OR Nurse Residency Program

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 27, 2021

Hello @NikiLPN7! There are generally two threads I point people to for information about the OR. Both of these have had input from several OR nurses- many who love it and some who don’t.

I personally have never been anywhere but periop- nursing school clinicals were enough to tell me med/surg wasn’t for me.

NikiLPN7 · Jan 27, 2021

@Rose_Queen Thank you so much, I look forward to reading these threads!

Lexi440, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jan 28, 2021

Hello, I have been an OR RN for 75% of my career. I did not go into the OR after graduation due to that being unheard of at the time. I was a surgical technologist while in nursing school so I was immediately drawn to being back to the OR.

I have worked observation, cardiac step down, neuro ICU, and an endo suite before eventually returning to the OR.

Nursing is multi-faceted and plentiful. I absolutely love the OR because I enjoy anatomy and physiology. If you like routines and normalcy, it isn't always possible in the OR. I prefer the OR because I don't have to worry about who is on call for this body system, who is managing vents, who's on endocrine, blah x3. In the OR, one patient at a time-no exceptions.

There are nurses who hate being in the OR but won't leave. Most nurses come to the OR to die; we don't plan on leaving here because it is a great job. I've met a lot of nurses who don't enjoy it due to how specialized it is and you can't necessarily take these skills to a nursing floor. Some nurses use it as a stepping stone and pursue their FNP or go to CCU/ICU to further their experience to apply to CRNA school.

I would try and shadow for a few hours if possible. I know they still aren't giving a whole week/month of clinical experience during school for the OR. It would be great to have fresh ideas and great nurses join the team!