Travel

Before you will be ready to travel, you will need to invest some time on the job getting some varied OR experience (or , experience in whatever area you plan to travel) for at least one year, and more is recommended for OR travel.

The pay when traveling is the same usually, no matter what your specialty.

Before you travel you should get at least two yrs experience and try to have a mix of specialties, not just general surgery..I found that ortho and neuro is mostly wanted. Also, learn to scrub...there are more jobs for nurses that scrub and circulate. Lastly, OR is a specialty area and does pay more...

KarenHalse,

I was wondering where you work that you make more than others because you work in the OR. Our pay here is based on years of service and not on any specialty area. I don't even make anymore because I have my CNOR cert. I really haven't come across too many posts over the years that indicate more pay for more specialty. I think it is rare when you do find this and if you do it doesn't amount to much. Too tell you the truth two years is not, in my opinion,enough experience to go anywhere and just start working in the OR. Unless you are very bright, a go-getter and have the fortitude to put up with anything from anyone two years is not enough. An all around person should be able to go anywhere and start to work with minimum orientation. But if you are not strong in the areas mentioned above, Neuro and Ortho, you might find yourself not getting the assignments you want. I think it is better to take it one step at a time. Get your experience, get very comfortable at what you do, soak up all the knowledge from the "old timers", then go on your quest. I have 27 years experience in the OR and didn't feel where I could do about anything for about 5 years! I can do everything except Open Hearts now. Working in a large university setting will afford you much more training than I ever got, so maybe you'll excel in your efforts. A goal is always worth working for. good luck, mike

Shodobe, I can certainly understand your interest. In my home town, (Melbourne, Fl), the larger of the hospitals pays 3/hr for CNOR, (They are also a magnet hospital). Another hospital pays 1.75/hr for CNOR and to the OR nurses 1.25 for ACLS. Lastly, another hospital (20ml. out of town), pays 3,000 per year for your CNOR...that is the only hospital that is unionized. OR pays more than working M/S, no question about it...where do you work that it doesn't. This is not to put M/S down but OR is a specialty area. Ask a couple of Travel companies....

As for experience and traveling, I agree the more experience the better, but I have travelled for 2 yrs now and I have turned down more jobs than taken. Not all hospitals are level 1 or 2 trauma centers.

Ortho, General, Plastics, Urology, and Ent is the back bone of most OR's unless you are in a level 1 trauma center. The last OR I worked in had 20 beds, their own Neuro staff and they did not want anyone else working in there. You are given an opportunity to interview before you take a job, that is the time to review what the hospital needs and what you are comfortable doing. I am always up front with where I am most confortable working and that I have limited Neuro experience. Their own staff didn't rotate in there. I worked this hospital for 7 months and loved it there. I felt like I was leaving family when I left...the staff gave me a great going away party...I have been asked to stay at every place I have worked.

I am currently considering staying home now because I have an offer from one of the local hospitals that allows me to make more at home, sleeping in my own bed, than going to some strange town where the staff does not appreciate travelers.

I have been a nurse for 30yrs and granted not all in the OR but I have a cumulative 7 yrs OR experience. I like going to different places meeting the people there, learning how it is done there versus somewhere else...and traveling is a great way to see some of our beautiful country..

Hi All,

Do any travel agencies specialise in OR nurses? I have 4 years experience as a circulating nurse and am commencing a postgrad certificate as a scrub, but trying to work out what to do at the end of the year...

Jason, there are some travel agencies that specialize in "OR" people but there are so many travel agencies now. It's really more of where do you want to go and who has contracts there. There is alot of difference in what the agencies offer and pay. It really is important to read up on the forums for awhile and see what is going on for travelers, whether it be OR (surgery) or another specialty.

Have you checked out the Delphi forums? This is an excellent site for Travel Nurse and Tech's, also Travel Nurse Depot has alot of useful information for travelers. Read and become as knowledgeable before you sign up with any of them.

http://www.travelnursedepot.com/

http://forums.delphiforums.com/travelnurses/