marowediva

Cerner and Surginet

Definitely ask how much call you'll be taking and when you start taking call!!! Being on call is not easy especially if you're the only RN in the call team. Get it in writing the length of training and orientation you are getting and whether they will teach you to scrub not just circulate. It is always better for an O.R. Nurse to know how to scrub because then the scrub techs give you more respect..!!

I am a nurse with 19 years experience, 11 years and counting spent working in the O.R. The O.R. is not for everyone but if you like a fast-paced environment with something new to learn all the time, then this is for you. In the O.R. there are specialties within specialties and there are so many things to learn at first that sometimes it can seem overwhelming. I suggest that you shadow an O.R. Nurse and Scrub Tech to see exactly what they do. As for the technical aspect of this job, don't let the title "Scrub Tech" mislead you. There are many O.R. Nurses that know how to scrub and assist just like the scrub techs do. Furthermore, the O.R. Nurse actually has to be proficient in troubleshooting the machines and equipments that you use in surgery when it malfunctions. Many times I had to figure out whether it's the instrument, the equipment (generator, light source, monitors, drills, etc.) or just plain operator error(surgeon, technique, etc.) that is causing the problem!! In my facility, we chart in the computer so we have to learn how to work with it. There were times when I feel like throwing the computer on the floor/trash because it is so slow or the screen freezes. So, really, working in the O.R. as a nurse is more technical than some people think. One advantage I like working in Surgery are the days off. There are many different shifts in the O.R. that you can work depending on your lifestyle/schedule. I picked five 8-hour shifts, 7-3 pm, Monday-Friday to coincide with my family schedule. I'm off on weekends and holidays unless I'm on call which is maybe 4-5 times a month. Some of my coworkers work four 10-hour days, three 12-hour shifts(7a-7p, 11a-11p) five 3p-11p and some work just weekends. Also, if you need to make money, you can take as many calls as you can handle and get "time and a half" and on-call pay on your salary!!! As a nurse in the O.R. we advocate for the pt. who is asleep and vulnerable. If you ask me we have a bigger responsibility than RNs on the floor because surgical patients are not able to complain or press the button when something is bothering them. Their insides are wide open while the surgeon is dissecting and manipulating their organs. It is up to the O.R. Nurse to make sure that all appropriate actions are taken to maintain the pt's pre-op status. Anything can happen even in a fairly-controlled environment like the O.R. Some RNs will most likely tell you that it is not real nursing. However, it is a matter of opinion. I say put these same nurses in the O.R. and see if they can function?! It is a totally different kind of nursing care - different but equal to other specialties. I really enjoy working in the O.R. I knew even as a student that I will be an O.R. Nurse someday. Now, I am even a CNOR (a nurse certified in the O.R. specialty). I hope I have given you a better view of how it is working in the O.R.

To Skwidward and Canesdukegirl, I am a nurse with 19 years experience, 11 years and counting spent working in the O.R. The O.R. is not for everyone but if you like a fast-paced environment with something new to learn all the time, then this is for you. In the O.R. there are specialties within specialties and there are so many things to learn at first that sometimes it can seem overwhelming. I suggest that you shadow an O.R. Nurse and Scrub Tech to see exactly what they do. As for the technical aspect of this job, don't let the title "Scrub Tech" mislead you. There are many O.R. Nurses that know how to scrub and assist just like the scrub techs do. Furthermore, the O.R. Nurse actually has to be proficient in troubleshooting the machines and equipments that you use in surgery when it malfunctions. Many times I had to figure out whether it's the instrument, the equipment (generator, light source, monitors, drills, etc.) or just plain operator error(surgeon, technique, etc.) that is causing the problem!! In my facility, we chart in the computer so we have to learn how to work with it. There were times when I feel like throwing the computer on the floor/trash because it is so slow or the screen freezes. So, really, working in the O.R. as a nurse is more technical than some people think. One advantage I like working in Surgery are the days off. There are many different shifts in the O.R. that you can work depending on your lifestyle/schedule. I picked five 8-hour shifts, 7-3 pm, Monday-Friday to coincide with my family schedule. I'm off on weekends and holidays unless I'm on call which is maybe 4-5 times a month. Some of my coworkers work four 10-hour days, three 12-hour shifts(7a-7p, 11a-11p) five 3p-11p and some work just weekends. Also, if you need to make money, you can take as many calls as you can handle and get "time and a half" and on-call pay on your salary!!! As a nurse in the O.R. we advocate for the pt. who is asleep and vulnerable. If you ask me we have a bigger responsibility than RNs on the floor because surgical patients are not able to complain or press the button when something is bothering them. Their insides are wide open while the surgeon is dissecting and manipulating their organs. It is up to the O.R. Nurse to make sure that all appropriate actions are taken to maintain the pt's pre-op status. Anything can happen even in a fairly-controlled environment like the O.R. Some RNs will most likely tell you that it is not real nursing. However, it is a matter of opinion. I say put these same nurses in the O.R. and see if they can function?! It is a totally different kind of nursing care - different but equal to other specialties. I really enjoy working in the O.R. I knew even as a student that I will be an O.R. Nurse someday. Now, I am even a CNOR (a nurse certified in the O.R. specialty). I hope I have given you a better view of how it is working in the O.R.