RN890

At your facility what is the policy regarding wearing earrings etc. in the OR? Are small studs acceptable? Just curious:)

Congratulations on your interview! Since you probably already went through your interview (you posted yesterday) my advice to you is follow up with a thank you letter/email and send it to whoever took the time to interview you. Thank them for their time and consideration and also reiterate your strengths and why you would be a good fit for this position. There are formats for follow-up interview letters online. I definitely think this helped me land my OR internship position :). It shows them that you are really interested and really want the position! Good Luck!

I will soon be starting a career in the OR at a teaching hospital and this is one thing I'm not looking forward to. It is a huge safety issue. OR nurses should only be responsible for educating and training OR nursing students only!! It's not an issue of helping other professionals in a different field other than nursing, but the fact that this task falls on the OR nurse. I think it's nice of you to try to help them and I would definitely do the same because I know what it's like to be a new student..but at the same time you need to fulfill your job duties and make sure things are done correctly for the sake of the patient. I would definitely bring this issue up to your manager or clinical educator. They shouldn't allow med students or any students for that matter to observe or participate without going over the BASICS like sterility in a hands-on educational setting! Unbelievable:banghead:

Hey, thanks for your reply! I felt burnout after only 15 months on med-surg! Just not for me I guess. Like you, I would like the working conditions in the OR better than the floor also. I definitely will take the position if I am offered. I find out mid-May. Good luck to you! I hope you also find happiness in the OR!:) That's the beautiful thing about nursing, so many different specialties. My professor always said, "nursing is a buffet!":lol2:

Hello all! I am seeking some finally opinions before I make a decision. I am a fairly new nurse with 15 months experience on a neuro PCU/general med-surg and one year in LTC. I just had a second interview for an OR internship position. I feel very lucky that I discovered this opportunity, as it is hard to find any kind of OR training for inexperienced nurses. I just want to be sure that the OR is what I really want because I will be required to sign a two-year contract with the hospital (at least 1 year in OR, 2 full years in network). I also hear that you either love it or hate it. In nursing school ICU and OR were my FAVORITE rotations without question. I also just recently applied to ICU's but none are accepting inexperienced nurses. Basically, I am just trying to decide which way to go. I am young and have my whole life to work so I really want to enjoy what I am doing. I truly love nursing but I just need to find my niche. I love acute care, learning, and intensity, but I DO NOT love med-surg/floor nursing.The reason I do not enjoy med-surg or LTC for that matter, is that I am not satisfied unless I can do everything I want to, all the little things, for my patients. It really bothers me when I can't do those little things for my patients, which rarely you can on a med-surg floor because of acuity and staffing. I'm also one of those people who never takes lunch breaks because I don't want to put my patients in danger of not being covered while I'm at lunch. I am your typical type A personality. I think I would be successful in the OR and would really enjoy it. If I get offered the position, I am 99% sure I will take it. It's either that or do med-surg :/ until I can get into an ICU training program. I really kind of wish I would have tried to go into a speciality right out of nursing school like I wanted to but I'm hoping that the floor nursing experience will benefit me. I think I'm still a new enough nurse that I can be shaped and transformed into a speciality nurse. My thoughts are, if I want to try the OR, better do it now. Any one else feel the same way in regards to enjoying the ICU and OR but not med-surg nursing? Which way did you go and are you happy with the choice that you made? Has anyone ever jumped straight from OR to ICU?

Hi everyone..I might have a hard decision coming up very soon. I'm interested it your opinions. What are the pros and cons of both OR nursing, and ICU nursing.

Hello there!! I am a newer nurse too (2 years experience) and I think what you're feeling is totally normal!!! I too, started out on a med/surg/tele/stroke unit. It is VERY overwhelming at first. I think med/surg can be overwhelming to even the experienced nurses too because of the acuity of the patients and high nurse to patient ratio. I also did not like med/surg while in nursing school but when I graduated it was the only job I could find! I am no longer working on the med-surg floor..I decided to go back to school full time to finish my BSN. I am currently looking into critical care. This is a normal feeling. Take a deep breath and know that you can and will do it! I got through it and I know you will too. Honestly, I think med/surg floors are the toughest (my opinion and from what I hear)! All you can do, is do your best! Don't be so hard on yourself..it's small steps. If you are ever unsure, ASK QUESTIONS! Find an experienced nurse who can be your "go to" when you go off of orientation/preceptorship. I think another hard concept as a new nurse is realizing that you can't save the world. You do the best you can for you patients but you can't always do ever single thing that you would like too, especially on a busy med-surg floor. You will learn a lot on med/surg. I say give it at least 6 months and see how you feel then. If you really don't like med/surg start shadowing other specialties & possibly try to get into a nursing shadowing or internship program in a specialty that interests you! Just remember the basics, airway/breathing/circulation and ASK QUESTIONS! Good luck : )

Hello everyone. I have always been interested in critical care, especially neuro critical care and I just recently applied to a position at a large Trauma 1 hospital. My question to you is, do you feel like you had adequate training/orientation to feel competent? I realize most of the real learning is on the job just doing things and asking questions but I'm afraid to go into this and not feel like I wasn't trained thoroughly enough to feel safe. I am not afraid to ask questions, but I want a solid orientation. It seems many facilities do not want to train as much right now due to the economy/job market. Most job opportunities require at least one year experience in the chosen specialty. I have about 15 months experience on a stroke PCU where I could have up to 5 patients (usually is 5), which is insane because of the acuity of these people. I've taken care of 2 hour post-op brain surgery case, CVA's (hemorrhagic & ischemic), patients post tPA, patients with brain tumors, meningitis, closed head trauma, neuro deficits due to drug use, MS, and we have 2 specialty beds for seizure patients. I don't have any experience with vents or ICU equipment, but I feel that maybe I would be happier having 1 or 2 very sick patients and being able to do more for them. I am thankful for any thoughts!:)

Thanks for your input:). I recently just applied for a Neuro ICU position. I kind of wish I would have tried the ICU right away because I'm finding that most hospitals are not willing to train nurses. They want nurses who already have experience in the chosen specialty.

Hello fellow nurses. I am a newer registered nurse with 15 months experience on a PCU stroke unit/tele medsurg unit. I currently work in a LTC facility part-time because I am going to school full-time to finish my BSN (graduated from a hospital-based nursing program). I will be graduating in May. I have always been interested in critical care and emergency care since I was little (even shadowed a paramedic friend for fun), but I don't know if I have what it takes. I didn't like regular floor nursing, because I couldn't give my patients the care I thought they deserved (up to 5 on stroke unit, up to 8-9 on med unit) . I went home knowing I did my best, but still felt bad. I am definitely a type A personality and can be obsessive at points, sometimes triple checking heparin or cardizem drip infusion rates. I'm not afraid to ask questions or ask for help, I prefer to consult with more experienced nurses and doctors that way I know my patient is getting the best care, we learn from one another and it gives me a peace of mind. I don't know if it's lack of confidence/experience and/or fear of making a mistake that is keeping me from trying out the ICU. At the hospital where I used to work I had to take a personality test, my results were in the middle with a slight tendency of being an analyzer...but in the ICU you don't always have time to analyze, you have to act quick. I often worry about legal issues because I've heard so many horror stories. Does this worry fade with more experience? Also to give you more insight I am certified in BLS/ACLS, and I am very motivated, studious, and tend to get along with many different people, and always thinking ahead. I am not happy with LTC or med/surg, definitely have not found my niche yet. I know I can't know for sure if ICU will be a fit for me and vice versa unless I try it. Anyone else ever have these feelings of apprehension? Any advice is greatly appreciated!:)