Anniehow

Yes I love working in the OR. When is your interview? PM me, I'll tell you more about the interview process.

It's such a big hospital they are always hiring for most specialties. This is a link to their job opening's page Careers at Ochsner | Ochsner Health System | New Orleans, LA Good Luck

Our timeouts must be done as close to incision time as possible, after the patient is draped. As far as wound classification we use: clean; clean-contaminated; contaminated; or dirty. A basic lap cole is a clean-contaminated wound, unless the gall bladder is ruptured during removal, then it is a contaminated wound. (It also depends on other factors like a major break in sterile technique etc.) HTH

Our hospital is very large and has a hotel attached to it for family members that come from far away can stay, and I can stay there if I'm on call, or if I have to work super late and don't feel it is safe to drive home.

I knew the minute I walked into the OR as a student nurse that's what I wanted to do. I loathed the floor. When I got out of school I tried every thing I could to get into the OR. I had a tough time getting an interview because most of the local hospitals WILL NOT hire into the OR without or experiance. Demoralized I took a floor position and cried almost every night on my way home from work, and became depressed the day before my shifts knowing I had to into work the next day. But I kept trying, networking and calling Surgery nursing coordinators. After almost 2 year I was ready to quit nursing altogether. 2 years I had to work on the floor, but it wasn't my floor experience that help me get into the OR, it was my networking. So keep that in mind when you start looking for jobs. Join AORN, meet and make friends with OR nurses. Good luck.

I'm sure it wouldn't hurt, but where I live (Louisiana) hospitals will NOT hire without experience unless they have a peri op new hire program. However, you may be more likely to get hired on into a periop program with that background. I landed my periop internship because I called the Manager of the OR personally, emailed the periop educator, (and about 5 other OR coordinators) and I was a member of AORN (showed my absolute interest in the OR), then I killed it in the interview. Not all peri-op internship require a 2 year commitment. My hospital asked me for a verbal commitment, but didn't make me sign anything. Good Luck!

I have just started Peri-op 101 at Ochsner Main Campus a month ago. I can't speak to the orientation on the floor, but I have been so pleased with the orientation to surgery. I LOVE my OR job.

I believe that is the point of the extra "per-diem" pay. If you feel the extra pay is not a fair exchange for the inconvenience, we still live in a somewhat free country, find a full time position.

Hey Woopsydaisy, I started a peri-op program 1 month ago and I can definitely relate. Hang in there, I think things will get better. One thing that our nurse educator told us that helped me is that every nurse has their own "system". On nurse will say no, that's not how you do it and the next one will tell you their way is the right way. She said that my job in the first few months was to observe the way each of the nurses do it, just accept their feedback and make mental notes. (ie- That way seems safer for the patient, that way works better, etc.) One of my jobs later on will be to develop my own system, but in the meantime I have to be flexible and not take their criticism personally. HTH, Good luck

I was recently hired in the OR and doing a periop program. I was happy to see that I'm being taught to, and occasionally will scrub because I'd like to work towards RNFA. I know Scrub techs are cheaper to a hospital and with hospital wallets getting tighter, I was wondering if there are many hospitals that still have RNs scrub. What does your hospital do? Exclusively ST, both ST and RN, do any hospitals still only have RN exclusively scrub?

I've always been straight forward and to the point as well, so I understand your issue. Although description of the CABG can show our passion for the OR, I would think of this Essay as a pre- interview. I would talk about qualites i posess that would make me a great addition to the team, I would include examples of when I excelled at these qualities. (ie teamwork, samina etc) Sell them on why they want to call you. However, I'm not a manager, perhaps an OR manager could weigh-in with what they would be looking for in an application essay.

I start June 24th! @Born2CirculateRn Check your inbox, I just sent you a PM

As I have recently posted in another thread I have recently accepted a long wanted OR positions and was wondering the same thing. Thanks for all the great suggestions!!

All my networking paid off. I was offered a position as a circulator!! I start in 3 weeks! Thanks everyone for all your suggestions!

I've been "unofficially" offered the job!!! The manager I interview with told me I was being hired but the official word will come from HR once my references are contacted. I'm so excited I can hardly contain my excitement!!!!!!!! I've been networking for 2 years to get and OR position. I'm finally going to get trained as a circulator!