So confused! Help?

Published

Hello! I'm a newbie, obtained my ADN about 17 months ago and have been fairly unhappy with my career choice in general. First of all i worked on a crazy med-surg floor for the first 7 months of my RN and hated not being able to care for the pt's the way i wanted, now i work on an intermediate respiratory care unit and while i actually enjoy the staffing ratio much better (3:1, sometimes 4:1), i still feel like its just not right for me. Having the same frequent flyers in and out for months at a time sometimes can make me feel burnt out when they are very difficult to care for as many of ours are d/t the fact that they cant breathe...which turns them into anxious, depressed, non motivated people. Also the hours can be very taxing, 12 hr shifts, day night rotation, lots of weekends and holidays. I have a toddler and would like to have another child soon and dont feel like that schedule would work...which is how every floor at the university hospital i work at is except for the OR. Still some nights and weekend and on call of course but not as much.

I've considered trying to obtain a different degree all together but really i do enjoy caring for people and dont have the funds to go back to school right now. I'm interested in the OR primarily for the hours, 1:1 pt care, great experience and hectic atmosphere. I like to be busy. Every time i bring up to my co-workers that i am considering moving to the OR they say "Are you crazy?" Standing all day and having surgeons yell at you is what you want to do? Well...actually no...that doesnt sound too exciting. I can be shy at first and have heard that you need to have a strong personality to strive in the OR and i do...eventually...when i get the hang of things... but now I'm afraid i'll get scared away. I know I'm still technically a new grad but it's not that im intimidated of the work anymore...I'm actually very comfortable on my floor already when it comes to skills but i just feel its not right for me. I've been reading posts and really just would like to know what the OR in like. Is it really as intimidating and overwhelming as everyone says? :confused: I would really appreciate any comments or thoughts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Whether the OR is intimidating or not can vary from place to place. Just like anywhere else, there are toxic workplaces and supportive workplaces. The orientation for the OR is typically 6-9 months for those with no experience. The amount of knowledge that needs to be gained to be a good OR nurse can be daunting- the OR is a whole other world compared to floor nursing and the ICU. There's a lot of equipment and technology to be learned. Surgeons at times can yell, but at least in my experience, they're yelling at the situation, not the staff. Things can go downhill in the OR very quickly, and stress is not uncommon. However, any OR that does not rein in inappropriate behavior by either staff or physicians is not a place I would want to work. There is a difference in a surgeon yelling during every case, every day, and a surgeon dropping the f bomb when realizing that he/she has inadvertently nicked a ureter during a bowel resection.

If OR nursing truly interests you, then I would advise you to try to shadow an OR nurse for at least a day, and preferably more than one. It is very difficult to show the entire role of the OR nurse in such little time, but it is better than applying for a job completely blind.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR.

I would say to shadow an OR nurse too. I was interested in the OR and after shadowing someone decided it was right for me. One of my friends also did that and wasn't that crazy about it. Good experience for both of us!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for the replies...so do you think it would be odd for me to ask HR if i could shadow someone in the OR since I'm working on another unit right now?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR.
Thanks for the replies...so do you think it would be odd for me to ask HR if i could shadow someone in the OR since I'm working on another unit right now?

Go for it! The worst case scenario is they tell you no. Best case, you get to do it and find a good fit for where to work! My facility actually encourages staff to shadow another employee as part of career development. I think they permit 1-2 days per year for this, most don't do it, but its an option that is encouraged particularly when it comes to retaining employees. They may find a totally new career they love (and qualify for tuition reimbursement to learn the new job), or they may find a new specialty better suited to their needs. I know when I interviewed for the OR years ago, part of the interview process was an 8hr observation in the OR...if they were going to train me they wanted to know it was a good fit. I was even paid for the day of observation (I was an employee in another dept so already on the payroll).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would make sure your organizational skills are up to par. the OR can be hectic, and one delay, can mean life or death for a patient. The surgeons are human, and they feel the pressure. I want to be in the OR soo bad, I can taste it. I had a great rotational experience in the OR while in nursing school. A surgeon saw me, and asked if i wanted to look at a patient's thoracic cavity opened. He pulled up a stool, and let me look. I thought that was cool. He showed me where the aortic aneurysm was. One small act like that made me think differently about doctors, and where i wanted the direction of my career to go. My fellow co-workers think i would be more beneficial on the floor with the patients. I want to experience the OR world. It is like going into another country, or world.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR.

The OR is awesome! I would not want to work anywhere else...could you ask one of the surgeons that you know from the floor if you could attend a day of his surgeries? Try to get a day in the OR and see what it's all about.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I strongly encourage you to shadow for a day. It is such a wonderful, vast and sometimes hectic world. You learn so much. Yes the surgeons can yell, but as Poet said, they are mainly yelling at the situation, and not you. You must be confident enough in yourself to be assertive because YOU must be the patient's voice in this area of nursing. Assertiveness goes hand in hand with confidence, which is something that will be gained from experience.

If you enjoy the technical and precision facets of nursing, then the OR is for you! It can be overwhelming at times, but you will gradually become adept at mastering things that you would never have imagined.

Venture on over to Steri-Land and see what you think!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR.
. One small act like that made me think differently about doctors, and where i wanted the direction of my career to go. My fellow co-workers think i would be more beneficial on the floor with the patients. I want to experience the OR world. It is like going into another country, or world.

Of course your fellow co-workers think you are more beneficial on the floor--they don't want to lose you working alongside of them!! But you have to follow your dreams, not theirs! Finding a position in the OR was the BEST decision I ever made.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi Canedukesgirl,

Who :paw: is that in your avatar? Too cute!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
Hi Canedukesgirl,

Who :paw: is that in your avatar? Too cute!

I wish I could say that was my puppy, but a friend of mine sent it to me on FB because it looks JUST like her!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion