is it possible to get part time OR job w/ no exp?

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 2, 2016

How part time are you talking? It is going to take several months of full time orientation to provide an adequate basis in OR nursing. Working part time would not be conducive to becoming a competent OR nurse unless one has experience. Working 36 hours/week would probably work, 32 would likely be a stretch, and anything less than that would be unfair to both patients and your coworkers. 100% my personal opinion, but based on my experiences with nurses who did the full time orientation gig and then dropped to part time.

BHRN85 · Apr 2, 2016

Thank you for the response. It is a 20 hr/week position and I'm not really expecting to get it. The OR is so different from bedside I doubt they want to invest in training someone who won't give back full time hours. Since it is owned by the same co as the hospital I work at, I figure they run things somewhat similarly. And at the hospital, even part time new hires have full time orientations if its deemed necessary. For example, I've met new grads on other units that are hired for part time positions but they still have 40 hr orientations.

springchick1, ADN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

My manager will not hire anyone with for a part time position if they have no experience. Training takes months and it takes at least a year to feel comfortable in the OR.

momathoner09, BSN, MSN, APRN · Apr 10, 2016

I got a job working pre-op as per diem with no OR experience and only 3 months nursing experience. I trained full time for 3 months & then started my per diem hours. This might be a way to get your foot in the door. You meet all the surgeons & staff and become part of their team so to speak without actually being in the OR. If they like you (and that's a big IF ), you could try to get into the OR. I found the OR team to be a very close dysfunctional family. I am proud to be even a little part of that but it wasn't easy to fit in at all!

springchick1, ADN, RN · Apr 11, 2016

I got a job working pre-op as per diem with no OR experience and only 3 months nursing experience. I trained full time for 3 months & then started my per diem hours. This might be a way to get your foot in the door. You meet all the surgeons & staff and become part of their team so to speak without actually being in the OR. If they like you (and that's a big IF ), you could try to get into the OR. I found the OR team to be a very close dysfunctional family. I am proud to be even a little part of that but it wasn't easy to fit in at all!

But pre-op is still completely different from the OR. Training in the OR is a minimum of 6 months of full time work.

momathoner09, BSN, MSN, APRN · Apr 12, 2016

Oh I totally agree that it's different. I was just talking about getting a foot in the door. We have tons of per diem OR RNs and hardly any full timers. I've only been there a year so I'm not sure if they ever were full time in the past with a long full time orientation.