Surgicell

Hi all. Asst Manager of a 44 Bed SubAcute Rehab here in Western NY. Census this eve was 41, and I did 1 admission to make 42. I have 2 staff nurses (LPN and/or RN, whomever they could coerce to come in), and I work as the Mgr and Desk Nurse (umm, 2 seperate positions, btw), while doing my admission, of course. =) Gotta love health care in NY. lol

Thanks Marie... btw, I always enjoy your posts.

Hi Buffalo, I am assuming that you live in the WNY area, given your screen name, and you mentioned UB. I am a CST (8 Years), went back to school for RN (2 years ago), which gives me over 10 years OR experience to date. I can fill you in on the pros and cons of each, as well as the different schools/programs in the WNY area if you'd like. Please PM me if interested.

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice. I will keep trying to find a job that I will love! (I am located 3 hours North of Syracuse, NY) Thanks!

Hello everyone, I have been a frequent reader of this site for many years (love it!), but have never posted much. I have had changes in my life recently that are leaving me so frustrated with healthcare in general, that I really need some advice. I have worked for 8 years as a Surgical Tech in Open Heart Surgery in Buffalo, NY. Surgery is my niche. Heart surgery is my passion. I am one of those "well rounded" employees who can function (reasonably well, too) in nearly every service. I knew long ago that I wanted to further my education, so after considering every logical career path, I decided to return to school to pursue a Nursing degree. I learned so much in school, and graduated my ADN program eager to embrace my new role in the OR. I quickly was offered a fantastic position in the OR as an RN, passed the NCLEX (phew!), and thought the next phase of my career was about to begin. At the same time (the same day, in fact!) my loving, supportive fiance graduated college with a teaching degree. His area of teaching is very specialized, and when he was offered his dream job in rural Northern New York we were both thrilled. Believing that my new nursing degree paired with my previous healthcare experience would land me a great job anywhere, I willingly and happily moved away from home with him. I took a few weeks off from working to ease our move, set up our new home, etc. I began my job search with the 5 hospitals here in my immediate area. They are all smaller than what I am used to, but all seem very nice. I had no idea what to expect. On each application I specified OR as my first choice in departments. I left my resume with each facility, detailing my work experience. Each hospital called me for interviews, each for positions on Med-Surg Units. Just for giggles I contacted and interviewed with 2 larger facilities, each a 3 hour drive from where I now live. (One to the East, one to the West) Each has offered me an OR RN position. I understand the circumstances which are against me. I live in a small rural area where the hospitals do not have a need for 75 RN's on their OR Staff. I do not have real "nursing" experience yet. And I also understand that working Med-Surg for a while could only make me a better nurse in the long run, possibly honing some skills that I might not practice in an OR. I am just so darn frustrated. For the past two years I have been working my butt off in school to reach my goal of becoming an OR RN. I've been a member of AORN for years and my long-term goal is to become an educator of perioperative nurses. I want to draw people into this field of nursing which I love so much! I am aware of the average age of perioperative nurses, and the general shortage of staff in most OR's... I'm ready to work!! Thanks for listening. I am getting ready to accept a Med-Surg position at the most local hospital to me. I can only hope and pray that either 1) I love Med-Surg like I love the OR, or 2) an OR position opens soon. Again, thanks for listening. It's a bit long, sorry. Sara