Perioperative Nursing

chartleypj · Oct 30, 2003

abcd,

I would suggest you go observe in an OR to be sure this is the place you wish to try. Pay close attention to the pace the nurses set, their organizational skills, the nursing care as well as the technical care they provide, the amount of equipment associated with surgery and the amount of physical labor they exert to prepare a room and do the case.

If you wish the challenge, then go for it. It is a wonderful place to work.

Paula

Chrislynn2003 · Oct 31, 2003

abcd, I just started working in the OR as a new grad. The OR is a really fun place to work; you will run into some not so nice people and others will be your friends. I just started an internship in September and have been slowly working my way into the OR. It can be very challenging at times and intimidating as well. You will most likely get yelled at for one reason or another (just like anywhere you work) even if you did nothing wrong. You just have to realize not to take it personally. You must also remember you are working directly with the physician, and everyone must work together. At my hospital, there is usually a scrub, circulator, physician and a PA in the room; we each have different roles and responsibilites, but it's all about teamwork. An advantage of working in an OR is that you will always just have one patient at a time; not a handful like on the floor. But, you do not do much one on one patient care as they will only remember you for a few minutes before surgery. I'm not going to lie to you; I have actually gone home from work and cried b/c I had such a bad day; nursing is stressful period, no matter where you work. I had someone tell me that it will take 1-2 years to start to feel comfortable in the OR, which is expected b/c there is much to learn and to get a routine established. Overall, if you are really interested give it a shot. I was required to do a "shadow day" during my 2nd interview in the OR to make sure i was really interested. I wish you the best of luck. The OR is really a neat place to work if you get the opportunity. I don't know alot yet, but if you have any questions, just ask me.

Christine

shodobe · Oct 31, 2003

I agree with Christylynn2003 that the OR isn't for everyone. I have been doing this for 26 years and it wasn't easy. It did take about 5 years for me to be completely comfortable in the OR. Now where I work we as RNs both scrub and circulate. If you work somewhere that only requires you to circulate then maybe a year or more. The scrubbing is really the hardest in my opinion. I know there are some out there who will disagree but to each their own. You have to perservere you make it and not let anyone discourage you. Hang in there and be strong. There will be some nastys but more good people than bad. Good luck in your decision, we need some good OR nurses! Mike