Surgery Nurse or Operating Room Nurse???

TazziRN, RN · Jan 11, 2008

Surgery = operating room

Do you mean MedSurg or Surgical FLOOR versus the surgery department?

I'm really confused.....why on Earth would you put in the time and energy to go to nursing school, which would be a minimum of 3-4 years with getting your pre-reqs done, work as a nurse, and then go to medical school for another 7 years plus a surgical residency? If you want to be a surgeon, then go straight to medical school.

Joie777 · Jan 11, 2008

yup i do mean med/surg. As for time, I feel its on my side:up:. I honestly want to start working and getting as much hands on experience in the operating room. So I could see how a surgeon performs as well as myself being able to contribute towards the work:balloons:. Through that, than I can only determine wether or not Im suitable to be a future surgeon. I'm the type of person that is not to keen towards getting into something without knowing its actual experience. And I definitely feel nursing will give me that.(2yrs till grad time) If anyone has any advice. I would certainly appreciate. Thanx

OR male nurse · Jan 11, 2008

Not to discourage you, but just because you would be in the operating room doesn't mean you will be able to watch the surgeon and see what he's doing. Many times I am so busy running around for supplies, watching the sponge and needle count, getting irrigation, etc. etc. That you have more than enough to do for yourself much less see what the surgeon is doing. Also, many times you can't even see what they are doing even if you have spare time, stand up in front by the anesthesiologist, stand on a foot step, and peek over the sterile draping to see the incisional area. The best thing for you to do is to visit your local hospital, ask if you can job shadow an OR surgical RN around for the day and see if it's what you think.

Also for your terminology

med/surg= the floor where you go when you are sick.

surgery/OR= the operating room where the surgery occurs.

RacheloneRN · Jan 12, 2008

Actually some facilities do refer to a "med/surg" floor as Surgery, if they have their post-op patients on a separate unit from the "med" or ill patients, I am a new grad in the OR and I did apply for a job on a "Surgical" unit only to find that it was not the operating room. As for where to go for medical school prep I couldn't tell you, although nursing school is pretty rough, I know I had to work much harder than my premed friends; but do make sure to clarify, as I was disappointed to find that I was not going for a position in the OR, that hospital did not offer an OR internship, so I falsely assumed that the "Surgical Internship" was in the OR. Needless to say, I went to another facility

Good Luck

TazziRN, RN · Jan 12, 2008

Actually some facilities do refer to a "med/surg" floor as Surgery, if they have their post-op patients on a separate unit from the "med" or ill patients, I am a new grad in the OR and I did apply for a job on a "Surgical" unit only to find that it was not the operating room. As for where to go for medical school prep I couldn't tell you, although nursing school is pretty rough, I know I had to work much harder than my premed friends; but do make sure to clarify, as I was disappointed to find that I was not going for a position in the OR, that hospital did not offer an OR internship, so I falsely assumed that the "Surgical Internship" was in the OR. Needless to say, I went to another facility
Good Luck

I've never heard of a floor being called Surgery. SurgiCAL, yes, but not SurgERY.

Joie777 · Jan 12, 2008

Since it seems Im stepping on peoples toes by my terminology heres where you can go;) http://www.discovernursing.com

Surgical Nursing

Nurses in this field provide care and support to patients before, during, and after surgery. Different positions include scrub nurses (who pass sterile instruments and supplies to surgeons), circulating nurses (who work outside the sterile field), and RN first assistants (who deliver direct surgical care to patients).

Operating Room Nursing (Perioperative Nursing)

Nurses in this field provide care and support to patients before, during, and after surgery. These nurses are responsible for maintaining a sterile environment in the operating room, monitoring the patient during surgery, and coordinating care throughout the process. They are also responsible for making sure the OR team provides the patient with the best care possible.

I didnt mean to get anyones panties in a bunch:cheers: