Ortho floor nurse or OR Nurse?

[KMarie10]

I am about to graduate nursing school in 40 days (seems unreal!). I will receive my AAS (Associate in Applied Sciences) and soon sit for my boards for RN licensure. I was offered two jobs at the hospital and I am having a hard time deciding what would be the best fit for me - not just for now, but for the long haul too. I applied at the OR and ortho floor. Everyone knows nursing school recommends med-surg nursing to every graduate. So I took the hint and thought ortho (though a specialty/still med-surgy) would be a good fit. I enjoy seeing patients recover and get better and I want to be a good motivating factor to help them succeed. However the thought of passing meds, hanging numerous IV's throughout the day and possibly throwing out my back (hopefully not though!) are frightening because I don't feel prepared to face it all and I am not positive if that's what I even want. I was officially hired on the ortho floor (they gave us 24 hours to either decline or accept) so for job security I locked that one in and don't start until July 20th. Meanwhile, I am doing my preceptorship (90 hours) in the OR. What I thought I would just think was ok...has turned out to be pretty great! I enjoy being a part of a team of many different people, I like seeing the surgeries and setting up the rooms. I enjoy learning and I feel like I can be myself there (I can be a tad sarcastic - but so is everyone else). The downsides are possibly new employee hazing (which I have heard can either make or break you) and being understaffed. I am currently in the Ortho core and my day flies by! My facilitator thinks I should work in the OR, and tells me I am picking up faster than some of the new hires. I don't mind the minimal pt. interactions, but I enjoy getting the patient, and wheeling them back to a new world and being the one to gain their trust in a small amount of time. This job makes me feel needed and important (even though I am just a student and very limited). My problem is - now that I have locked in the ortho floor job, which I remain indecisive about, should I switch all together because I am liking OR nursing so much? If anyone has experience as an OR or Ortho nurse - your input would be greatly appreciated! Or any comments, advice, etc. would be nice too!

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I have zero OR experience but am an ortho nurse and I love ortho. It is not as bad as people make it out to be! I guess it depends on if you are a people person or not. In the OR, your pt is asleep. As a floor nurse, customer service....

My 2 cents :)

[SierraBravo]

The other thing to consider is that if you take an OR job out of school it will be a significant challenge to transfer to a medicine or surgical unit in the future, if you decide to transfer at some point. If you know that you want to be in the OR for a long time, then take the OR job. In my opinion and experience, new grads that go to work in the OR, OB, and Psych tend to get pidgeonholed and have a very difficult time transferring out of those areas because they are so specialized. I guess what I am saying is that you should think about not only the present, but also the future and what you might want down the road.

[lth1123]

The other thing to consider is that if you take an OR job out of school it will be a significant challenge to transfer to a medicine or surgical unit in the future, if you decide to transfer at some point. If you know that you want to be in the OR for a long time, then take the OR job. In my opinion and experience, new grads that go to work in the OR, OB, and Psych tend to get pidgeonholed and have a very difficult time transferring out of those areas because they are so specialized. I guess what I am saying is that you should think about not only the present, but also the future and what you might want down the road.

I am a new grad OR nurse who just secured a second job PRN med-surg.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

The other thing to consider is that if you take an OR job out of school it will be a significant challenge to transfer to a medicine or surgical unit in the future, if you decide to transfer at some point. If you know that you want to be in the OR for a long time, then take the OR job. In my opinion and experience, new grads that go to work in the OR, OB, and Psych tend to get pidgeonholed and have a very difficult time transferring out of those areas because they are so specialized. I guess what I am saying is that you should think about not only the present, but also the future and what you might want down the road.

It may depend on the area. I know many people who have transitioned from the OR to ICU, ER, OB, and Med Surg without a problem. And one of the ladies in the ER had been in the OR for 23 years.