pls. be kind to me, i need advise

Lasoniamacaroni · Jun 15, 2006

I just graduated in March and passed my boards beginning of May. I started OR job searching this past December to get "locked in" to a job when I was done with school. Here's the thing....if you KNOW you want to be an OR nurse, then skip the med surg all together. The environment is sooooo different than from floor nursing. Don't get me wrong, I use "floor" skills to a certain extent. Labs, foleys, etc.. but it is a completely different ballpark in the OR. When I went on my interview several months ago I could tell that they were hesitant in hiring me because I lacked experience as a "nurse" But I just kept reinforcing the fact that this IS the place I want to be. I guess they had a bad streak of hiring new grads that ended up deciding they needed more patient interaction and autonomy to feel useful. That is not the case with me and I am beside myself that they gave me a chance to prove myself.

Please feel free to ask any other details! GOOD LUCK

suzanne4, RN · Jun 15, 2006

go for it, and great news to hear that you passed.

:balloons: :balloons: :balloons: :balloons:

there are already several excellent threads on the or forum describing the tasks for the rn in the surgical setting. check it out.

tessa_RN · Jun 17, 2006

I worked in the OR as a student nurse tech..That is how I got in there..But make sure you show them that you are very interested in the OR..The interview for me was intense..It was a peer interview..I graduated in May so I have been training as a circulator since then..Ive scrubbed in there for a year..As a circulator the first thing I do in the morning is make sure I have all the equipment in my room for the day, I have my paperwork, and that everything is in place..I check on my patient and see if they have arrived..I check to make sure they have their paperwork and their labs are ok..i position the table according to what surgery they are having. I prep, and go get anything my scrub person needs. Do catheters..There is alot of paper work..I answer the pagers the doctors have. You have to be flexable. You check on the patients for the day and keep rolling them in a out..That is what I have done so far..I can also scrub to..At my hospital if you come straight from the floor or out of school they make you scrub for 3 months and then train circulate for another 3 months..I love the OR..It feels like the perfect place for me..A few times when I started as a student I would ask my self what in the world am I doing? It takes getting used to..Its different and its like going to school all over again especially if you are scrubbing..I wish you luck....It really is a great place to work...I am busy all day because the only thing I have circulated in so far training is ENT, General, and GYN..As for hours they very anywhere from 8 hours a shift to 12 hours...call for my hospital is that you have to be at the hospital in at least 20 minutes from the time they call you..every where is different on call pay..Me if I get called in it is time and a half but if i dont it is 20% of my pay a hour times how many hours I am on call...There is pressure that I have experienced there..I dont know if it is where I am new at the circulating or not..Because getting a case started its busy..you are trying to count with the scrub person, positioning the patient, being with anesthesia while they put the patient to sleep, trying to prep them, put in the foley and hook up the equipment..I think its going to take time for me to learn how to do that stuff in a timely manner..Getting used to all of the docs habits is also hard to do..Every single on of the is different..I hope this helped..GOODLUCK

nurseinlimbo · Jun 17, 2006

I am a fairly new nurse (grad of '03) and I recently started taking the OR course. I received a bursary and signed a 24 month service agreement. I am almost finished, 12 shifts left in my preceptorship. I can tell you that the course that I am taking is very intense, the first part was distance ed, 4 months of books, papers and exams. We did a week of lab where we learned the scrub and circulating role and instruments, draping etc. We then did a month of clinical where we went through all the areas and got to assist as much as the staff would let us. Sometimes you got to do a whole scrub and the nurse helping was awesome, sometimes they treat you like you might contaminate the entire room if you move. It all depends on their comfort level, so my instructor keeps telling me.

The surgeons for the most part have been pretty good, there is the odd one that is rude and abusive, yelling and swearing. Some are babies and blame everything on someone else. There are also some who are great. To be honest I have had more problems with nurses than surgeons.

It is not an easy job, fast paced, strong personalities, very little patient contact. I don't think I can do it full time, though they tell me that in order to get a skill set one has to work full time for a year. I have never been under this much stress in all my life. I enjoy the procedures, it's very very interesting, but the people can ruin it in a heartbeat. You develope a very thick skin.

