shodobe

Lose your skills being an OR nurse! Are you nuts or heven't done this very long

I guess I'm a bit confused on this subject. I retired a few years ago after 42 years as an OR nurse. I could scrub everything that walked through the door. It is a disservice to anyone that gets pidgeoned holed as a one and done type OR nurse. Everyone should learn as much about all services so they can be a bit more marketable. If all you can do is open hearts or urology or ? your pretty much useless in all other aspects or OR nursing. The worse ones were open heart nurses because that was all they could do, didn't even know the basics of general surgery or ortho. I got good at everything and was comfortable in all situations. The problem now a days is hospitals don't want to taech anyone to scrub, only circ. What's with that? I did both and felt I could walk into any hospital in the country and fit right in. So my thoughts are, learn all you can about everything and don't limit yourself to one specialty, it won't help in the long run.

42 years as an OR nurse, now thankfully retired . My respect for the MAJORITY of techs has plummeted over the years. I remember a time where RNs scrubbed all cases and circulated and there was no such thing as a scrub tech. The ONLY reason they were ever brought into the OR was to save money and that was it! They are a one dimensional person who can only do one thing, scrub and not very well at times. They have to remember who is in charge of the room and that is the circulator, or has that pretty much gone down the drain? Get a back bone and exert yourself and stand up for what you know is right. Management will always look out for themselves and those who will kiss their backside and not for the staff who matter the most, THE NURSES

Been gone from here for a very long time. Just retired after almost 40 years in the OR. I run my room NOT some Tech. Simple for those out there who allows this to happen.

Stop letting us wear cloth ones even under a bouffant about a year or so ago. The director at that time stated that AORN recommendation was that cloth hats were not a good idea. Even though AORN would not come right out and state this was forbidden my director changed the department policy so she got her way. I keep my hair very short and the bouffant slides all over the place. I was willing to even wear the bouffant over my cloth but was told no.

Look in AORN Standards and you will find that yp\ou have event related issues here that as long as the package hasn't been dropped or has holes, etc... the item, as long as it doesn't have an expiration date, is sterile forever if need be. Most manufactuerers will have a hidden code to when the item was sterilized but I have never been told by any company how long the shelf life of an item is.There use to be many years ago the five year rule but it doesn't apply anymore because of the high cost of products. You don't want to be throwing out a $500 item just because it was made 5 years ago. Like I said go to the AORN Standards Manual for answers.

Problem is the call shouldn't be on a "volunter" rotation. It is a disaster in the making unless your hospital makes it mandatory. Administration probably doesn't say anything to avoid paying stand-by pay. Do you get pay for this volunter work?

At my hospital we don't do OJT in the OR but L&D does train their techs to scrub C/S. My director is trying to implement a program for all of the non-cert techs to take weekend classes so they can challenge the cert test.

Not all JWs abide by their beliefs because I have had a few over the years who sign the refusal but also state that if it was the difference between living and dying, give me the blood! So this is an issue that should be resolved BEFORE surgery and yes the surgeon isn't always right. PS this has only been a few over 37 years in the OR kind of like Holiday Catholics or Jack Mormons

The last time I checked, according to labor laws it is considered harrasment on your part if you question the person's excuse for calling off. They don't even have to tell you why, only they're not coming. We do have a max amount you can call off until discipline kicks in.

Your not going to get an answer from nurses who have less than 15 years or so because that draping is really old school. I use to work with a hand surgeon who always used this technique. Never, ever had an infection and I don't see a problem with this.

Don't know where you are located but the hospital has no backup plan if you were not able to go home due to severe weather or ?

So far the answers I would expect. keep them coming

I posted a topic like this last mar but got only one response. I was wondering how your hospital treats the on-call crew. Does your facility provide a sleep room or somewhere you could stay when on call and live just a little further away than the rules allow. Is it a big deal if you conk out on the couch in the break room if the weather is to bad to drive? I am trying to get an idea if your staying in the hospital while on-call is a big deal. Thanks

Your right, if there is a problem in sterility, counts and such I blame the circ because that room is their responsibilty. They have to keep and eye not only on the scrub but the surgeon and anesthesia.