sneed1o1

I definitely agree with previous posters. I think I OVERstudied. Much easier than NCLEX, and if you read over the outline and do the post-module questions, you will do fine. My peers copied ALL of the post-module questions and made them into a study review. Our on-site educator went through the outline and made questions for each section. I looked over these things the night before and made a 93 (before extra credit), so I definitely believe if you pay attention to the modules, you should do fine. Just make sure you stick to the guidelines and not what you may see from experienced nurses on the floor, as the test is based on AORN guidelines (real world nursing vs. AORN standards).

Just passed my Periop 101 exam. I will begin the hardcore clinical portion for the next 6 months! These tips have been helpful. Our system is only requiring that we do 3 weeks of scrubbing and then move to the circulating role. Lots to learn, but I'm loving every minute!

@bsnRN_16, I was asked the typical questions "tell me about yourself", "why did you become a nurse", "what made you interested in ____ department", "why should we hire you", "what can you bring to this team", "where do you see yourself 5 years from now"...

Grapevine is a pretty good city. It's probably a 20-25 minute drive depending on what part you live in. Arlington would probably be a 30 minute commute. Irving is undergoing A LOT of construction but it's in your range. I'm fairly new to this area myself so those are the only cities I could give an opinion on. I'll be commuting to BUMC starting next week for my Periop 101. I'll let you know exactly how long it will take me

Starting pay varies...I've heard $26 for new grads. Varies depending on experience. They gave me more in my starting pay than what I was making at Texas Health after a year of employment. I only have 2 years experience.

I had clinicals at both, interviews at both, but I chose to work cardiac tele at TMFH. I have since moved to DFW last year, but I can tell you that HouTx is right when it comes to patient satisfaction...it's pretty much everywhere! Baylor has so far been the only system I have worked for that places just as much emphasis on EMPLOYEE satisfaction. Texas Health was infamous for their patient satisfaction in my opinion...not enough employee satisfaction there, therefore A LOT of employee turnover and ridiculous working schedules for the remaining nurses. Anyway, as far as ETMC goes, I also heard they were going bankrupt. The staff seemed more willing to teach, but their environment just seemed "outdated". TMFH on the other hand were very up-to-date, but I also ran into a lot of bitter, seasoned nurses who seemed to not care for the new generation nurses. The charge nurse at Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital affiliated with TMFH was really nice. She didn't allow patients to walk all over the employees just to improve their satisfaction. I believe the pros vs cons is very departmental. I believe when I interviewed, ETMC also had a few bucks more in starting pay than TMFH, but I was born at TMFH, it's a family hospital for me, so I was a bit more biased Good luck!

I just got married last November, so sneed is my new last name (I really love this man). 1o1 is a tribute to Periop101. I am a new OR nurse.

There were only about 2-3 L&D positions filled at my location. 2 OR (myself included), and one educator for that department. I'm not sure about the other specialties but orientation just started for us last Monday, June 13th. I'm loving it so far! It's the best hospital orientation I've ever attended! All Baylor new employees met at the Irving site, so there were about 250 altogether from all specialties. I really love what they stand for, and they made me feel passionate about what they believe in, too! :) As far as what I think made me stand out in my interview, I believe honesty, genuineness, and passion really makes you stand out. They do not want anyone who really doesn't want to be there.

There seems to be a lot of OR nurses who have had different experiences. The description you just gave to GadgetRN71 is the same description my charge nurse gave me today for going into the OR...I'm sure they have their bad days just like any other floor. I'm going into this area with realistic expectations. I don't think one area of nursing is "harder" than another. I think it just depends on what the nurse chooses to tolerate, and the hospital and staff you work with can make the difference as well.

I love this, especially the connection you made between quietness and humbleness in comparison to loudness and... INFJ here I find it hard to learn if your mouth is constantly open, so I'd like to think that a closed mouth equals open ears lol

I appreciate all of these responses. @MereSanity, I love what you described! This is what I saw during my clinical rounds in nursing school. It's hard for me to fathom how someone could become bored there! @RNtobe2016_CA that was also how my nursing class was like. Many wanted Labor & Delivery, I was in the minority who were awed by the OR. Can anyone give me an example of how you have responded to a difficult surgeon and how you established where you stood within the department? In other words, how did you let them know you were not to be toyed with?

@pixiestudent2 Do you mind me asking what you didn't expect about working in the OR? I'm just starting out, still in orientation, in fact. Did you ever scrub?

My med/surg I clinical instructor also told me to consider a different career. I wasn't doing so well on the exams, but I ended up pulling a B for the class Rather than give me encouragement and offer extra help or alternatives to identify the real problem (test anxiety, stress, work schedule, etc.), she just gave me that response. Needless to say, I received the help that I needed from another instructor. Sometimes I wonder if she went into teaching because she didn't seem to have the correct interpersonal skills and couldn't cut it on the bedside...like the old saying, "those who can do, those who can't teach". I noticed during our clinical rotations, she seemed reluctant to touching any of the patients and her conversations with them seemed awkward. Maybe SHE should have chosen a different career because that quote definitely fitted her personality Kudos to the nurses who are instructors with great interpersonal skills!

Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. When I was first hired on, it should've been a red flag that the manager seemed controlling from he beginning. Not to mention, the supervisor told me during the interview that they were short-handed! I voiced my concern regarding unfair scheduling that seemed to favor a select group of nurses over others, and with an attitude she basically told me to not worry about their schedules and how she did me a favor by hiring me with only 1 year of experience. As you can imagine, I began to self-schedule myself as others were doing, and the manager had a little "chat" with ME about the scheduling requirements...and THAT is when I began to make my exit. Two weeks notice was sent, and to my surprise, the manager and supervisor became REALLY nice towards me. HA! Watch those kinds of people, they will try to manipulate you. I made sure I mentioned this in the exit survey.

I agree with springchick1. My hiring manager said she prefers to hire new grads because it's easier to teach a new mind than a seasoned one. Her reasoning was that she saw a lot of seasoned nurses being trapped in their habits which made it difficult for them to learn new habits, especially with OR being it's own unique specialty. I've also had other nurses tell me to gain floor experience first for at least two years. There are pros and cons to both ways. It just depends on the hiring manager. I start next month, so it's exciting to see your enthusiasm!