Thoughts on entering OR or IR from med tele background

[baxt86]

I have worked in med tele for two years and one year as a float nurse and love it but it is time for me to make a change. I've always worked 7p-7a. I would like to enter the procedural area and have two offers to interview. One is for a 10 week perioperative program to enter the OR nursing field. The other is for a part time job in IR with no formal orientation program.

I feel comfortable with the perioperative route because it offers a transition program for nurses like me. However, IR is also very interesting to me and I would like to pursue this lead. Before I commit to interviewing with the IR position, I fear that having no ICU experience will be a problem. This is a level 2 trauma hospital, one of the biggest hospitals in the area. What are your thoughts? Would I be setting myself up for failure to enter the IR field?

Thanks for reading, I am pretty sure this is my first post. I've been using this invaluable resource since nursing school and appreciate allnurses so much.

Respectfully, Baxt86

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

A 10 week perioperative program? Unless that is followed by months of hands on orientation, that is not going to be adequate for a nurse new to the OR. A decent orientation for the OR should last about 6 months. In fact, mine was 6 months with a one-on-one preceptor followed by another 3 months where one preceptor was available for 3 orientees.

As for the IR position, you may find better answers in the radiology nursing forum.

[Trauma_Llama]

Is the "perioperative" position in the OR or is it pre-op/pacu? Ten weeks makes sense for that but not for the actual operating room especially not at a decent sized hospital.