Kenzer

Thanks for the replies...so do you think it would be odd for me to ask HR if i could shadow someone in the OR since I'm working on another unit right now?

Hello! I'm a newbie, obtained my ADN about 17 months ago and have been fairly unhappy with my career choice in general. First of all i worked on a crazy med-surg floor for the first 7 months of my RN and hated not being able to care for the pt's the way i wanted, now i work on an intermediate respiratory care unit and while i actually enjoy the staffing ratio much better (3:1, sometimes 4:1), i still feel like its just not right for me. Having the same frequent flyers in and out for months at a time sometimes can make me feel burnt out when they are very difficult to care for as many of ours are d/t the fact that they cant breathe...which turns them into anxious, depressed, non motivated people. Also the hours can be very taxing, 12 hr shifts, day night rotation, lots of weekends and holidays. I have a toddler and would like to have another child soon and dont feel like that schedule would work...which is how every floor at the university hospital i work at is except for the OR. Still some nights and weekend and on call of course but not as much. I've considered trying to obtain a different degree all together but really i do enjoy caring for people and dont have the funds to go back to school right now. I'm interested in the OR primarily for the hours, 1:1 pt care, great experience and hectic atmosphere. I like to be busy. Every time i bring up to my co-workers that i am considering moving to the OR they say "Are you crazy?" Standing all day and having surgeons yell at you is what you want to do? Well...actually no...that doesnt sound too exciting. I can be shy at first and have heard that you need to have a strong personality to strive in the OR and i do...eventually...when i get the hang of things... but now I'm afraid i'll get scared away. I know I'm still technically a new grad but it's not that im intimidated of the work anymore...I'm actually very comfortable on my floor already when it comes to skills but i just feel its not right for me. I've been reading posts and really just would like to know what the OR in like. Is it really as intimidating and overwhelming as everyone says? I would really appreciate any comments or thoughts.