Should I start as a new grad in the OR???

[AJ BSN 2008]

Ok, I know this question has been asked before but, my situation is a little different. I just graduated last weekend with my BSN and am still trying to figure out where I should start out my career. I am currently employed as a nursing assistant on a tele floor for the past 4 months and I have been offered a position there (just not sure if I want to start here or not). Prior to working at this hospital, I worked at another hospital as a tele tech/nursing assistant/unit clerk in an ICU. I have had my heart set on working in critical care (did a summer internship and final clinical rotations in ICU) but, unfortunately, I am not having much luck finding an opening in an ICU for a new grad. I only got a few opportunities to observe in the OR when I was in nursing school but, I loved it and have always thought that maybe somewhere down the road after working in the ICU I would transition to the operating room. I just don't know if I have enough experience to start out in the OR and I'm afraid I'll lose my skills. Would it be realistic to start out as a new grad in OR and then be able to transition to critical care later on? Or, should I just stick with the tele unit I already work on? Thanx!!!! :wink2:

[Allison T]

I'm answering this from the standpoint of someone whose only OR experience has been circulating as an L & D nurse for cesarean births and a few other surgeries. But I want to address the "lose my skills" question. We nurses seem to use that phrase fairly often to refer to things like trach care, IV starts, wound care, etc. If we are in a position where we don't do certain procedures, we are afraid we will lose them. As a nurse who has worked in several areas of nursing, I have stopped being afraid of "losing my skills." It is the critical thinking that is the most important in nursing. I would be afraid to take a nursing job where I did not have to think critically.

In reality, I think the "skills" part will come back if you return to a job where you do those procedures. The important thing is being able to look up how to do them, having a resource person to show you the procedures again, etc. Your critical thinking skills can direct you in how to efficiently look things up and will help you understand the basis for the procedures. Procedures change over time, anyhow.

[linda2097]

If your goal is ICU, you are better off working med-surg than OR.

Actually, PACU would be better than med-surg. Is PACU hiring?

It takes a lot of time to train a nurse to work in the OR. They don't want to train someone who plans on leaving.

[shodobe]

The OR, IMHO, is the one place that takes the longest to get use to. No one is going to hire you, train you and then watch you leave to go to another department. OR training can be a very intensive and long. I thnk new grads have to see where they want to be in 10 or 20 years. Skills you won't lose no matter what anyone tries to tell you. In todays economy and how hospitals are looking at nursing, sometimes just take a job for now until you can transition into what you really want to do.

[mcp-newG09]

I, on the other hand, want to be an OR nurse... I don't see my self doing anything else. But people keep telling me to try other things 1st before I make the commitment & they say no OR will hire me as a new grad any way... so any advice?

[linda2097]

I, on the other hand, want to be an OR nurse... I don't see my self doing anything else. But people keep telling me to try other things 1st before I make the commitment & they say no OR will hire me as a new grad any way... so any advice?

A year of med-surg will make you a stronger OR nurse, but it is not absolutely necessary.

[AJ BSN 2008]

Thank you for all of the responses! I think I will hold off for now on applying for an OR position. I have gotten a few call backs from some of the hospitals I applied to and now have some interviews set up (one is for a neuro icu...yikes!). I would really love to get into an ICU and do that for a while until I actually felt comfortable and then drop down to a PRN status and work full time in an OR. That would be the best of both worlds for me but, we'll see....