nurserrv

Yes I agree with you on a post op floor. I did consider PACU but could not go since it is critical care and my only experience is in OR. The director wanted me to get other floor experience before trying PACU.

Please help me out. I've been in the OR for a bit over 2 years, went in as a new grad. I know so many people would never advise going from OR to the floor because apparently the OR is like heaven compared to the floor. But I still want to go. I don't like being the person to run for stuff, I feel like I don't really make a difference in patient care, and I have forgotten so much patho and disease process and that's what I hate the most. So I want to go to the floor, interact with the patients/family, orders, actually do head to toe assessments, be hands on. But I would be like a new grad again. Is there anything I can do to prepare myself if I really go through with this? Like go over labs, patho, drugs... any suggestions? Thanks! Also where do you think is a good floor to start on and why?

Hello! I currently work in the OR. I was accepted as a new grad and had a year orientation which was awesome. I love my job because of the work itself, good hours, I'm involved in many ways (circ, scrub, precepting, etc). But I'm now kicking myself because I itch for floor experience everyday but I only want that experience so that I can be better in the OR because I really do love it. Most say once you work in OR you can't go back to the floor, and I guess it's worse for me because OR is all I know. But I was wondering if I could get some bedside PT care under my belt by learning pacu? Just to be familiar with actually administering meds, learning the pumps, assessing, airway management etc. What do you think?

I have been working in the OR over a year now. I was hired as a new grad and did the peri op 101 course. It was exciting at first but now I have been having negative feelings about my job for a long time for several reasons. First one being the unpredictable attitudes of surgeons. I get anxious and feel like I have to walk on eggshells around some of them. Second is how the nurses don't seem to be treated as a valued member of the OR team. I feel like I'm just setting rooms up for surgeons and fetching things for different people. And remember i started as a new grad so now I feel like I seriously know NOTHING about pt conditions and I surely don't know how to intervene if an emergency is taking place (at my facility, it usually anesthesia personnel that do that) and THAT is what bothers me the very most. I know at my facility if I want to switch to the floor they will give me an orientation so I'm not worried about that. I know someone can teach me the skills/knowledge you gain on the floor. Im just worried about the actual switch. OR nurses get paid more than floor nurses where I am (don't know why, I feel like their job is more difficult) and I wouldn't have my cozy M-F 8 hour day shift with weekends and holidays off with real morning breaks and full 30min lunch break. I would be asking for heavy patient load and a long stressful 12 hour shift (possibly nights, which i don't want as I will have a baby soon and my BF works days as a teacher). But it is KILLING me that I'm losing nursing skills I barely had fresh out of school. I feel useless in codes (anesthesia usually takes over) or even if a patient is having something like chest pain, vomiting, or is just really unstable I have NO idea what to do. All I know if bovie settings, OR materials, instruments, counting, prepping surgical sites...etc. I don't know how to intervene when the patient really needs it. I wish i could pick up something PT but I already work 5 days/week. I want to switch to something else for the skills and knowledge but I'm afraid I will end up making a mistake and be another burned out, angry floor nurse. PLEASE HELP! ANY ADVICE!