OR career with T1D?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Geriatric, med-surg.

Hello! I am hoping for some advice from anyone who have worked in surgery. I am a type 1 diabetic pump dependent and was offered the opportunity to be recommended a position as an OR nurse. I would absolutely love the opportunity to get into the OR but I am having nightmares now about my pump! What if it goes off in the middle of surgery? I won’t be able to silence it while being sterile, right? I am not even sure what advice could be given to me I’d hate to turn down an opportunity because of this disease but is it unrealistic to think I could make it as an OR nurse with an insulin pump possibly going off and making noise in the middle of a surgery? Do I just wait to see if I even get an interview and ask the manager? 

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Specializes in Critical Care.

How often does your pump alarm go off?

A continuous glucose monitor would be more likely to alarm, but not if it's properly sync'd to the pump.  

In those rare situations where the pump does alarm, there are non-sterile staff in the room that should be able to silence the pump so long as it's positioned on your back.  

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

In addition to what Muno said, you can also look for facilities that do not require RNs to scrub. There are some where surgical technologists are the majority of scrubs and not all RNs scrub. 

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Could you add a sterile cover over it and make it accessible? Like the sticky plastic holders used on handles?  But, if it is giving you problems, I think you really gotta tackle that issue.

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