OR nurse pursing NP

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Hi! I was wondering if theres any former or current OR nurses that are/will be NPs. Im pretty nervous because Ive been out for 6 years (and only done OR nursing)and have lost many bedside skills. Im just hoping for some positive "its like riding a bike, it'll come back to you" or how people dealt with other nurses claiming OR nurses shouldn't go back to school since its not "real nursing".

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Not an NP myself, but I've worked with several nurses whose only experience was the OR before they attended NP school. Those who say OR nurses shouldn't go back to school since it's not "real nursing" don't deserve a reply. Don't let that take up space in your mind.

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Specializes in OR, Outpatient.

There are quite a few nurses where I work that have gone back to school for NP. I agree with Rose_Queen, anyone who tells you OR nursing isn’t “real” is a waste of space. Everyone who goes back to grad school is going there to learn new things; you’re all there in the same boat.
The nurses who are in NP programs now where I work tend to say the hardest part of going back hasn’t been the actual nursing classes (Patho, Assessment, clinical, etc) but the non-clinical courses heavy on paper-writing (ethics, legal issues, systems, etc). And returning to the routine of writing multiple long papers for school is going to happen to everyone, no matter where they got their RN experience.

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@scrubulator Hi there - I got my FNP two years ago and it did take a bit of 'refresher studying' to re-acquaint myself with bedside nursing. I've only been in OR Nursing (specifically CT & Trauma) since I obtained my BSN. In some ways, I was able to add unique perspective to our lectures and clinicals given that most of my classmates were either purely med/surg or ICU - they were very interested in my experiences in the O.R.

I was accepted to a p/t DNP program and will be starting next fall.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Progressive Care, PACU, ICU, OR.

I have been a OR nurse since 2009 and will start my FNP program in January. Don’t let other people discourage you. Follow your dreams. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

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@ArmyRN79 Couldn't agree more! Do you scrub or circulate?

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Specializes in Family Practice, Progressive Care, PACU, ICU, OR.

I circulate. I’m active duty military, so as officers it’s expected we mainly circulate. Plus I’m a head nurse now, so I barley circulate. The price of management I guess. ☺️

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Specializes in OR/NP/RNFA.

I just graduated with my Adult Acute Care NP/RNFA. Been an OR nurse for 5 years, did Emergency Room for about a year prior. If you're not going FNP route where you have to do certain clinicals, the best advice I can give is choose your clinical sites wisely (I did Vascular Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine) and start networking with the surgeons. It's been incredibly tough to get a job being a new graduate (still searching but some leads) and I had one doctor pointedly tell me he didn't like that I only had OR experience in the last few years, so be aware that non-surgical specialties may prefer floor/ICU/ER nursing experience. However! I was able to upgrade my position in the OR to RNFA and receive that pay, so if you go NP/RNFA route, ask your manager to upgrade you as soon as you're done and get that extra money and experience!

Overall I did not have a problem with the didactic portion of school and honestly, even though we checked off on procedures such as LPs and Intubation in class, I hardly ever needed "physical skills" other than assessment and the occasional pelvic exam! You're still using your assessment skills in the OR. You may not be doing head to toes, but you're definitely assessing airways, levels of consciousness, and how the disease processes might affect the patient perioperatively.

I lived on Pocket Guides and Drug Books so as long as you're reading and understanding the material and how to apply it, you'll do just fine!

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Specializes in Family Practice, Progressive Care, PACU, ICU, OR.

I appreciate your advice. I’ve been a OR nurse for 9 years and I’m starting my FNP program next week. Ready for something different.

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Specializes in OR.
On 10/27/2019 at 1:48 AM, ArmyRN79 said:

I have been a OR nurse since 2009 and will start my FNP program in January. Don’t let other people discourage you. Follow your dreams. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Hi!! I hope you’re still active on here! I read that you went into a NP Program from the OR, is that correct? So am I able to apply for NP school if my nursing experience has only been in the OR?

thank you!

Erin

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