mooneyes65

The closest to me is about 40 min...they are owned by the same company are from what I hear...worse than this. Then there is another about the same distance in NC. I know 3 people in OR there....currently no openings in OR. Other than that...we are looking at 1 hr or more commute (which I left to come here).

So whats being asked, documented for your hospital OR's time out??? DVT? Beta blockers?

Currently we have so many changes occuring I am lost...and we expect JC to roll in anytime after Monday!!! They (docs) have to sign, day, time the H&P...HP has to be updated or within 24hrs...THEN here is our time out...(this could be different come monday...lol) "time out, this is jane doe, patient of dr. x. She is having a Lap. Chole/poss open or she is having left above knee amputation or whatever procedure is....THEN 1. Is she in correct position....(pause for answer from doc) 2. Do we have all our equipment...(pause for answer from scrub nurse) 3. Did she receive preop antibiotics, if so what time were they given...(wait for anesthesia to answer)...document the time given 4. Does she need DVT proph...(wait for doc) 5. Does she need a beta blocker...(wait for doc)....if doc says she already on them...we have to document that...look in chart to see .... 6. Does everyone agree? (everyone answers or gets reported) Does anyone have issues with the doctors talking, starting, DEMANDING to hurry up...or want the time out done while things are being hooked up and pulled up to the field or just nodding in answer????? We have a few.... I yelled today at the neuro surgeon, "I NEED ANSWERS HERE"....lol

IF we work over 40 we get OT...but they always flex us off on slower days to prevent us from getting over 40 hrs. I have worked there over a year...and only 4 weeks have I ever worked over 40 hrs...INCLUDING call. Its like working overtime for nothing....you work over then on a slower day...you are sent home to prevent OT. They call it, "giving it back". I asked people today if they could come together and stop agreeing to flex...and see what happens. See what happens is they call early in the am(530ish)....and ask "do you want off"....most say yes...some say no. I wonder what would happen if EVERYONE said...no, im coming in??? Many are so worried that they would take out call pay away if we keep complaining....imagine call on regular pay.

We normally get OT over 40 hrs....but the kicker is...they "take it back"...meaning they flex off the people with overtime. In the year I have been there...never have I had a 80 hr check. I have had 76 hrs...never 80. There are some who do....not many. Its ok to flex sometimes...but every single week? January and Feb. is so slow....you have to flex some. There is a sheet to sign who has OT (from call or reg hrs)...they get flexed first. We have stood up and said something...several has. We were told they are NOT paying time and half. Even if she develops a 2nd call team for a backup...wont get it. Va is an 'at will' state...you can always leave if you dont like your job. One called the employment commission ...that was what she was told. Our assistant manager is the former manager...her hands are tied. We have an older OR crew. Who are afraid of losing job, pension, etc....too far to go to next hospital for job. So...I dont know what else to do....Administration backing her ($$$$$$).

Hi...Ive been in OR now 1 yr. My specialty is neuro as well. I do everything...but Im always in the neuro room if its going. How long is your orientation? Mine was 1 yr. Just come off....now doing first assist, circulating, etc....Its been so hard...but I had some really good people helping me.

Does this happen in other OR's? We are a small town OR (4 general surgeons, 3 orthopods, 5 gyn...get the picture?) Anyway....our hrs are 645-315 m-f. They surgeries are constantly scheduled to run over the 315 time and the call team stays...well lately its been 2 or 3 rooms running over and people are expected to stay.....at regular pay..working side by side with the 3 members of call making call team pay (time and half..shift diff..etc). The other day we had 3 rooms running over and noone said they could stay. They had signed the "cant stay" sheet on monday saying they couldnt stay certain days (something left over from previous directors). Well the new director (2 yrs into job) took the sheet away and now demands we stay certain days that are up to us...2 rn's and 1 lpn must stay every day m-f...at regular pay, and if we dont 'play nice' then she will develop a 'back up' team that will work until 5 pm each day and THEN the call team will pick up call after 5. The OR is livid....because its all about the money...they said they will schedule surgeries ANYTIME the doctor wants... Advice...??? Hope this makes sense....

Yes it gets better. I have been in the OR for 1 yr now. I said the same thing...(check my posts here!!!)....It is hard...its alot to learn...its NEW. Nursing school did not prepare us for this. I am now doing first assistant, circulating and running the board...yes after 1 yr. I started taking call after 6 months. Then only 3rd call for about 2 months more. Our call starts @ 315p and last until 645am. If you on sat/sun...then its from 645a sat until 645a mon. Sorry you dont feel prepared. Did you talk to your director? or preceptor? Let me tell ya...the floor isnt any easier...especially if thats not where you want to be. Yes, the OR is harsh...and I think unprofessional as well (speaking only from my OR). You have to laugh, cry and live day to day with the same people...thats hard and they get on your nerves. One case you're hugging and crying and the next you telling them to kiss your a**. The doctors dont make it easy either. We have some great ones...and a couple not so great ones. Remember this though...we are elite RN's. We "can" work anywhere in the hospital...the rest of the hospital nurses can not work in the OR!

