The OR is a cool place!!!

Specialties Operating Room

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Hi All!

I am a second semester Rn student taking med-surg. Today, we went on a tour of the OR and PACU with our professor. I had such a good time. It was so intersting and definatley seems like a place that I am interested in working in. My question is more of a survey...

Could any of you OR nurses please tell me what your most favorite things aboutOR nursing are and maybe some things that you don't like about it?

I am just asking because originally I thought I may want to go in to L&D nursing, but now I am thinking that I would like to try being an intern this summer in the OR and go from there.

Any replies will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Heather:kiss

I'm a new grad in the OR. AT the hospital where I work, there is an internship, which lasts a year. So we are going to be with a preceptor for a while. I am glad though b/c i think it's tough learnign so much new stuff. I refuse to work on the floor, so I am making the OR the place for me.

Chartleypj....do you or anyone from this forum think, that an OR nurse, can go to other areas of the hospital and be able to function as well as in the OR???? I am an OR nurse who went straight into the OR out of school. I am getting so burned out that I have been considering other aspects of nursing.

Don't get me wrong....I love the OR, it is just the managers and some of the staff that I get so frustrated with. Going to another hospital is not impossible but very difficult. The hospital that I work at is just 5 minutes from my house.

Please repsond to my query.

Thanks

POPRN,

I can empathize with your burnout. This is a struggle for many of us at one time or another.

When I am feeling stressed and burned out I try to pinpoint the frustration; if the problem is me, I adjust my attitude(work on interpersonnal relationships) and if it is not I advocate like hell for what I believe is the best practice.

The OR can be very challenging in that several disciplines are converging on ONE patient AT THE SAME TIME all trying to provide a positive outcome for the patient. We are all unique; we each lend a measure of necessary expertise to the case.

This collaboration works when there is mutual respect and dignity among team members. Is that lacking in your case? Are you allowed to function in an autonomous manner? Is there conflicts regarding best practices/AORN recommended practices and control issues?

As to your question re a lateral move; I know it would be quite a challenge for me to become acclimated to any unit after working in an OR for over 27 years. I would think it is possible to incorporate your base of knowledge in perioperative nursing and work in an ambulatory care (surgery) setting, labor and delivery, endoscopy unit or perhaps interventional radiology (cath lab,pacers,ercp's), or dialysis center.

I believe anything is possible with hard work, determination and open-minded willingness to succeed.

Good luck,

Paula

I am an OR nurse from Oz, we have a graduate nurse program for new RNs, they spend a year trying 3 mths in different specialtys, we have a preceptor program for them in the OR, which seems to work really well.. Many of our GNs come back and work with us permanently, and most of them want too. It is wonderful having such a lot of new ideas and opinions and especially enthusiasm by these our junior staff.

I'll say our OR is cool! A lovely 18`C...

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