Overnight OR positions?

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I would really love to go into the OR after I graduate, but most positions I see are daytime 7-3 type positions. I really want to work overnights, even evenings would be fine. Are there established periop positions on nights, or are you guys working mostly the standard work week? 

Thanks for any insight!

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Specializes in Pediatric OR Nursing.

The majority of OR jobs are day shift bc that's when elective surgeries happen. Level 1 trauma centers are required to staff their ORs 24/7 but usually only have one team in house overnight and then there are those on call. My hospital I work at is level 1. We have a charge nurse, a RN to circulate, and a scrub tech. That's the entire OR staff for night shift. If they have to open a 2nd room overnight the call team is coming in. I work day shift but I take overnight call from 11p-7a, usually one night every 2-3 weeks. I do not get called in often but when I do it's for a trauma/very urgent case. Hospitals that aren't level 1 might not even staff their OR at night. Night positions usually go to nurses with several years experience since there is such limited staff at night and a lot of times you are the only nurse there. Cases at night are emergencies and trauma and you need to have a good foundation and know what you are doing with limited resources. There is very little chance that they would hire a new grad for nights bc you would have to go through orientation during the day to actually learn how to do cases and then after orientation you need to gain experience doing the cases solo with resources that can help you during the day.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Most ORs will only do elective cases up to a certain point. In my experience, one place (community hospital) only allowed elective cases to be booked up to 1700 end time (which meant they usually started before 1500). My current employer (academic medical center) will allow electives to be booked until 1900 end time.

If night shift in the OR is truly what you want, you're going to need to commit to at least a year if not two off orientation before wanting to move to nights. Like mentioned above, those cases are emergent and resources are limited - you'll need to be able to function fully independently. You'll also most likely be working in a place that does truly complicated cases and traumas if they're staffing overnights.

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kinbari08 said:

The majority of OR jobs are day shift bc that's when elective surgeries happen. Level 1 trauma centers are required to staff their ORs 24/7 but usually only have one team in house overnight and then there are those on call. My hospital I work at is level 1. We have a charge nurse, a RN to circulate, and a scrub tech. That's the entire OR staff for night shift. If they have to open a 2nd room overnight the call team is coming in. I work day shift but I take overnight call from 11p-7a, usually one night every 2-3 weeks. I do not get called in often but when I do it's for a trauma/very urgent case. Hospitals that aren't level 1 might not even staff their OR at night. Night positions usually go to nurses with several years experience since there is such limited staff at night and a lot of times you are the only nurse there. Cases at night are emergencies and trauma and you need to have a good foundation and know what you are doing with limited resources. There is very little chance that they would hire a new grad for nights bc you would have to go through orientation during the day to actually learn how to do cases and then after orientation you need to gain experience doing the cases solo with resources that can help you during the day.

Thank you so much for the reply, I really reeeally wanna be in the OR... I might see what I can do with childcare and my husband's work to make day shift possible. I have seen day shift positions posted explicitly mentioning new grads welcome. Ugh I really want this 😭 

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Rose_Queen said:

Most ORs will only do elective cases up to a certain point. In my experience, one place (community hospital) only allowed elective cases to be booked up to 1700 end time (which meant they usually started before 1500). My current employer (academic medical center) will allow electives to be booked until 1900 end time.

If night shift in the OR is truly what you want, you're going to need to commit to at least a year if not two off orientation before wanting to move to nights. Like mentioned above, those cases are emergent and resources are limited - you'll need to be able to function fully independently. You'll also most likely be working in a place that does truly complicated cases and traumas if they're staffing overnights.

Thanks for the great information I appreciate it; all that makes a lot of sense. The big hospital system nearby me has a nurse residency program and has several periop positions listed saying nurses in the residency program are welcome to apply, of course they're day shift.

 

I think over the time I have left in my program, I'm gonna work on figuring out something with my family's schedules so I can do day shift. I don't want to wonder what could've been. Thanks again 🙂

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

You will not find an OR that will complete orientation on night shift, that's why you're only finding day shift positions saying new grads welcome. I would also expect that when on orientation, you may be required to work M-F 7-3, simply because that's when the bulk of cases happen and where you'll have the most experience.

There simply isn't enough volume on nights to orient to everything you have the possibility of seeing.

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Rose_Queen said:

You will not find an OR that will complete orientation on night shift, that's why you're only finding day shift positions saying new grads welcome. I would also expect that when on orientation, you may be required to work M-F 7-3, simply because that's when the bulk of cases happen and where you'll have the most experience.

There simply isn't enough volume on nights to orient to everything you have the possibility of seeing.

Yeah that's why I'm gonna try to shift things around to make working day shift possible, if I can get my spouse in board with it. I had my suspicions that would be the case, but figured I'd ask, thank you!! 🙂

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Specializes in R.N., Certified Surgical Technologist, LPN.

I agree with the post above. After orientation you can ask to work overnight. If you work at a level 1 trauma center you can most likely pickup overnight shifts. I worked overnights mostly weekends for school for 3 yrs. Our OR staffs overnights, there are not usually many scheduled cases, but we do open hearts, kidney transplants and any trauma or emergency cases. We also set up the rooms for the next day like outting equipment and instrument trays in rooms so that the day crew can start their cases for their scheduled 7.30am cases.

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@MarcieM thank you so much for the information! 🙂 I am new to the forum and just figured out I can mention usernames instead of quoting whole replies LOL @Rose_Queen and @kinbari08 thank you two also for the very helpful input!

I am gonna try to set myself up to do daytime, and maybe move to nights eventually, if not I'll check out some other specialties once I'm out in the big wide world of nursing. 

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Specializes in OR.

Nights are typically call, and trauma OR's have staff overnight but it has to be with experienced strong staff. Being a new graduate you start where they are willing to take you, any shift, any floor from there you branch out. 

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Thanks so much for the reply! 

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