Plastics RN's...what experience if any did you need before this job?

rnintwo · Nov 9, 2010

Also, please mention the state youre in...Im in NY.

Simply Complicated · Nov 9, 2010

I've never worked in plastics, but I believe they like you to have some critical care experience. Because you are responsible for recovering the patients after surgery, where things can go bad, quickly

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 9, 2010

What part of plastics are you looking at- OR, inpatient or outpatient?

I work in a surgical ICU with some plastics patients. Most surgeries involve flaps, tissue grafts, hourly flap checks for arterial and venous circulation, radical neck dissections, skin grafts, etc.

You need to gain an experienced eye to spot trouble, and an emergency return trip to the OR is sometimes needed.

Every once in a great while, I have gotten to use leech therapy.

In the hospital, we work standard hospital hours of 12 hour shifts.

voraciousj · Nov 9, 2010

RN perdiem...I am curious about your leech experiences...

Did you have to touch them with your (hopefully gloved) hands or just shake 'em from the container onto the pt? How do you get them off? I got the heebie-jeebies just thinking about that! :eek:

PetiteOpRN · Nov 9, 2010

I'm a plastics RN in Missouri (in my spare time -- the "day job" is neurosurgery). i have worked in a private plastic surgery office for almost 4 years.

I see patients in clinic. The clinic examination is different from the head to toe that you do at the hospital, but pretty straightforward, once you get the hang of it. Physical examination will probably be a focused one (ie skin, hand, abdomen, breast). I am expected to write/dictate clinic notes, insurance letters, etc in a timely manner after the visit.

My OR duties include circulating, scrubbing, and administering conscious sedation. This is the learning curve for most nurses, because this is not taught in nursing school, and the wards/units don't give you ANY perioperative experience.

I do aesthetician procedures, if I'm free, like laser txs, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, etc.

I think the best preparation is OR or clinical experience, not floor or ICU experience. It's a whole different set of skills involved. Yes, you "recover" patients from conscious sedation, but that is far different from general anesthesia. If you are in a surgery requiring general, you will be at a facility that is staffed to recover patients.

Salary: less than my salary at the hospital. Hours: 0730-1700ish, entirely dependent upon how many patients we have. Holidays/weekends: generally no, but we will accommodate almost anything that the patient is willing to pay for.

rnintwo · Nov 9, 2010

Sorry, I should have been more specific...Im looking to work for a Plastic Surgeon in an office setting where the hours are 'normal', not in a hospital 12hr shift setting.

PetiteOpRN · Nov 10, 2010

Sorry, I should have been more specific...Im looking to work for a Plastic Surgeon in an office setting where the hours are 'normal', not in a hospital 12hr shift setting.

The description I posted above was just that. It is a plastics clinic, where we see primarily cosmetic patients. We do many procedures on site, which is very common for plastics, both in the hospital and in private settings. Are you not familiar with military time? 1700 is 5:00pm.

OCNRN63, RN · Nov 10, 2010

The description I posted above was just that. It is a plastics clinic, where we see primarily cosmetic patients. We do many procedures on site, which is very common for plastics, both in the hospital and in private settings. Are you not familiar with military time? 1700 is 5:00pm.

Uhm, I think she might have been thinking about post #3 when she responded, not your post. That post mentioned 12h shifts.

rnintwo · Nov 11, 2010

yes, I was responding to post #3