OR room....Who likes?

maeyken · Nov 26, 2007

I like the OR. :)

Partially I came because I liked the schedule better (majority of shifts are M-F days), but also because I like the work. It is something I enjoy, and the large majority of people there are good to work with. I enjoy the team environment. I also enjoy seeing inside people

IsseyM · Nov 27, 2007

Hi,
I am looking at RN specialties and was looking at the OR.
1- Does anyone like the OR and if so...why?
2- If not...then please tell me why?
3- If you moved to another area...which are did you go to and why?
Thanks very much...

Hi TonyFl, to answer your questions.

1. I like the OR most days. I like the OR because i've always been fascinated surgery, thought about becoming a surgeon one day. I like working Mon-Fri day shifts, i get off early enough before banks or post offices close. I like that i can focus on one patient at a time instead of anywhere between 6-12 patients on a med-surg floor. I also like that we don't have to deal with difficult patients for long, they're under anesthesia while we're caring for them. I l like the team work involved in the OR, many people i work with are great. I like the fact that there is ALWAYS a doctor around, you don't have to page a doctor for orders, or because you can't read their writing or for whatever reasons. Once i see my patient in pre-op i know the doctor will show up so any questions or concerns that i or my patient may have can be answered right then and there. This may sound corny but i'm glad i don't have to buy my own scrubs because our OR requires us to wear their scrubs, less laundry for me.

2. I don't like the OR because i have to take call. Also, some surgeons can flip out on you. I hate making surgeons angry but no matter how good you are, how smart you are or how much experience you have you're gonna piss off some surgeon or somebody some day. I've seen OR nurses with 10 + years still get snapped at, yelled at or kicked out of rooms. Its very uncomfortable to be stuck in a room all day with a surgeon you know doesn't really like you or talk to you.

I don't like our OR because it is SO freakin UNORGANIZED, its ridiculous! Doesn't help that our OR is huge either. There are other reasons why i don't like my OR but i won't go into that because we're talking about OR in general

3. I haven't moved to another area of nursing.

IsseyM

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

I like the OR for various reasons. Surgery is cool and provides almost instant gratification-meaning many of our patients will benefit almost immediately from their procedures. I like the teamwork aspect. Yes, there can be difficult docs, nurses and techs, but most people are ok..I love the team I'm working with now. You only have 1 patient at a time. You don't have to work as many weekends and holidays as the floor nurses, but if you want extra cash, you can always take call. Some surgeons can be nasty, but I've found that more times than not, they really value your imput. There is very little exposure to nasty families.You get a break and lunch almost all of the time-you don't get attitude for actually wanting a break, like I've seen on the floors(during clinical)

I have never worked in another dept., so I can't answer the last question. I can say that I know of only 2 nurses that left the OR for another floor.

Scrubby · Nov 27, 2007

There are good and bad things about working in the OR.

I love working in theatre because i love to scrub and learn so much watching and assisting in operations. I don't have to deal with patients families, aggressive patients go to sleep pretty fast and there are always people around to help out. The ppl i work with are normally pretty supportive and i enjoy working well as a team.

The things i don't like about the job is that sometimes i feel as though it's a pretty thankless profession. The patients don't remember the care we give and certain surgeons seem to be complaining constantly that we're not good enough. You get stuck doing overtime because the lists run over and management don't seem to be able to provide enough relief. You have to stand for long hours and at times it can be pretty boring.

But for me the good outweighs the bad.

mamamiah · Nov 27, 2007

I have worked in the operating room going on 10 yrs now. I love my job. I scrub and assist the surgeon whether it be general, vascular, neuro, but mainly I scrub and assist on ortho cases. My passion is ortho, I love getting to see the finished product. I know when that patient leaves the O.R. they will rehab and then go home in 3 or 4 days. The patients coming in for elective ortho cases are not sick. Ortho trauma is something else, you feel good at the end of the case knowing you have helped and done all you could do.

There is a lot of call and sometimes you don't get relieved because you may have 30 minutes left till the end of a case and it is more cost effective not to send relief if it is 2:45 and you will be able to clock out before 3:30. so no relief.

There is usually a shortage of nurses and surg techs. long hours, dif. shifts and call.

You either love it or not.

Hope this helps.