arianaRN

How frustrating, but what a funny post. In my precepting experience I've had the full range of dream-orientees to "what-were-they-thinking-when-they-hired-her" ones. In my experience, the ones who were newbie know-it-all's didn't stay in the OR too long because it just wasn't a good fit. Even though they "knew it all", they were the ones who were terrified when it came to taking call, because finally their deep-down insecurities overrode their defense mechanism of talking their way around a situation. So, if it's any comfort, you probably won't have to deal with the know-it-all's for too long. (sorry if that seems mean). Sounds like you do a good job of just keeping on trying to teach, despite the wall of talking & criticizing. Do you do formal evaluations for the orientees? In my precepting experience, we filled out forms that highlighted strengths & areas for them to work on. We also met with the orientees & clinical educator (if you have one) on some sort of regular basis to talk about the evals. Or you could just go directly to the clinical educator or manager & express your concerns. Your job is busy enough trying to both do your job & precept someone, let alone do behavior modification! Good luck!

Any OR travelers out there that can offer good advice on companies that specialize in OR travel assignments? My previous jobs have been in hospitals where RN's only circulate & OR techs scrub, thus I don't have scrub experience. Has anyone out there done circulating assignments only? Has anyone had a bad experience they can share that would shed light on things to be careful of or warrant asking particular questions about when interviewing for an assignment? Do most OR travel assignments require call, or not? I've heard conflicting responses on this so far -- some say that hospitals don't want to pay the big bucks for travelers on call. Others say that travelers are put in the regular call rotation. Also, what do travelers usually do for health insurance between assignments? The companies I've talked with say they cover 2 weeks-30 days between assignments, beyond that you pay COBRA (super high rate). Also, I need coverage for my husband, which I've been quoted anywhere from $280-$400/month from the agencies. Does that sound reasonable with what you're experiencing? How negotiable is insurance? Lots of questions.

So I just reached my 2-year commitment at the hospital I'm now working at (meaning now I'm free from paying back the sign-on bonus) and now I'm having itchy feet... Any OR travelers out there that can offer good advice on companies that specialize in OR travel assignments? I checked out the travel nurse forum but it seems pretty general, not OR-specific. Also, my previous jobs have been in hospitals where RN's only circulate & OR techs scrub, thus I don't have scrub experience. Has anyone out there done circulating assignments only? Any advice for a new traveler on certain things to ask a potential employer? Has anyone had a bad experience they can share that would shed light on things to be careful of? For those of you with travel experience (or have travelers in your OR), do most OR travel assignments require call, or not. I've heard conflicting responses on this so far -- some say that hospitals don't want to pay the big bucks for travelers on call. Others say that travelers are put in the regular call rotation. Particularly, I'm interested in the Western states, Hawaii or Alaska. Thanks!