OR or ICU what will u choose ?

CHATSDALE · Feb 24, 2008

this is one of those different stokes for different folks

or requires that you get up early [really early] and usually requires that you be on call for certain nights and weekends for emergency surgery

icu has diffeent shifts and you can chose which fits your body clock

also in icu you frequently have the same patient for several days running so that you can know what to expect when you come to work

good luck on your choice

Squaw · Feb 24, 2008

So far OR=0 and ICU = 1........ I work in the OR so let me get a point in for them. We have a set schedule....normally M-F with weekends and holidays off. I have to be on call evening/night during the week, one weekend day a month and one holiday a year. I can go ahead and plan for all of the holidays during the year to be with family and friends.

Now to nursing.....I have one patient in the OR. I meet them in SDS and then they put all of their trust in my team (and I call them mine as I will explain later) as we take them to surgery. I try to put their fears at ease as they slip off to sleep. I then have to be incharge of the room and everything that goes on with in it. I am THEIR voice. I now have to be the nurse to the patient, the surgeons, the anesthesia, the scrubs, the floor nurses that are constantly calling the surgeons to ask questions, the PACU/SDS that needs to ask one question about the last or the next patient, and back to being the patient's voice. I then have to get the patient to recovery, give report, turn-over (clean) the room, get report on the next patient and get them into the room in less than 19 mins making sure that I have all of the meds and supplies that I need for the case. But I love my job...............

Ask me any questions and I'll answer as soon as I can.

MikeyJ, RN · Feb 24, 2008

After doing 2 OR clinical rotations, I would never want to be an OR nurse. Very little patient care. It seems as OR nurses are "project managers" -- they manage the OR room. They still run their butts off, but it is definitely different than floor nursing.

So I guess it depends on what you prefer. If you want to deal with critically ill patients and do patient care, then pursue ICU... if not, and would rather have less patient care and manage an OR room, then pursue OR nursing.

ZootRN · Feb 24, 2008

I was torn between OR and ICU myself sometime ago. Decided to go to ICU, as that would give me more options (PACU, endo, interventional radiology etc.) Now, 2 years later, went to PACU, very happy with it, and looking back at my old ICU job, I can't believe how difficult and draining it was. If I were to choose over again, I'd go with OR. Very little pt contact (means no food trays and fussing over menu, no behinds wiping), non-existent family with their ridiculous demands, in OR you have one patient at a time; weekends off, no holidays, no nights, infrequent calls, what's not to like?? The only drawback I personally see is limited advancement, but I could be wrong about that.

Good luck with your decision.

MikeyJ, RN · Feb 24, 2008

I was torn between OR and ICU myself sometime ago. Decided to go to ICU, as that would give me more options (PACU, endo, interventional radiology etc.) Now, 2 years later, went to PACU, very happy with it, and looking back at my old ICU job, I can't believe how difficult and draining it was. If I were to choose over again, I'd go with OR. Very little pt contact (means no food trays and fussing over menu, no behinds wiping), non-existent family with their ridiculous demands, in OR you have one patient at a time; weekends off, no holidays, no nights, infrequent calls, what's not to like?? The only drawback I personally see is limited advancement, but I could be wrong about that.
Good luck with your decision.

That is very dependent on the hospital. I am currently at a large county teaching hospital, and will work in their Pediatrics ICU upon graduation. Our OR is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are a level 1 trauma center and thus our OR is usually busy. So there is a large potential for a new OR nurse at our hospital to work nights and weekends.

joannep · Feb 24, 2008

Hi,

I spent 15 years working in the OR, rising to a middle managment level. However, I became interested in renal disease and changed specialties to renal nursing and worked in the acute renal unit and acute dialysis unit (high acuity. That was a steep learning curve for me and the staff there were very supportive. After 5 years of working in the renal unit I was offered a management position in the OR, and went back to OR. However, I found that I had become used to working with patients who were awake and became interested in home health. Which is where I am now, in a senior management position in a home health company.