I have been in the OR for 10 months now...as a new grad (actually had 5 months of floor work..not for me). We are a small hospital and we do it all...circulate, scrub, assist....I personally dont like to assist...so much to learn for EACH doctor. I am just feeling good about circulating....my comfort zone. I just started scrubbing/assisting in August. We also have to do c-sections. The RNFA do get a bit more pay...at our hospital. The hospital 30 min away...requires the RNFA to be RN BSN. We dont. Many of the larger hospitals (teaching) use scrub techs and some RN's to scrub...while the residents assist the surgeons. So depends on what type of hospital you go to. Good luck

What can I do to stop fogging up my glasses, goggles, shield (whatever) while scrubbed. Actually....how to keep cold..yes..I said cold in the OR. I am VERY VERY hot natured (havent even started having real hotflashes). I wear a ice cold wet towel around my neck and down my back to keep cool...its ok for circulating, but once I have to gown, glove up for scrubbing (just learning) ...I over heat...even my ice cloth is of little help. Yes, alot is nerves...but even so..I am hot natured. Everything fogs up that I have tried...different masks, glasses, goggles, shields. Sometimes, I get so hot...the circulator has to dab my forehead! So embarrassing when the doctors are around....there are like 3 of us that do this...I am the worse. To us in the OR its kinda funny....but like I said...embarrassing around the doctors. :confused:Any suggestions??? Thanks...

Hello, I have been there 10 months...and everyday I am like...huh? I am comfy in circulating in all areas and now they have me scrubbing...we are a small OR and so we do everything..there is no "specialty"...yeah we have some who are great in certain areas..but we work them all. I feel that I get pulled here to there to get experience in scrubbing. 3 Lap choles today, a lap hernia, a shoulder repair today...tomorrow TAH, BSO...artho knee, circulate some....to AV graft, Csection or 2....bowel resection. Then while all this is running through my head...I get thrown to "run the board"...alone. Then it could be next week before I do another TAH with a totally different doctor. SOOOO...yeah I know what you mean. It DOES get better...I see that daily...hang in there. We will be ok.

Do you feel that OR nurses are pigeon holed with very few 'career' choices after leaving the OR? Can you leave the OR and do floor nursing, ICU, etc?? This was talked about at work and I saw a reference to 'going back' if they didnt like the OR here. Thanks R.

I graduated last May and worked from June till Nov on a Neuro med/surg floor before leaving and going to work in the OR. I have been in the OR 4 1/2 months and I dont know if I am happier or not. I dont work as hard but I dont know what I am doing completely yet either. EVERYONE tells me it takes a "good" year before you are comfortable in the OR or longer...there are some there 2 and 3 yrs that still say they are learning daily. I am not sure if I made the right decision but its made and I am ok with that for now. But yeah, skills are quickly leaving that I learned on the floor...we dont give meds to the patients, but I have to have the correct meds on the field. We dont get to do IVs, but we do alot of foley's. I dont know about going 'back' after the OR....I will pose that question here and in general.... thats a good question.

Hello, I graduated in May 2007. I started working on a BUSY neuro/medsurg floor on the 7p-7a shift. I also commuted 1 1/2 hrs each way. I have to say I was terrified 99% of the time...the patients were so sick and I was weak in clinicals. My clinical experiences were very general patients and none really sick and unstable (done in small hospitals). So I felt inadequate. My orientation was great and for the unheard of 14 weeks. I couldnt adjust to sleeping in the day and after the drive and such...just couldnt sleep. Also, I was just scared to death that someone would code or go down the tubes and I wouldnt know what to do or even recognize it. We were also VERY short staffed all the time.I was there from end of June until mid Nov. I am now at a hospital 1 block from my home and in the OR...days (though not a full 40 hr week due to low census and few surgeries)....I am still not happy. I am not using any nursing skills I learned and I miss direct care. The people are ok...there are alot of attitudes and cliques here but I am getting past that. Maybe I'm not happy with nursing...maybe I am in the wrong place/time yet again. I just dont know. I really like working in outpatient surgery when I did my summer extern program. There are no openings in there yet (same director over OR and outpatient). I would feel bad about getting trained then leaving....the hospital where I worked neuro...didnt take it well that I left. The director said "I wasted their time and money". I just feel lost.

I am also a new RN in the OR. I was told my orientation is 6 months (give or take). I started mid Nov. and have been circulating alone since like end of January. I have not started taking call or scrubbin in yet. We circulate on all cases since we are a small hospital. Mainly general stuff and OB/GYN, ENT, ortho, eyes, some plastics and some spinal. Though we getting new ortho who does spinal work. I havent done any eye cases and only 1 hip case (with help). I've been told the bulk of ortho training is done on call however lately they are getting those that are 'weak' in ortho into the rooms. Good luck....