lw7789

Just a general curiosity. I've been in the veterinary field for a decade, the past year of which has been predominantly OR, and I fully intend to continue my work until I am either forced to leave due to school scheduling, or finding a new job as an RN. I LOVE it, but I'm tired of the field in general, and have decided to go to nursing (I know many of the problems are the same, or worse in the human medical field - my main problem with the veterinary field is that, as a technician, there's nowhere to go, and your pay can cap out at half a nurse's starting pay. Your best hopes are to become practice manager some day, and I'm tired of the dead end). I've got an immense amount of familiarity with quite an array of surgical equipment; prepping the room for surgeons; pre-meding, intubating, transporting, scrubbing and prepping patients; opening the table (it's what we call "sterilly" opening all items for a surgeon before they scrub in); "running the room" (retrieving items for surgeons and sterilly placing them on the table); maintaining records of all items used - gelfoam, lap sponges, surgiclips, suture, etc.; scrubbing in, and assisting anesthetists with patients (grabbing hetastarch, drawing up drugs, filling scripts, etc.)... the list kind of goes on. I know a lot of these things most likely apply to different jobs, but my main hope is that the the years will translate well into OR nursing. Does any of this sound right? Am I grasping at straws? If OR nursing is similar to the vet field, then I'm barking up the right tree, and I'd love to know if this could possibly put me maybe a step or two ahead of the competition when trying to get into an OR residency (assuming that's still what I want on the other side). Anyway, TIA!

Thank you! I'm really nervous about the job market being so bad, but at 25, I can't keep messing around, and I've got to go to school for something. I've applied to nursing programs half-heartedly before, but was never accepted due to either missing pre-req's, or rolling admissions programs that were full before the deadline.

Will be getting something completely frivolous and unnecessary - teeth whitening maybe (darn you coffee!), or Lasik.

I'm considering trying to find work as a CNA while in school, for the contacts and experience. Has anyone found good luck going this route? *Edit: Sorry, I'm in Austin. Thanks!

Anyone else out there? I'm starting my prerequisites this spring, and will be applying this summer for the spring of 13. Anyone else in the same boat?