So, what I'm trying to tell you is that no matter where you initially work, you should not feel "locked in" to only working in the OR or ICU for all your career. Remember that all experience is valuable and I have found that my experience in one specialty area has helped me in other areas.

simwes · Feb 25, 2008

thank all:yeah: :bow: ~~~~ thank for sharing ^^i will think about it ... :bow: :bow: :bow:

simwes · Feb 25, 2008

So far OR=0 and ICU = 1........ I work in the OR so let me get a point in for them. We have a set schedule....normally M-F with weekends and holidays off. I have to be on call evening/night during the week, one weekend day a month and one holiday a year. I can go ahead and plan for all of the holidays during the year to be with family and friends.
Now to nursing.....I have one patient in the OR. I meet them in SDS and then they put all of their trust in my team (and I call them mine as I will explain later) as we take them to surgery. I try to put their fears at ease as they slip off to sleep. I then have to be incharge of the room and everything that goes on with in it. I am THEIR voice. I now have to be the nurse to the patient, the surgeons, the anesthesia, the scrubs, the floor nurses that are constantly calling the surgeons to ask questions, the PACU/SDS that needs to ask one question about the last or the next patient, and back to being the patient's voice. I then have to get the patient to recovery, give report, turn-over (clean) the room, get report on the next patient and get them into the room in less than 19 mins making sure that I have all of the meds and supplies that I need for the case. But I love my job...............
Ask me any questions and I'll answer as soon as I can.

hihi ..^^ thank a lot ... another Q can OR nurse become a CRNA ?did u ever feel bored working in OR ?

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Feb 25, 2008

I love the OR because it is the best of both worlds..despite what many people think, we do patient care. We wipe behinds in the OR. I put in a least one foley a day, and not only do you have to be technologically savvy, but you have to provide emotional and psychological support for your patient.

Critical thinking is a must and you can't be someone who panics easily. You also have to have the backbone to lock horns with surgeons and anesthesia when needed if they are not following policy about vital things(counts, time outs, positioning etc). I work in a level one trauma OR and have pretty much bathed a patient after surgery to get all the blood off of them. It's true that we only have one patient at a time and that is awesome. As a new grad, in 99% of places you will not be working holidays and weekends and probably won't take call for at least 6 months, maybe even a year. even when you are off orientation, there is none of this working every other weekend and holiday nonsense like you get on the floors. :down:But, if you want the extra money, plenty of overtime to be had. If you want to advance, you can continue to be an RNFA(registered nurse first assist) or an NP specializing in surgery. There are Legal Nurse consultants who specialize in OR, because that's where they came from. Then you have management oppourtunities, you can become a rep for surgical equipment, the list goes on.

Don't have to deal with obnoxious families either. I also find that most surgeons respect the nurses and techs because they know that we can make or break their cases. Some of these docs even become like family, as well as the other staff.

I love the OR. I'm never bored, that's for sure. An OR nurse can become a CRNA...there are some schools that will take you from the ER, or OR. Most do want a year of ICU but I was told if I want to train in the ICU at some point, I can just to get that under my belt. Not sure completely that I want to be a CRNA though. Sure, the pay is great but it's one of the "high liability" areas.

shoegalRN, RN · Feb 25, 2008

I love the OR because it is the best of both worlds..despite what many people think, we do patient care. We wipe behinds in the OR. I put in a least one foley a day, and not only do you have to be technologically savvy, but you have to provide emotional and psychological support for your patient.
Critical thinking is a must and you can't be someone who panics easily. You also have to have the backbone to lock horns with surgeons and anesthesia when needed if they are not following policy about vital things(counts, time outs, positioning etc). I work in a level one trauma OR and have pretty much bathed a patient after surgery to get all the blood off of them. It's true that we only have one patient at a time and that is awesome. As a new grad, in 99% of places you will not be working holidays and weekends and probably won't take call for at least 6 months, maybe even a year. even when you are off orientation, there is none of this working every other weekend and holiday nonsense like you get on the floors. :down:But, if you want the extra money, plenty of overtime to be had. If you want to advance, you can continue to be an RNFA(registered nurse first assist) or an NP specializing in surgery. There are Legal Nurse consultants who specialize in OR, because that's where they came from. Then you have management oppourtunities, you can become a rep for surgical equipment, the list goes on.
Don't have to deal with obnoxious families either. I also find that most surgeons respect the nurses and techs because they know that we can make or break their cases. Some of these docs even become like family, as well as the other staff.
I love the OR. I'm never bored, that's for sure. An OR nurse can become a CRNA...there are some schools that will take you from the ER, or OR. Most do want a year of ICU but I was told if I want to train in the ICU at some point, I can just to get that under my belt. Not sure completely that I want to be a CRNA though. Sure, the pay is great but it's one of the "high liability" areas.

Thank you so much for this post! I am still in nursing school and fell in love with the OR when I did my rotation. I'm fighting to keep my grades up so I can get first dips to have my Capstone done in the OR. I want to go straight to it after nursing school and your post just made it so much easier for me to decide btw the OR and Med-Surg.

Thanks again!

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Feb 25, 2008

Forgot to add, they may also teach you to scrub, which is interesting. You're right there in all the action, sometimes elbow deep in a patient right there with the surgeon. Too cool! :up: