mrsilly

"I was seriously thinking of joining AORN to help with advice and networking. I see for a standard membership it is $125.00. If I do it I will see it as an investment in my future and know that it is a step in the right direction." It could be the best $$ you've invested. There is so much information available. Also, you can place this on your resume. Many hospitals look positively at this. Sorry, I skimmed through the postings, so disregard the last posting about where you live....

I would apply to other hospitals even if they don't advertise OR residency programs. There are so many hospitals in the NYC, just keep trying. You mentioned Princeton. Do you live in Jersey? Just curious. I'm originally from NY but live in NC now. All I can say is don't give up. Also, like you, I've had some mental health issues so I do understand what you're going through. Just know that the OR can be stressful. Some days can be very hard and emotions can be difficult to control.

I've seen the orange plastic "thingy" at my previous hospital. Everyone hated it and hardly used it.

I hate using "uh" and "hum", but unfortunately, they still come out on occasion. Thanks!

I like this idea. I had never thought of that. It might have helped in my job interview last July. At a different interview I had given the nurse manager a copy of my MSN Capstone project to show her what I was capable of; plus it showed photos of me on a medical mission. Since my original post, I also have an interview at a hospital about 2 hours away. It's an assistant nurse manager, which may better suit my experiences. They are even paying for a hotel stay so I don't have to drive both ways in one day! This one sounds promising. There are a few other hospitals I have to call back, but I'm trying to be choosy as to which one I call back (job preference, location, etc) as I only have one day off a week and I'm going away the end of this month... will keep you all posted.

Any OR Nurse Educators out there? I've been trying to find a job since I completed my MSN. I had one job interview in July and didn't get it. However, I now have a phone interview on Friday (it's a start) for a job that I didn't apply for (applied for a different one). Apparently, this position isn't being advertised as I can't find it anywhere and my recruited didn't know about it. I do not have any experience in this type of position, but feel that I can do it. Any thoughts, encouragement, etc to share? I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!

I concur! I would suggest getting the AORN Standards & Recommended Practices to study. When I took the exam, a lot of the questions were based from this book.

I think it's the dishonesty that gets to me... partly because she's always using her pregnancy as an excuse for everything.

So you wouldn't get angry that someone used you? I see that highly unlikely. Who cares? glad you have $50 to give someone so easily. If you were in the OR on call and stuck there, you wouldn't be upset? You're a very rare person. You should come work at my hospital. People will loooove you. ..yes, she has just burned a bridge. She's been doing it for quite a while, especially because she tells nurses how to do their jobs...

Two weeks ago or so, I was asked/begged to take a surg tech's call because she had to do something important after work... she is a high risk pregnancy. Anyway, it was busy all day and people had to stay late. I saw her in the hallway and found out from the front desk that she volunteered to stay until 6pm (we get off at 5:30). If it was so important to leave on time today, why did she volunteer to stay? Drs. offices close soon. So I don't get it. Is anyone else staying late because of no relief? Has anyone have a coworker that asked you to take call and then find out he/she really could have kept it? I'm a little peeved... Sorry, I just had to get this off of my chest. This person has been described in other posts by someone else. I feel sorry for her with her pregnancy, but other than that, she needs to improve her attitude, etc.

You are not supposed to place grounding pads on tattoos because of both reasons already mentioned. Although newer tattoo inks supposedly do not have metal, it is still good practice to assume that all tattoos contain metal. I also think that tatoos are scars or at least scar-like. I actually have a tattoo that has some raised edges/areas which means I have a scar but unless you touch the area, you can't tell. It's better to just avoid them and not have to worry about potential consequences.

There is no license, only certification.

All I can say is WOW! Glad you're standing up for what's right! Also, do what caliotter3 wrote, it's a very smart idea. Keep us posted!

It's also a confidentiality issue. Only the nurse taking care of the patient either in PACU or a unit should know the specifics. The unit secretary doesn't need to know anything. HIPAA.

Otis Elevator... LOL.. that's funny!

I don't really want a pay cut (which is more than likely), but I'm thinking of contacting surrounding hospitals and asking what my chances are of doing an internship there and if they know any surgeons looking for first assistants. Networking might not be a bad thing.

Good luck to you too! I hope everything works out!

Knowing that moving is out of the question, I would talk to some of the other team coordinators and see what they think. Or, better yet, speak to the director and see what her opinion is. Unfortunately, this hospital is lacking in the number of employees, and I wonder if even changing specialties you would be getting more scrubbing experience. It is tempting to contact a certain hospital (you know which one I mean) and ask them what would the chance be of becoming an RNFA through them. The only reason I'm mentioning this is what I told you privately about our hospital not currently recognizing RNFAs due to having residents and med students. This is a tough decision and I feel your pain. I'm still not sure what I want to do. I graduated with a MSN in Nursing Education and can't get hired as an OR educator anywhere. This can be due to my lack of precepting (which our hospital doesn't let me do) and nursing experience. But then I question our hospital's decision to hire a certain somebody 2 years ago who isn't much more experienced than I am and she doesn't even have her CNOR! I'm writing this so others that are reading this post can see that there are two people interested in RNFA but are having their own separate issues. It's a love-hate relationship with the hospital.

To Military Spouse, there was one class that I hated (can't remember which one) because the professor was not so nice. I had a heated debate with her because I couldn't do my assignments while I was stuck in Florida for an extra 4 days due to weather and my flight cancellation. I had access to the internet, but my books which I brought on vacation, were checked in and I couldn't get them back. Personally, I found them all interesting in their own way. You might end up cheating yourself, but I found that you didn't need to read every single assigned chapter or article to answer the questions. I like to research online, so I found other information to back up my statements.

Just curious, what program are you in that allows you to complete projects, etc on your own time? Online schools that I've checked out (besides graduating from EC) all had requirements of posting weekly comments, etc. How are you going to "graduate faster" by changing schools?

It's normal. I've seen many surg techs, RNs, med students, and residents faint or get vertigo. Sometimes it's because the person hasn't eaten anything. Other times, no one knows. I've almost fainted myself when I first started as a surg tech. I got too hot under the OR lights and became dizzy and nauseated. Don't fret over this too much.

I sent you a message.

Excelsior is accredited by NLN so there should be no problems with credibility, etc. Some people haven't heard of the school, however, it is the first online school. I didn't really speak to the informatics students at the weekend retreat last month, but they all seemed to be happy and satisfied with the program.

I chose nursing education and live in NC. I have been looking for a new position but sadly, I don't have the experience hospitals are currently looking for. I still may go for my post-MS in administration as I do have a BS in business. My degree may not help me much now, but it may in the future as I am 36 years old and have many years ahead of me. The one thing I will be doing is obtaining my BLS Instructor certification.

Check out Excelsior College. They offer ADN, BSN, and MSN. You do have clinicals, but you do them at a hospital in your area. Contact them. I'm sure they'll give you some good information.