OR to ER -Is this possible??

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I have been a OR circulating nurse for three years and am considering transferring to a Level 1 trauma center with the hopes of securing a position in the Emergency Room. The problem is the job openings I have applied to require at least 1 year experience in an ER setting. Any suggestions as to what I can do to get an employer's attention and consider my experience in the OR? Thank you!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

If a position requires ER experience, you will need to find a place willing to hire someone without ER experience first. Quite likely the reason the position wants experience is because of the shortened orientation needed. OR nursing is in no way like ER nursing and I doubt any facility looking for an experienced ER nurse will even consider a nurse who doesn't meet the stated requirements.

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Anything is possible, but you'd have to be an exceptional OR nurse, have some kind of EMT background, or be really lucky to easily get hired into an ER.

You may have to get a med/surg nursing position, then work your way into an ER position.

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If you are geographically located near the ER you're looking to apply to, it might be a good idea to call and maybe schedule an informal meeting with the nurse manager or charge nurse... Once there, discuss your desire to transition to the ER, what makes you an excellent nurse, and explain you recognize that their job posting requires the minimum 1 year of ER experience, but how you were hoping there might be some sort of residency/fellowship/internship program for new RNs or those looking to transition from other areas in the ER. You might be surprised with some positive feedback or maybe even walk away learning when you are eligible to apply for the next cycle for the internship program, if they have one...

Good luck.

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Is your only experience in the OR? What makes you want to move to the ER? As someone who came from the ER and is going back to the ER, I think it would be hard for you to switch to ER without any other nursing experience other than OR. I've only been out of the ER for a year and I'm kind of stressing about going back because I feel like I've lost a LOT of my skills from being in the OR/PACU. If you went into the OR straight out of nursing school, you may be lacking in things such as time management skills, being able to prioritize more than one patient, assessment skills, IV skills, etc. I don't say that to be mean, or harsh, but it's a reality that co-workers of mine in the OR who have only done OR have vocalized when they found out that I was going back to the ER - that they aren't sure that they could do anything but OR now because of that. It's an unfortunate reality that you'll likely have a hard time getting your application even looked at for positions that are looking for RNs with ER experience when you don't have that. You may want to consider contacting the director of the ER to see if you can set up a day to shadow in the ER to A) see if the ER is something that is right for you and B) get your face and name known to them.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Thank you all for the insightful advice. I have applied for a position with my current employer in hopes of getting an interview based on my reputation. I love the OR and the surgical team I work with but am planning on furthering my education and pursue a career as a CRNA. Problem - most universities require at least one year experience in a critical care environment prior to applying. Keeping my fingers crossed that I get a stroke of good luck. Thanks again for the advice and well wishes.

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Thank you all for the insightful advice. I have applied for a position with my current employer in hopes of getting an interview based on my reputation. I love the OR and the surgical team I work with but am planning on furthering my education and pursue a career as a CRNA. Problem - most universities require at least one year experience in a critical care environment prior to applying. Keeping my fingers crossed that I get a stroke of good luck. Thanks again for the advice and well wishes.

What kind of position did you apply for? One thing to keep in mind as far as CRNA programs go: the majority of them don't accept ER for critical care experience. Good luck with everything!

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Specializes in GENERAL.

This move is Apples to Oranges. I do not see much of of a smooth segue here but you can learn anything if you have the motivation and are given an "honest" chance at success.

Some people do get off on seeing others fail. But they will never admit it and couch their criticisms in their unbiased, objective checklists.

A great side benefit here is that you won't have a Prima-Donna surgeon screaming in your face anymore.

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Specializes in ICU.

Are you ready for your patients to talk to you? Are you ready for more than one patient? Are you ready to pass medications? Juggle between 4 patients at a time? Are you ready to discharge? Are you ready to triage? If you answered yes to all these questions then you are ready to be an ER nurse. Good luck. Change is good for everyone. You learn about yourself more when you change things up.

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Specializes in Emergency medicine, primary care.

I made the transition from OR to ER (level 1 trauma) after going straight to the OR out of school as a new grad and spending 3 years there. I did a semester of ER experience as a clinical. It was a learning curve but I'm glad I did it. However, the ER I was hired at have everyone the standard 16 week orientation and also hired new grads. I was the only nurse they had ever hired who came to them from the OR (and not the floor, school, or another ER). So be ready to prove yourself and be ready to learn. It's night and day but if you think you can handle the stress and challenge, you can try. But if the one year experience is a hard and fast requirement you may have to wait. Good luck!

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Regardless of your experience, if your aptitude matches your desire and enthusiasm for working in the ER, you'll do fine. There is a lot of stuff you learn without even being aware of it in 3 years of being in the OR. A real knowledge of orthopedic injuries and what happens after the brief visit to the ER. You undoubtedly know more about that ortho stuff than any ER nurse. And that's only one example...

Helping and supporting anesthesia is a big crossover too as some anesthetics are just running resuscitations. And you know what requirements for intubation are for sure. You know what an obtunded patient with an unsecured airway looks like and you've seen experts manage that hundreds of times. As far as the lack of experience with multiple patients and passing meds, ICU nurses face the same issue, more or less. You still have to keep four or five plates in the air at the same time as an OR nurse and organizational skills are what counts, not how you have applied them in the past, IMO.

If you're the type to be interested and motivated a good ER manager will see that and you'll do fine.

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