Please help...Is OR nursing for me??

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Hey guys...need advice! I am a new nurse who started out in the OR..I have had NO OR experience whatsoever in school or otherwise...not even a lecture on the OR. In the interview and on my contract with the hospital...I was promised all this wonderful six months of training and the Periop 101 class..so excited about my training and my new experience in the OR I accepted the job. Not only did I NOT get ANY education whatsoever but EVERYTHING I was learning I was trying to look up on my own at home or from a room. When I would ask for advice or questions in the OR rooms...the other circulators would tell me how great I am doing and would bad mouth me to the so called educator or would tell me that "this is not a teaching hospital"...So the educator unannouced pulled me aside 3 months later and told me "oh yeah by the way...I have heard from the other circulators that you have been prepping and positioning wrong the WHOLE time." I am thinking why didnt they tell me that RIGHT then and there that I was doing things wrong. No offense, but I think when it comes to patient safety that that was NOT a good idea or maybe its just me. I have TRIED to tell the "educator" about the issues and she said "this was NOT a teaching hospital and that all ORs are like this." In fact they had another new nurse to the OR with NO experience and they had her running a room BY HERSELF at 2 1/2months and would tell me that she could run a room at 2 months and that I should be able to. I have since left this place as I didnt feel like this was a good working environment and was not safe for practice. But now I am interviewing at other places...which are other ORs because that is my only experience but I am FRIGHTENED that ALL ORs are going to be like this. I tell you guys out of all the jobs I have done in my life that was the WORST experience of my entire life!!! But if all ORs are like this then maybe it is not for me. I do NOT like performing actions without knowing the WHY behind what I am doing...I do not think it is safe. But seriously is it just me...are all ORs like this...should I run away from the OR forever cause I NEVER want to go through this EVER again. Please help me guys!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

All I can say is wow, talk about being thrown to the wolves! No, all ORs are not like that. My hospital, and the other one that offered me a position, did a full AORN periop101 orientation. For those that were struggling, additional orientation was provided. Yes, there are those with the personality of a shark who seem to enjoy watching others flounder, but overall most people I work with were very supportive during orientation and shortly afterward when I was running a room solo. I'm actually transitioning into another specialty in a few weeks, and will be getting a full 6 week orientation even though I already work there. There are good places to work out there, and I would hope that they outnumber the bad ones.

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Yeah before hand I was really excited about the OR experience. Now I am scared that every OR I interview with will be just like this one..I am not kidding I never want to experience this again.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Girl, lemme tell ya, all ORs are NOT like the 4th ring of hell that you just left.

When I first started in the OR, I started off in a community hospital. The nurses were, for the most part, HATEFUL. They stood there and let me do things wrong, didn't tell me about it at the time, then went back to my "nurse educator" and stuck the scalpel RIIIIIIGHT where it hurt the most. I also came on board without OR experience, and I was very upfront with the NM during my interview. She said, "No problem. We are trying to get a nurse educator on board now, but we are currently using a 'main preceptor' in the interim. You will have classroom time and you will have hands on learning with another preceptor. Now, how do you feel about taking call?"

So the very first week that I was there, BAM! Right into the OR with NO class time and no review of the "rules" of the OR. And to top it off, the 'main preceptor' was a nurse that had been there since the first brick was placed on the foundation of the hospital. For some reason she really enjoyed seeing the "newbies" (as she liked to refer to us repeatedly) fall on our faces. She handed out evaluation forms to the circulating nurses the VERY FIRST WEEK we were there. When I asked her how we were expected to have a good evaluation with NO baseline teaching, she said, "Sink or swim." It was the most hostile environment that I had ever worked in, and I am so glad I left that place.

If at all possible, try to find a hospital in your area that offers a nurse residency program for the OR. I cannot speak highly enough about these residency programs. They are REQUIRED to give you classroom teaching first and then take you back to the OR after you have adequate knowledge of the "why's and how's" regarding the flow of surgery. You will have enough time to rotate through each service and then you can pick which service you would like to join. It takes about 6 months to a year depending on the program, but you will be a much better prepared OR nurse, and you will get the teaching you need.

Please don't let this horrible experience disillusion you to how the OR is SUPPOSED to be. It can be a wonderful place to work, and when you really get to know it and become proficient, you will find that there is nothing you would rather do.

Hang in there!

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Specializes in OR.
When I would ask for advice or questions in the OR rooms...the other circulators would tell me how great I am doing and would bad mouth me to the so called educator or would tell me that "this is not a teaching hospital"...So the educator unannouced pulled me aside 3 months later and told me "oh yeah by the way...I have heard from the other circulators that you have been prepping and positioning wrong the WHOLE time." I am thinking why didnt they tell me that RIGHT then and there that I was doing things wrong. No offense, but I think when it comes to patient safety that that was NOT a good idea or maybe its just me. I have TRIED to tell the "educator" about the issues and she said "this was NOT a teaching hospital and that all ORs are like this." In fact they had another new nurse to the OR with NO experience and they had her running a room BY HERSELF at 2 1/2months and would tell me that she could run a room at 2 months and that I should be able to.

ALL ORs are NOT the same. :) Keep looking and you will find one with a good educator and solid orientation program. And I'm sorry, but if I am precepting someone and see them position or prep incorrectly, IT IS MY JOB to correct the issue RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I may report back to the educator if its an ongoing issue, and if I've tried to educate the new nurse and its not working. BUT you don't wait 3 months to tell someone they have positioned and prepped wrong for the past 3 months. Sounds like they just didn't want to be bothered. As for being a non-teaching hospital, thats crazy. There may not be residents and fellows and such, but I started in a non-teaching hospital and their orientation program was much more formal than the orientation I've had at teaching facilities. Good for you for getting out of a toxic environment....keep your chin up and don't give up! And the other new nurse running a room at 2 months...good for her. She's not you. Everyone learns differently and at a different pace. Worry about yourself, not others, as at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself and if you don't stand up for yourself, no one else will either. Hang in there and feel free to come back here for advice whenever you need it--or just to vent! :)

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Specializes in OR.

Saying that you are not a teaching hospital means you don't have residents or students. That doesn't mean that you don't have to give your staff the proper education to do their jobs properly and safely. What a cop-out. I am quite disgusted by your story, but glad you left. Your license is NOT worth it. Staff aside, I think you should have a good idea if you liked OR nursing or not. I would definitely find a hospital that will give you the periop 101 course. It's great!

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