Opportunity to join the Heart Team

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I have a couple of questions for some seasoned veterans (or whoever will indulge me). :mad: Some background...I am six months into a circulating position with a 16 bed OR. I am actually a very humble person, so this is out of character for me to say, but I have done very well with my learning curve. I was kicked out of orientation early and apparently have impressed the right people. I have been asked to join the Heart Team, but will not be Heart Team exclusive as are all of it's current members. I will train for several months with them and then go on a 2-10, M-F, no weekends, no call rotation. This will entail finishing scheduled hearts and then floating out to all other specialties (mostly Ortho and Neuro, though) and being available for any alpha or bravo traumas that may arrive.

Question 1- Is there an elitist spirit associated with the Heart Team at your facility? I say this because there is apparent stigma associated with the heart team at this facility. All of the techs and a few nurses are really giving me hell about making this move. "You're going to be just like them. Why do you want to leave us? I put my heart and soul into training you for Ortho. yada,yada,yada." They will not listen to reason when I tell them that I'll be doing mostly Ortho, anyway because we are Ortho heavy especially with evening add-ons.

Question 2- Can anyone possibly see how I could be limiting myself through this decision? I mean, I feel that I would eventually become one of the most well rounded nurses on the unit because of having the ability to circulate any kind of case.

Question 3- I posted six months ago about the possibility of traveling in OR's and was advised by senior members of this board to get lots of experience before trying to travel. As much as it pains me...they're right. I'm not even going to consider it for 2 years. BUT, when that time is up and if I feel comfortable, are there good opportunities for OR circulators with Heart experience? There are jobs for Heart team members at UAB advertising $42.00/hr and those aren't travel jobs.

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.:mad:

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Here's what I've noticed where I work:

1) The heart team is practically a separate department, they work a slightly different shift (630-3, everyone else starts at 7), have their own separate schedule, and even though we share the same lounge, they socialize mainly with each other and ignore the rest of us. Most of them also have a reputation for having a superior attitude and being unfriendly to non-heart team members.

2) This is in no way limiting yourself. In fact, it would be good to have someone with heart experience working on off shifts. Our hear team is in house only during first shift and then is on call. We had a trauma patient come up one night with a mediastinal bleed. No one from the heart team had arrived, so people with absolutely no experience in that surgery were trying to get the tables set up and the patient prepped so that the trauma surgeon could start (the cardiac surgeon hadn't even arrived at that point).

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Specializes in ICU, Surgery.

We have co-workers that mainly do CV cases and take pump-case call. In return, they are not assigned any weekend shifts, or general calls. If there isn't enough CABG's scheduled, they freely rotate to other cases. A lot of us are able to give breaks and lunches to them at appropriate times durring their pump cases, and gladly do so. They don't seem to have a clique or anything here. We all have helped open, set up lines and get case started.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
You're going to be just like them. Why do you want to leave us? I put my heart and soul into training you for Ortho. yada,yada,yada."

Sounds like the people that said this have the elitist attitude.

Two reasons why i'm not considering our facility's heart team 1)it would interfere with school and 2) the people that do hearts do nothing BUT hearts, and i like the variety.

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Question 1- Is there an elitist spirit associated with the Heart Team at your facility?

Sounds like your at a hospital with a great deal of internal OR politics.I've travelled and seen elitist OR specialty teams (not only hearts) at a few places, but for the most part no. It works better when all members of the department can at least open the case and get things started.

All of the techs and a few nurses are really giving me hell about making this move. "You're going to be just like them. Why do you want to leave us? I put my heart and soul into training you for Ortho. yada,yada,yada."
HATERS! (j/k) :lol2: They'll get over it. Do what's best for YOUR future!
Question 2- Can anyone possibly see how I could be limiting myself through this decision?
I don't see how you'll be limiting yourself. You'll be scrubbing all the close-up heart, close-up orhto, close-up nuero and every other emergency or add-on that comes through the door. Sounds well-rounded to me.

Good fortune! :monkeydance:

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