I've been in the OR for 25 years. Started as a scrub tech, worked my way through nursing school, and up to management. Recently, because of a relocation, I took a staff job in the OR, and was struck right between the eyes by the horrible way people treat each other. The backstabbing, and tattling, the abuse from MD's.....I don't remember it this way. I remember a family that supported each other, we went to happy hours together and celebrated each other's marriages and births.
I quit after two months of what I consider harrassment. I was given 3 days orientation and then had to jump in and figure out where everything was in this haphazard old OR. I guess travelers do it all the time.....I don't know how. I was hauled into the managers office every other afternoon, to address the list of "complaints" she had received. One was "she doesn't want to do cysto." Huh? Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to do cysto. (I don't. lol) Nobody ever corrected me to my face. If they had, I would have thanked them and learned from the correction. This way, I felt attacked all the time and had to defend myself. More often than not, I went home crying. Nearly every day, there was someone sitting in the locker room crying. What kind of a job is this!
The thing is.....I'm an excellent OR nurse! I can scrub, circulate and anything in between. I'm an RNFA too, and specialize in neuro. They never gave me a chance. Why??
Because they felt threatened? About what? If it's competetive, what are we competing FOR? What's the prize??
Screw it, I'm out. No more OR for me. I'm going to do hospice :>)
Thanks for listening....no-one else could ever understand.
