Should a new grad go straight to the OR??

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Specializes in ED, ICU.

Hello,

I'm a student in Houston, TX and beginning to think about which part of nursing interests me the most. I was frustrated and sometimes bored on the med-surg floors. My rotation in the OR was the most exciting clinical I've ever had ( I saw a mitral valve replacement at St. Lukes- Texas Heart Institute). Everyone says to get a few years experience on the floor...but I think I would just be counting down the days until I felt it right to move to the OR. I would appreciate some advice from all you OR nurses!

Thanks a bunch.

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Hello,

I'm a student in Houston, TX and beginning to think about which part of nursing interests me the most. I was frustrated and sometimes bored on the med-surg floors. My rotation in the OR was the most exciting clinical I've ever had ( I saw a mitral valve replacement at St. Lukes- Texas Heart Institute). Everyone says to get a few years experience on the floor...but I think I would just be counting down the days until I felt it right to move to the OR. I would appreciate some advice from all you OR nurses!

Thanks a bunch.

I personally think all new grads should work in med surg for at least one year. I just finished my year this past July, and I am working in psych nursing. I was an LPN previously for ten years and I thought that I did not need to work in med-surg. But my background was not in a hospital so it would not really help me to understand basic clinical skills I needed to know in depth. I always wanted to do psych nursing, but my instructor encouraged me to do at least one year and I am glad that I did. You need to know basic nursing to get the most out of your nursing career. You cannot learn every thing in nursing school. I looked at med surg as my last year of nursing school. I feel like I have a well rounded knowledge base of nursing now.

I hope that helps.

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Hello,

I'm a student in Houston, TX and beginning to think about which part of nursing interests me the most. I was frustrated and sometimes bored on the med-surg floors. My rotation in the OR was the most exciting clinical I've ever had ( I saw a mitral valve replacement at St. Lukes- Texas Heart Institute). Everyone says to get a few years experience on the floor...but I think I would just be counting down the days until I felt it right to move to the OR. I would appreciate some advice from all you OR nurses!

Thanks a bunch.

I know this really does not answer your specific question, but I started on med/surg because I want to be there. Unfortunately, some of my fellow new grads are making it quite obvious that they have no interest in med/surg, but are only there because they think they should start there. If you do decide to go for even a year, PLEASE try to stay positive and learn all you can. Nobody wants to be stuck with a nurse (patients or coworkers) who hates what s/he does and cannot wait to leave.

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There are alot of threads on this subject and the concensus on those has been NO you don't need to do a year or more on med/surg.

Lots of examples of people who went into ICU, NICU, ER, OR, etc., and did fine. If this is where your heart is, go for it.

steph

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Specializes in ED, ICU.
I know this really does not answer your specific question, but I started on med/surg because I want to be there. Unfortunately, some of my fellow new grads are making it quite obvious that they have no interest in med/surg, but are only there because they think they should start there. If you do decide to go for even a year, PLEASE try to stay positive and learn all you can. Nobody wants to be stuck with a nurse (patients or coworkers) who hates what s/he does and cannot wait to leave.

I can imagine it must be frustrating working with people that make it obvious they do not like their job. I know that if I did go to med/surg I would try to learn as much as possible, and I always try to stay as positive as I can. I just think I would feel bad going into the job knowing that I want to leave within a year, and helping out with the shortage only to leave very soon, however, if the experience gained is that significant it might be worth the time. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter!

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There are alot of threads on this subject and the concensus on those has been NO you don't need to do a year or more on med/surg.

Lots of examples of people who went into ICU, NICU, ER, OR, etc., and did fine. If this is where your heart is, go for it.

steph

The nice thing about this forum is that you can get feedback from a spectrum of diversity at your fingertips... the mouse and keyboard. :rotfl:

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:nurse: :nurse:

Hello,

I'm a student in Houston, TX and beginning to think about which part of nursing interests me the most. I was frustrated and sometimes bored on the med-surg floors. My rotation in the OR was the most exciting clinical I've ever had ( I saw a mitral valve replacement at St. Lukes- Texas Heart Institute). Everyone says to get a few years experience on the floor...but I think I would just be counting down the days until I felt it right to move to the OR. I would appreciate some advice from all you OR nurses!

Thanks a bunch.

I have been a nurse for MANY years. My first year out of school, I worked in the OR. I did this for about a year and a half. It was a great learning experience. It taught me even more than I already knew about anatomy and physiology. I was fascinated and it made me want to learn more.

From the OR, I went to Coronary Care and then several other areas. I never regretted starting out in OR.................The most important thing is to love what you do and have a thirst for continued learning.

Best wishes on your journey.

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Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

Go to the Perioperative section and do a search. There is always a discussion on this subject and you will find a wide opinion. Mine will even be there. Mike

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