Questions for potential employers

[MCHnurse]

Hello all,

I have a question for everyone that has worked or is currently working in the OR. I am a new nurse with less than 1 year of experience. I am preparing to interview for a position in a pediatric OR internship. I did a search on this site to find questions that might be asked of me during the interview, but I didn't see a thread that adressed questions that I might ask of the interviewers.

I have never worked in the OR and have only worked briefly on the floor. Because of this I want to make sure I ask all the right questions to be sure that the position is right for me. Can anyone suggest some questions that I might ask of my potential employer? For instance, I would normally ask about staffing ratios etc., but in this case "floor" questions would not apply to OR nursing. I appreciate any help that anyone has to offer!

[crackerjack]

I asked questions about length of and type of orientation, flexibility in orientation if I felt I needed longer, call-frequency, amount, type, shifts, whether I would be in the main OR all the time or be required to float to the surgery center....I asked my interviewer to tell me the best and worst thing about working for this employer, what make this a good place to work, what makes this facility a better choice for employment over local competition. That's all I can remember right now. If you'll do a search on interview strategies you'll find some awesome lists. Seems like I found something like that on this site.

[nursekatie22, RN]

Good info....thanks!

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Ooooh, definitely ask about the call time required... I was "fibbed" to, to put it nicely.

[ewattsjt]

call pay too. in fact, check out everything like you are checking on a new job. while most thing at a hospital are the same, surgery can sometimes have a totally different way of doing it (i.e. call pay, call hours, mandated overtime). when our schedule is light people are asked to volunteer to go home. should there be no takers, we are sent home. it is on a rotational basis.

so my point is that your questions should be like checking out a new job instead of a department or floor transfer. it's just my opinion.

[inspir8tion]

The most important question to me would be do you require a circulator to be an RN. I believe there are only 5 states that require it by law. And also would you be required to circulate more than one room at a time.

[MCHnurse]

Wow, these are all really great suggestions! Definitely things I wouldn't have thought to ask on my own. I'm starting a list. Thanks everyone!

[lily_lover]

I would also ask about turnover rate- it's usually a good indication of how people are treated. Good luck to you-this is my first job, and I've known since second semester of nursing that I wanted to be in the OR.