struggling in orientation

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Hello, brand new OR nurse here. I have 4 yrs of floor experience and just started PeriOp 101 4 weeks ago. I thought I'd love it, now I'm not so sure. I am having a hard time adjusting. I miss using my floor skills and interacting with patients (sometimes). It seems like whenever I try to open supplies for a case I end up contaminating it. I can't seem to get a grip on the preps. My preceptors have been good but every day it feels like we are always in a rush to set up, turn over, etc. and they have just been doing everything because there isn't a lot of time for teaching. The staff is very good and competent but some of them have been rude and there appears to be a lot of "eating their young." It doesn't help that our hospital is going through a huge thing that will majorly affect the nurses (tensions have been high). I wasn't very happy on the floor so I left, now I'm wondering if I didn't just put myself in a worse position. Any advice for a newbie? Are these feelings normal??

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

It will come in time. The rush will always be there. Step in and do what you can on step ups and breakdowns. Ask the nurses you are with in a case how the do things and take a little from all of them. Find out what items you can be handed off the field before the end of the case to speed up turnovers.

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Specializes in OR Nursing, Critical Care, Med-surg.

With time, the flow will come. And yes, unfortunately, turnovers are a big deal - and everything must be quick, quick, quick.

When you're with your preceptor, make you really observe what he/she is doing. You don't have to start off doing everything. Start little then gradually add things to your list.

Like, start off navigating and becoming familiar with the charting system. Then, ease into interviewing, then counting, then time-outs...

When you have more of a grip with what you're doing, start to slowly circulate independently and worry about charting later - then when you're more comfortable add charting to your goal.

Communicate with your preceptor to let you ease into things.

My preceptors always told me that one day the light bulb will just come on and it all "just clicks." I was thinking to myself, "what are you talking about, it's not just going to click - you're crazy." Then one day...it clicked. Haha.

I've been in the OR for 3 years now, and I do like it. However, I don't see myself here long-term nor did I see myself on the floor long-term either. So, I'm in graduate school.

Give yourself time, good luck!

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9 months into the OR, just finished periop 101 and I still feel lost, confused, and some days I hate it. A few months ago I was so depressed it was starting to effect my health negatively. It gets better, but I am still on the fence about staying or applying for a transfer when I qualify at my hospital. Some days I like it, even with the stress and demanding (sometimes out right mean) doctors that I am stuck in a room with for hours. But, today was a good day. I ran my room all day with no issues and had a nice surgeon and anesthesiologist that likes me. It gets better. Circle your year anniversary on a calendar and give yourself time to learn. You will be surprised how much better it gets, honestly I thought that the nurses were crazy for telling me it gets easier, but it was true. It is supposed to take a year to feel "comfortable " so circle it and just keep reminding yourself that you have til that date to feel Ok in the OR. A quote that I try to embrace (silly as it is, and yeah it is from a cartoon, but it is TRUE) "sucking at something is the first step to becoming sort of good at something".

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Specializes in Surgery.

I'm in the same boat as you. I am 8 months into my training and I don't like it. I'm going to try to stick it out until the 1 year mark but I don't see that changing things. I miss interacting with my patients. I feel like I'm losing clinical skills. Plus the bullying in my OR is the worst I've ever seen. It comes from every direction - surgical technicians, nurses, managers, physician assistants, surgeons. The only ones that are mildly pleasant are anesthesia and PACU. The flex nurses decide who gets breaks and when they will be provided. Since I'm new and not BFFs with the flex nurses, I don't get them while everyone else seems to get 4-5 per shift. I have to call a manager every day to beg for lunch. I've actually started drinking less water since I know I won't be able to pee from 6:30am until 2pm. I'm seriously considering going back to the floor. My boss won't like it, but I don't want to be miserable. They tried to get me to sign a 2 year contract when they hired me in the OR but I refused because it was one-sided (absolutely no benefit for me). They still hired me. I am expecting them to blacklist me hospital-wide if I do leave the OR. Because of this, I plan on leaving the hospital completely. I wish I would have never taken this position.

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Specializes in hospice, HH, LTC, ER,OR.

Your skills will come in time. You know a lot more than you think you do. I have been in the OR for 18 months, with many of those months totally on my own and doing procedures I never done on my own. I guess they saw nothing scared me because I came from the ER. Truthfully I am bored out of my mind and cant want to do something else. but I signed a 2 year contract. Its a different type of nursing and I prefer to use more skills. I did my preceptor-ship in the OR and it did not prepare me for ST bullying, Nurse tattling. I fear losing all my skills and knowledge of procedures and medications. Being one of the highest paid specialties is what keeps me around, but not for long. I am also in grad school.

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