LOUD! The surgeons I work with range from the "old", like me, to the relative new, fresh out of surgeon school. The nurses can be a bit hard at times and yes they can be also bi**hes, in a nice way. I am lucky enough to say the girls I work with are very professional yet talkative, good to their patients, a twisted sense of humor, a must for the OR and good to each other, most of the time. I think if you search through the posts throughout this specialty area you will find a number of differing opinions. Yes it can be cold! Good luck with your choice, Mike

Specializes in Med Surg, Case Management, OR.

It takes all types to work in the OR. Most nurses in any specialty are "retentive" and like things organized a certain way. It's no different in the OR. We're just a little extra retentive because we have to be vigilent about sterility and try to drive that point home when there are visitors in the OR.

In the setting I work in, we are assigned a room for the day and we are in there as long as there are cases. We get a 15 min. morning break when the later shift comes in, and then we get 30 minutes for lunch.

There is a boombox in each OR, some docs prefer radio, some bring their own iPods. Anesthesiologists double as DJs. We get Christian folk music to gangsta rap, depending on the doc or anesthesia.

I personally think most staff are type A personalities. I'm not that brave, but I have noticed that I have been more assertive since starting in the OR. You have to be, after all, your unconscious patient depends on you.

BTW: You don't have to be old to be experienced. I've worked in the OR for two of five years in my nursing career and feel that I'm just as safe and effective as more experienced nurses. I just ask more questions. Whether old or not, all nurses are patient advocates.

To Everyone Who Posted,

Thank you for answering all of the questions that I had, or at least a lot of them concerning the OR. I love to be kept busy helping other people. So, I am going to check out the ER due to my ADD/ADHD personality! Thanks for the advice!

:roll :balloons:

Future RN,

Anna Miller

What are the work schedule shifts like in the OR? Are there and 12 hr 3 day work weeks in the OR? And can you dress to keep warm since it is cold working in the OR?

SMWalker

Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.

I've been in the OR now for 10 years. I'm a little CDO (that's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but in alphabetical order - as it should be!)

I love the OR. Will you like it? I don't know. Many different types of personalities work here. I do guarantee that if you are quiet and shy, and last in the OR for 3+ years, you will no longer be shy and quiet.

Try a nursing externship. Many hospitals offer it. You usually can try a few weeks in each environment. Externships are summer programs, around 10 weeks long. (Most -if not all- pay pretty well for a student.) Usually it needs to be the summer before your final year of nursing school.

As far as hours available when you enter the workforce... Many (if not most) hospitals offer 8-10-and 12 hour shifts, full time ( 0.8 to 1.0 FTE) to part time (less than 0.8 FTE). Think of an FTE as a 40 hour week. Most OR's require you take call and/or off-shift work on a rotating basis. Each institution is different - ask some nurses that work in yours, or in one that you are considering.

-Dave

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