OR or med/surg

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:nurse: Possible opportunity to get a job right after graduation in the OR, which I think I could like, but feel I may get stuck there and not be able to get back out on the med/surg floor. Will I lose all those skills I have just learned in school while on the med/surg floor or should I bite the bullet and go for the OR position. Please help from those who have been in my position. What are your opinions?

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I am on a med-surg floor... i would rather be in OR. med surg is not for everyone.... including me.

good luck follow your heart

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Wow, I was put in the same situation & went with the OR (I start on Monday! :yeah:) It is a tough decision especially since they usually require you to sign a contract for a few years. They did mention to me that I would lose my Med/Surg skills, but after weighing the pros & cons I am comfortable wit my decision. I read some of the OR Nursing threads & did some research online to help me make my decision.

You do need to follow your heart in the end. Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

What a great opportunity. Experienced perioperative nurses are highly prized by their employers. One indication of the overall supply & demand; hospitals & surgical centers continue to use recruiters to fill these positions because qualified applicants are pretty scarce. This is a very secure specialty area with excellent opportunities for career growth if you like it.

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Hi there!

I was torn between the two too. I was offered Med/Surg first so went with that but I'm sorry to say I do not like it at all. I'm new grad, but want to get into a surgical center or something else asap. I would say don't worry about losing skills, if you decide to try Med/Surg later you will be okay, but you probably will not want to. Med/Surg is CRAZY busy! I've had great pt's, but also one's who are addicts, homeless found down, and confused elderly. I've had pt's try to hit me, scratch me, swear at me, throw things at me. It's really tough in Med/Surg, and I'm sorry to say I don't recommend it.

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I know this thread is old but I just wanted to say that I wanted an OR position so badly out of nursing school but couldn't find one. So I took a job on Tele and it was the worst 3 months of my life. I am not really a crier but that job brought me to tears. There were days when I would literally go a full 12 hour shift without peeing, eating or drinking. 12 hours!!!

I had placed an application for an OR training program a few weeks prior to my last day on Tele and when they called me for an interview I jumped on it. Gave my notice and walked right out and never looked back. So if OR is what you want then go with that. It offers much more autonomy and freedom than the floor. You may loose some basic skills but you will learn a hundred more in their place.

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