Good luck if you decide to pursue this area.

raingel · Jun 19, 2006

Lasoniamacaroni, thank you so much for your advise. i really want to be an OR nurse and will take all the challenges that i will be facing. i think i am the only student in our class that would like to be an OR nurse because they said it's boring and no patient interaction. i don't care what they say, i'll follow what my heart desire. Can you share with me what they asked you on you interview? i really have no idea and i want to be prepared for the interview. this week, i will fax my resume, transcript and 2 reference letters. i hope to be interviewed by the hospitals i've choosen. please, help. thanks again and i appreciate your kindness. raingel

I just graduated in March and passed my boards beginning of May. I started OR job searching this past December to get "locked in" to a job when I was done with school. Here's the thing....if you KNOW you want to be an OR nurse, then skip the med surg all together. The environment is sooooo different than from floor nursing. Don't get me wrong, I use "floor" skills to a certain extent. Labs, foleys, etc.. but it is a completely different ballpark in the OR. When I went on my interview several months ago I could tell that they were hesitant in hiring me because I lacked experience as a "nurse" But I just kept reinforcing the fact that this IS the place I want to be. I guess they had a bad streak of hiring new grads that ended up deciding they needed more patient interaction and autonomy to feel useful. That is not the case with me and I am beside myself that they gave me a chance to prove myself.
Please feel free to ask any other details! GOOD LUCK

raingel · Jun 19, 2006

Hi, tessa_RN. thank you so much. i will definitely show them that i am interested to work in the OR. although i had the opportunity to observed in the OR for 3 semesters, i still don't know what's life in the OR. now that you guys are giving me ideas on what the OR environment is, the more that i have to be prepared and be stong on what i will be encountering in the future. you gave me a lot of informations and i really appreciate it. the only problem is that i am shortie, only 5 ft. tall. if given a chance to scrub, i don't know if i could reach the table :chuckle. anyways, i'll cross the bridge when i get there. first i have to be accepted for OR nurse position. i'll let you know. thanks again. good luck too. raingel

I worked in the OR as a student nurse tech..That is how I got in there..But make sure you show them that you are very interested in the OR..The interview for me was intense..It was a peer interview..I graduated in May so I have been training as a circulator since then..Ive scrubbed in there for a year..As a circulator the first thing I do in the morning is make sure I have all the equipment in my room for the day, I have my paperwork, and that everything is in place..I check on my patient and see if they have arrived..I check to make sure they have their paperwork and their labs are ok..i position the table according to what surgery they are having. I prep, and go get anything my scrub person needs. Do catheters..There is alot of paper work..I answer the pagers the doctors have. You have to be flexable. You check on the patients for the day and keep rolling them in a out..That is what I have done so far..I can also scrub to..At my hospital if you come straight from the floor or out of school they make you scrub for 3 months and then train circulate for another 3 months..I love the OR..It feels like the perfect place for me..A few times when I started as a student I would ask my self what in the world am I doing? It takes getting used to..Its different and its like going to school all over again especially if you are scrubbing..I wish you luck....It really is a great place to work...I am busy all day because the only thing I have circulated in so far training is ENT, General, and GYN..As for hours they very anywhere from 8 hours a shift to 12 hours...call for my hospital is that you have to be at the hospital in at least 20 minutes from the time they call you..every where is different on call pay..Me if I get called in it is time and a half but if i dont it is 20% of my pay a hour times how many hours I am on call...There is pressure that I have experienced there..I dont know if it is where I am new at the circulating or not..Because getting a case started its busy..you are trying to count with the scrub person, positioning the patient, being with anesthesia while they put the patient to sleep, trying to prep them, put in the foley and hook up the equipment..I think its going to take time for me to learn how to do that stuff in a timely manner..Getting used to all of the docs habits is also hard to do..Every single on of the is different..I hope this helped..GOODLUCK

raingel · Jun 19, 2006

thank you, thank you, nurseinlimbo. it seems like the training is so intense and you really have to deal with different personalities. it is scary but i still want to be an OR nurse. i'll try my best and i'll pray always to God to give me strength to survive my training. do you really want to be an OR nurse? i read your post and i feel bad on what had happened to you. please, stay. you work so hard on your training and i believe you are a good nurse. thanks again and good luck too. raingel

I am a fairly new nurse (grad of '03) and I recently started taking the OR course. I received a bursary and signed a 24 month service agreement. I am almost finished, 12 shifts left in my preceptorship. I can tell you that the course that I am taking is very intense, the first part was distance ed, 4 months of books, papers and exams. We did a week of lab where we learned the scrub and circulating role and instruments, draping etc. We then did a month of clinical where we went through all the areas and got to assist as much as the staff would let us. Sometimes you got to do a whole scrub and the nurse helping was awesome, sometimes they treat you like you might contaminate the entire room if you move. It all depends on their comfort level, so my instructor keeps telling me.
The surgeons for the most part have been pretty good, there is the odd one that is rude and abusive, yelling and swearing. Some are babies and blame everything on someone else. There are also some who are great. To be honest I have had more problems with nurses than surgeons.
It is not an easy job, fast paced, strong personalities, very little patient contact. I don't think I can do it full time, though they tell me that in order to get a skill set one has to work full time for a year. I have never been under this much stress in all my life. I enjoy the procedures, it's very very interesting, but the people can ruin it in a heartbeat. You develope a very thick skin.
Good luck if you decide to pursue this area.