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I’m so glad you found something you enjoy!! My heart is elsewhere (psychiatric nursing) and I think this made it even harder to pursue the OR knowing I wanted to be somewhere else. That is one thing I love about this field — the options are endless! good luck to you and thank you!

Hi there! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. Although we were put into a specific specialty, we were still having to do the peri-op 101 program. So even though we were focusing on one area, we weren’t getting a lot of OR time. I had been in a room a total of 4 times since starting a month ago... on top of trying to incorporate peri-op, due to the amount of orientees we had and decline in surgeries due to COVID, not all of us were able to get in on our services. Many of us were being made as “extras” or given other busy work. So after 1 month there, I couldn’t imagine having been prepared in the next few months. As for the culture, I wouldn’t say it’s entirely toxic. The nurses that had been there for 10+ years were very comfortable with the surgeons and knew how to not piss them off. As for us newcomers, it was as if we didn’t exist. And any little thing we did wrong, it was like the end of the world. a lot of people addressed this saying “oh in time they’ll want to get to know you.” And that bothered me. I did transition in the ICU as a STUDENT nurse and doctors gave me more respect than the surgeons did as a registered nurse. On top of this, the nurses I had precepted with all had negative things to say about management. Which I’m sure can happen on any floor, but these nurses clearly felt they weren’t being heard. I had a good experience with the manager and they listened to me, heard me, and helped me find a solution. But I could see why others felt the way they did. It was just a lot to go into as a graduate nurse, the weirdest time to start, and I felt like the training program was inadequate and did not suite my needs. I’m sure others will thrive but it was not what I needed and I felt strongly about that. I went and spoke with my manager, advocated for myself, and said I didn’t feel as though this was the right “fit” for me as a graduate nurse with no experience or confidence. She understood and granted me a waiver, so I was able to transfer into another position in which I think will be much more beneficial for me in the long term of my career! Thankfully it all worked out. Thank you for the advice — it’s so appreciated!

Thank you so much for your words! I appreciate it. I hope things start looking up for you and that you feel confident when coming off orientation. I’m glad you advocated for yourself and that you were able to extend your orientation. I recently spoke with management and we are working on a solution for my situation. We definitely are going through an interesting time as grad nurses, but hopefully it will only make us stronger! Cheers!

Thank you for your response. I feel that if management had approached this differently and instead extended our orientation, I may even feel better about the job and more likely to give it a chance. I feel like they’re just trying to do what’s best for the hospital and not considering the new nurse’s needs. I will bring this up to management and see what comes of it. Thanks again!

Hi all! I came here seeking any and all advice. I graduated school in December, passed my NCLEX in March, and Immediately took a job in the OR. during school, I never had an OR rotation so I had 0 clue what I was getting into. The reason I chose this position is because I never enjoyed med surg during my clinical rotations, I did not get the initial job I wanted on a pediatric ICU, and my ultimate goal is to end up in Psych; which doesn’t usually hire grad nurses so I needed a job to get me started. I had heard nothing but good things from the OR nurses about how much they enjoyed their job. They seemed genuinely happy, and as a grad nurse, that’s always a plus! (The floor’s culture was very important to me when searching for a job). Another main reason I chose this position is because of the 6-month long orientation, which included rotating through the services (neuro, vascular, cardiac) as well as pre-op, PACU, and other areas to familiarize yourself with the environment, while doing the Peri-Op 101 course. After four months, we would be able to choose a speciality and spend the next two months orienting in that specific area. That seemed like a sweet set-up to me so I didn’t hesitate to accept the job. I am currently in week 3 of my orientation. Due to COVID, our orientation was cut in half, they already put us in our services (I hadn’t even been in a room when they did), and they want us to be ready to circulate our own rooms by end of June, beginning of July, because they believe a surge will be coming around that time and they want all hands on deck. As a new nurse, completely foreign to the OR, I’m already beyond overwhelmed. Now to know I have to be prepared in 3 months vs 6.... it has my anxiety through the roof. On top of this, the job itself isn’t what I expected. At one point I thought the lack of hands-on patient care would be better for me, but now I find myself missing it and enjoying the peri-op assessment the most out of the entire case. I don’t feel like the circulating nurses role is something I’d want to do long term, which makes it even harder to want to continue with this path. For me, the transition is hard from nursing school because it’s nothing like what I was taught. It’s like starting entirely over in my nursing education. I feel like I lack the confidence that being a floor or ICU nurse to start would have given me, as far as dealing with doctors, whereas the other nurses I started with all came from floors/units and they seem to have more confidence. This is my first job in general, aside from waitressing through school, so confidence in the hospital in general is lacking for me. It’s something I’ve struggled with throughout school and something I knew would be hard in whatever first job I chose. I feel like I may have made the wrong choice, but I can’t tell if this is due to just being an overwhelmed new grad, or because this really isn’t the right fit for me. My question to you all is: How do I know the difference between the two? What made y’all know the OR was a good fit? I’m at the point where I could still get a transfer waiver and be able to relocate to a unit or a floor, but I don’t want to give up on this job if it is just fear and anxiety that is causing the dislike for the OR. (Yes, I’m an over thinker) The other new nurses seem to be enjoying their roles and the job itself, so I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel right now. If y’all have any similar stories or advice that could help me in any way, feel free to share! I’m just very confused and overwhelmed right now and anything would help.