in preparation for an OR interview

[imaRN08]

I have finally landed an interview for the OR in the small community hospital I work at for the first time in nearly 5 years. I do not have OR experience or surgical floor experience (unfortunately); but we occasionally get post ops on our unit, mostly bc they have developed htn post op, had an MI after surgery, or have recently had cardiac issues prior to surgery. All I know about OR is this is what I have always wanted to do!

In preparing for this interview, I am hoping that someone could give me some direction or advice. What types of questions should I expect in my interview?

[wee kiwi]

Hiya,

I remember landing my first job in OR having only ward experiance too. It can be a steep learning curve and there can be some strong personalities in OR but it is very worth it and a great skill to have, its one of the best areas ive worked in.

In your interview you'll probably be asked about how you work in a team, about your communication skills, how you would manage conflict, how you react to stress and how you would manage your own, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you think you have to offer and how you would advocate for your (unconcious) pt if a concern arose etc

They want to know that you will ask questions and know when to ask, that you can communicate well within a team, verbally and written. That you are a team player. That you'll refer to policy and procedure related to OR and do some self-directed learning.

Asepsis is very important and quite different from what you would have done on the wards. As is counting instruments and swabs etc. Also documentation is very important (as always) and as an OR nurse you have a big responisibility there. eg consents etc. As part of the team you'll be responsible for ensuring the patient is safe as far as identification, pressure areas, tourniquet times, patients dignity etc.

If you have a real desire to learn, the senior staff are usually great support and have a huge amount of knowledge, and dont be afraid to ask the surgeons questions either once you are settled in.

I wish you all the best, dont forget all the experiance you already have, you aren't going in empty handed!

Take care