the OR is interesting

[Tschinault]

I moved from the ER to the OR a little over a year ago. I took the periop 101 class. I do still work int the ER per diem. I have discovered in my one year, actually in the first few weeks, that OR nurses are a different kind of nurses. It seems to be a little world unto itself. The OR as a whole seems to be more dramatic. I am not saying I do not like it or the staff, by any means, I have a great respect for some of the nurses. I became a charge nurse within this year so I see a little different view also. Anyone else have this experience in the OR?

[kguill975, MSN, APRN, NP]

A lot of nurses who come to the OR from other areas say the same thing. I was a CST before going to nursing school, then later became a CNOR, so the OR is all I've ever known. I didn't see a difference in our behavior until I became a Surgical NP. I now work in several hospitals and ORs with all types of staff, and the differences in the ER/floor/ICU nurses versus the OR nurses is so apparent. I sometimes ask myself if I'm that high strung too. I know that all areas of nursing are stressful, so I don't know what to attribute it to, but it can be funny sometimes.