OR nurses pls comment

ORoxyO · Sep 2, 2018

I worked as a nurse tech on a floor during school for 18 months in the same hospital system which is how I landed and interview. Pretty sure that helped anyway!

Best parts- sleeping patients, minimal time dealing with family, seeing some pretty cool stuff. Being part of a team that can really change a life. Sometimes I can't believe I'm getting paid to watch some crazy s***.

Worst part- surgeon, mda, crna, resident, fellow, tech, student all wanting everything right now like you have 10 arms. Everyone treats the circulator like their servant. Prioritization is essential.

I wouldn't trade the OR for anything.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 3, 2018

I went into the OR straight out of nursing school. We actually prefer new grads- we've found that nurses from the floor miss the patient interaction whereas the new grads didn't really experience it and don't miss it. Those who come straight from school tend to stay in the OR longer.

Lots of questions and answers about OR nursing can be found here: https://allnurses.com/operating-room-nursing/ask-an-or-1015274.html

surenot442 · Sep 3, 2018

I came in as a new grad with no medical background. I love the amount of anatomy I have learned as well as a really strong base in the actual procedures I have. I don't like the M-F 8 or 10 hour days. I wish OR nursing could be 12 hour shifts like other specialties. (and call is a bummer)

NutrixLA624 , BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2018

thank you for the link!

NutrixLA624 , BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2018

thanks for the comment, been a nurse a little over a yr now, first 6mo was on a med surg floor but it was overall an awful experience and i ended up leaving to go to community health center in adult medicine...needless to say i do no love it, i like some of my coworkers and the job itself is not hard but its definitely not tickling my fancy. i need more of a clinical aspect...and I've always wanted to specialize but I'm trying to take my time to find the right job for me because i don't want to switch jobs for a long time.

ImAnORnurse · Sep 4, 2018

I am looking for advice from all nurses in the OR/ pacu/ ambulatory etc. just wondering how you got your start ? Did you have time as a nurse under your belt before you got into the OR? Whats the best and worst part ?

My hospital was offering a class... an introduction to the O.R. for nurses that I thought was going to be just a CEU class. During the middle of the 4 hour class the speaker said that she would be putting in transfer requests for us and that was that! I was always interested in the operating room and even did an independent study the last month of nursing school at a local hospital. I was introduced to the different roles we play in the O.R., how to orchestrate the flow of the room, how to delegate etc.

I worked on the neuroscience floor just shy of two years. During those two years I made some important connections and became friendly with our night shift nursing administrator who used to work in surgical services. I asked a lot of questions and we had many conversations about the pros and cons of the O.R.

For me, the best part of being a circulator nurse is the autonomy. I get the satisfaction of giving great care to the most vulnerable of patients. I get to run my room the way that is most efficient for me and my patient. You learn how to prioritize critically.

The worst part for me has changed over time. In the beginning, lack of confidence played a big part for me, but then, I realized that the more I learned, the more confident I became. I sometimes let surgeons get to me with my inexperience showing until I found my voice and spoke up. I learned to explain my rationale if I wasn't working in the order a surgeon with "tunnel vision" thought I should be. I became more respected by them and told "thanks for telling me" in a trauma situation (for example). In my practice, I always give vocal feedback immediately. If the surgeon asks for blood and cellsaver, I say, "I'll get that for you." or "I'll make that happen" just so they know I heard their request. If an anesthesiologist asks what the H&H was preoperatively, I respond: "Checking labs now." They just want to know someone's on it. It's easy to do. It makes the room run smoothly.

THE worst part is the call and lack of sleep sometimes.

I began working in the O.R. in 1995 and still wouldn't even entertain the idea of working a different specialty. I hope this helps

RedInPurple · Sep 5, 2018

I was advised to stay out of the OR from a retired ED nurse because he says that the work feels more collaborative in the ED and also that "surgeons are ****heads" LOL.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 5, 2018

I was advised to stay out of the OR from a retired ED nurse because he says that the work feels more collaborative in the ED and also that "surgeons are ****heads" LOL.

So did the retired ED nurse ever work in the OR? If not, said nurse has no business saying that. Also, how long ago? Things have changed everywhere from nurse as assistant to the physician to nurse and physician as team.

NutrixLA624 , BSN, RN · Sep 6, 2018

i think a lot of doctors are d-heads lol regardless of specialty...but I've worked as a secretary for surgeons in an office and they are definitely a different breed !

didadi_826 · Sep 12, 2018

I was working in an organization as a LVN and was studying in a LVN to RN program. Our organization offers periop 101 course for people to apply. However, it requires the candidate to have a RN experience and also working for the organization for 2 years. It's randomly selected and by preferences from your supervisor. Like applying nursing school, there were many applicants but you were competed with your coworkers. The periop101 course provides you with the basic foundation to enter the OR, but you still need many years of hands on experience to feel truly comfortable working in the operating room.

RN_JuJu · Sep 17, 2018

As a new graduate nurse with NO prior OR experience, I found it extremely hard to land a position in a main OR at a hospital since I didn't precept or do my capstone in the OR. However, I knew that the OR was where I wanted to be, so I was really picky with where I applied to. I was fortunate enough to land a position at an ambulatory surgical center a few months after I graduated, and was trained in their pre-op and PACU for the first 6 months. (Their job description stated that they would be willing to hire new grads.)

After doing that for about 6 months, they then offered to train me to be a circulating nurse since our other circulator was going on maternity leave! I was one of the few nurses at the facility that was cross-trained to float between pre-op, OR, and PACU. I've currently been at this job for almost 2 years now, and was just recently offered a 6-8 month training position in the main operating room at a hospital! :)

If you're finding it difficult to land a new grad OR position right out of nursing school, I definitely recommend maybe working at an ASU/outpatient surgical center first to get your experience. Preferably a multi-specialty center. Mine was a highly specialized surgical center and I felt that it hindered me from getting a lot of job offers. Luckily my new employer saw potential in me and decided to give me a chance.

Now for the pros and cons, I can only speak on my experiences working at an ASU, as I haven't started my job yet in the main operating room at a hospital.

So pros and cons of a ASU are-

Pros: it's fast-paced; there's lots of teamwork involved in this department (which I love); every case is different, with different challenges that require you to stay attentive and think on your feet.

Cons: some days are slow, so you're never guaranteed 40 hours a week; lower pay; not as much back-up in the event that something goes wrong.

All in all though I can definitely see myself going back to outpatient nursing once I get burnt out of being in a hospital. I loved my time at the ASU I was working in!

NOTE: I live in the Bay Area, CA, and nursing jobs are highly impacted up here. It's a competitive market- more competitive than in other states. This was the route I had to take that worked for me. Although I had to wait 2 years after graduation to get my dream job, I was patient and persistent and it worked out.