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Discussion

OR/PACU question

Do pacu's consider OR nurses for jobs? I'm looking to transition to OR but want the option to go back to bedside if I want to. I want to know all periop. Thanks!

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    You want to work in the OR....as a circulating RN or as a scrub tech? (I I am not sure from your post?) Are you currently working PACU? (Again your post is a little confusing?) But you want to be able to return to bedside nursing.....(do you mean med/surg, regular acute care hospital floor nursing....not PACU?)

    Anyway.....where ever you work for several months or years you gain some skill and lose others, it doesn't matter if it is OR, Peds, L&D, PACU, med/surg., etc. Whether or not you can get hired, or are able to transfer to other areas of nursing is hard to say. Luck, determination, good work skills and evaluations from your current job, perseverance, etc. would all come into play.

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    • Author

    Sorry it was confusing. I currently work med surg. I'm trying to get an OR job. I want to be able to work pre op and pacu as well, and I was wondering do pacu's seek nurses with OR background when hiring? My long term goal is to be CRON and RNFA but of that doesn't work out and for a freak reason I hate OR I don't want to be stuck there. I would like to do pacu you then. I also have exp in acute medicine.

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    • Admin

    Some PACUs require ICU experience, others do not. Some facilities will expect you to cross train and work pre, intra, and post op. Others do not cross train and you will stay in the same area. OR experience is not necessarily required to work in PACU, but working in the OR will allow you to work with the PACU nurses and let them get to know you. Of the nurses currently working in the PACU where I work, none of them have OR experience, some have critical care experience, and some began in the PACU straight out of nursing school.

    P.S. What is CRON? The certification for OR nurses in the U.S. is CNOR.

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    • Author

    Yes I meant certification for OR :) auto fix :/ it kept trying to change it to corn too!! Lol

    I have something in the works right now for an OR job, so hopefully if it pans out I'll ask about cross training in all periop. I guess if I don't like it I still have my medsurg exp to fall back on already. I just don't like the stress of medsurg anymore, we are always short staffed and it's very stressful.

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    • Admin
    I just don't like the stress of medsurg anymore, we are always short staffed and it's very stressful.

    Don't make the mistake of thinking that the OR can be less stressful. Depending on the environment, the patient, the people in the room, and many other things, the OR can be an incredibly stressful place.

    I've had patients wake up swinging, I've had patients code on the table, I've had patients die on the table, I've dealt with staff and surgeons with attitude. It's stressful, just a different type of stress.

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    • Author

    I understand. There is stress everywhere most of the time. I usually have 4-5 pts

    The idea of having 1-2 pts at a time sounds like music to my ears. Idk if that's he it is in the OR but feel like I would be great at it. I'm good at preparing, organizing. I feel like RNFA would be perfect for me but I know that's a long way away. I want to put my hands in, help with surgery.

    I'll take difference of personality, mean surgeons anyday over 5pts, call lights going off every 5mins

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