Should I go for OR right after graduation?

[Irene joy]

I was hoping some fairly new OR nurses could answer this for me, I KNOW I want to be in the OR. I will be putting in for my preceptorship at the beginning of next quarter. I have two more quarters of nursing school. My only question is, I'm just starting to get better at what I'm doing, full assessments, IV meds, catheters, I've started several IV's and I love doing that kind of stuff. I'm afraid that if I go right into the OR after graduation I'll loose some of those skills. But then I think, If I have the opportunity to get into the OR I'd be stupid to turn it down. We have two hospitals in the area that have wonderful new grad residencies for OR.

Did you go into OR right after graduation? How did that work for you? Thanks so much!

[maeyken]

I think it really depends on what you think you will gain from either option.

I worked on the floor for a little over a year, and then got an amazing opportunity to go to the OR. My plan out of school was to work on the floor for maybe 5 years and then look at going to the OR, but an opportunity came up sooner so I jumped! I've been in the OR for 2.5 years now and I love it :)

Working in the OR, you will lose some of your "floor" skills, but you will also improve upon others, and gain LOTS of different skills. For me, working on the floor was an experience I wanted. It helped me feel more confident and grounded in my abilities. But there are some girls I work with who came straight to the OR and are excellent OR nurses as well.

The operating room is such a different world from any other sort of nursing, and so to go there first without any other experience is great if you know that's what you want to do. But if you have any doubts, some work on the floor might help you in case you go to the OR but then decide it's not for you. Then you have some other nursing experience as well. That said, most people who come to the OR and stick it out through orientation never leave.

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

Think about what you want for your future. Are you young enough to think about wanting to be a Nurse Anesthetist later on? That will require at least a year of ICU before going to CRNA school.

I did go directly to the OR, but I have never wanted anything else besides to work in the OR...even since I was little.

[Irene joy]

Thanks for answering guys, I was thinking of doing the CRNA route in the future but I probably wouldn't do that for quite a while. I want the kids to be in high school or later, I've been in school five years and they will need mom back for a while after I graduate. Who knows though, I may just love being a circulator and may not want to pursue an advanced degree.