Pigeon-holed in OR?

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I am a December BSN grad, and had a great interview for the OR Internship at a Level 1 Trauma Hosp. I was informally told I would be accepted into the internship.

Here's my dilemma: I don't want to be pigeon-holed in the OR, if I try it and decide it's not for me. How hard do you think it is to switch from OR to ER or critical care nursing? The OR is an entirely different set of skills from all other areas.

This will be my first nursing job out of school. However, I have worked for over 2 years as a tech in the same hospital in the ED. I love the ED, and would have wanted to work there except we've had a mass exodus of good experienced nurses d/t change in management. I have a scholarship from this hospital and owe them 2 years.

Should this even be a concern to me, or just go for the OR? I have an interview next week for CCU, but the manager is supposed to be a real jerk. The OR management have been absolutely great and I had a great vibe from them.

Thanks for your thoughts!

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Just ask them if there are any requirements that say you have to stay in the OR. There are some OR that want some sort of a commitment, so you might want to ask about that.

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I would have to sign a 1-yr commitment beyond the 6mos. internship. That's fine with me. Also, the woman in charge of the internship told me I could keep some of my skills up by floating over to pre-op when we weren't really busy.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Floating to pre-op is a good idea (i do the same once a month).

But quite honestly, where i work, no one really gets the chance to lose thier skills.

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