OR Orientation Length

[th1011, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am looking to get responses on how long on average different facilities both inpatient and ASC's OR orientation length is. Our system is looking at this as a whole and would like a pulse on the OR orientation platform nationally as well.

How long is your orientation to the OR for an unexperienced RN?

How long is your orientation to the OR for an experienced RN?

What specialties are they orienting to (all, some, scrub, circ, both)?

I appreciate anyone willing to provide answers as we approach a review at orientation length.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

th1011 said:

How long is your orientation to the OR for an unexperienced RN?

40 weeks

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How long is your orientation to the OR for an experienced RN?

12 to 15 weeks depending on experience

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What specialties are they orienting to (all, some, scrub, circ, both)?

General, GI scopes, GU, GYN, robotic, ENT, plastics, neuro, ortho, cardiac/vascular/thoracic, eyes, interventional pulmonary, trauma, all circulate/scrub except cardiac (closed team, would only go in for circ breaks)

40 ORs, academic trauma center that gets everything the other hospitals in the region can't handle

[th1011, BSN, MSN, RN]

Rose_Queen said:

40 weeks

12 to 15 weeks depending on experience

General, GI scopes, GU, GYN, robotic, ENT, plastics, neuro, ortho, cardiac/vascular/thoracic, eyes, interventional pulmonary, trauma, all circulate/scrub except cardiac (closed team, would only go in for circ breaks)

40 ORs, academic trauma center that gets everything the other hospitals in the region can't handle

Thank you! With your large center- does your facility approach Orientation in any unique/innovative ways that make the process flow and successful that you feel differs from other sites at all? Our system utilizes Periop101.

[RickyRescueRN, BSN, RN]

Academic Hospital & Level 1 Trauma and Referral facility .

ORs currently do no take any new grad/ inexperienced nurses and have not done so ever.

Experienced (Outside of OR) orientation is anything from 6-12 months and includes scrub and circulator training as all nurses are expected to scrub within their service lines.

All our 75+ ORS are specialized into service lines and you typically only train within your service line (neuro, Ortho, OHNS etc) and don't circ or scrub for other service lines unless you sign up to work nights or a weekend shift.

Experienced OR nurses from outside get 3-4 months orientation usually , some less and some more depending on their progress. Includes scrubbing and circulating within the service line you are hired into. Training though is ongoing , particularly scrub training in the various subspecialties (neuro-> Functional Neurosurgery or Neuro Spine or Skull Base surgery/endonasal , neurovascular etc. 

We are lucky that due to pay etc and benefits , we don't have any travelers now and not many vacancies , but that will change with people retiring and moving away. 

[PDXOR, MSN, RN]

How long is your orientation to the OR for an unexperienced RN?

We do not hire RNs directly to the OR. We have a RN residency they can apply to which runs for 6 months. 

How long is your orientation to the OR for an experienced RN?

Depends on the kind of experience the RN is coming in with. No OR experience but experience in different departments would still require them to go through our 6-month residency. Surgery center experience with no hospital experience tends to be a 3-4 month orientation. Hospital OR experience tends to be 1-3 months. I like for everyone to be able to touch on every specialty at least once before being off of orientation even with experience. 

What specialties are they orienting to (all, some, scrub, circ, both)?

Orientated to circulate all specialties. May include scrubbing if they need a minimal amount of orientation for circulating.