What else can pre-op do?

[momathoner09, BSN, MSN, APRN]

I will be job searching again next year due to a move and am wondering where I can go with my current experience. I love pre op but there doesn't seem to be many jobs available in that area. I really like being part of the OR team and that aspect of nursing vs floor nursing. Plus, I have little experience in floor nursing so even if I wanted to, that would be like starting over as well. Right now I have in mind PACU, OR, and possibly cath lab? Again, I am not sure how hard it will be to get any of these jobs with 3 years (when I apply) pre-op experience. I have worked mainly in hearts but also floated to our main OR. Any ideas or guidance? TIA.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Pretty much no other experience is going to count for OR, other than the fact that you aren't a new grad and have an employment history. The OR is such a different world even compared to other departments that fall under the perioperative umbrella that you're going to need to complete the full orientation. The OR is kind of a hit or miss when it comes to job openings. The saying is that nurses love the OR so much they never leave or hate it and escape as soon as they can. There are nurses in my OR who have been there since before I was born. Then there are the nurses that leave before they finish orientation because OR nursing is not what they thought it would be. I would say that of the areas, PACU would be the closest to preop- you still have the patient interactions, you still have the hands-on patient care to a greater extent than the OR nurse. However, some PACUs require critical care experience, so that's another angle to consider.

[Froggybelly]

Look around and see which departments are hiring. You might branch out to another non-floor specialty, like endoscopy, sclerotherapy, or office plastics. Many of your pre-op skills would translate well to there and the hours are great. If you want to go to the OR, expect a training course and a multi-year contract to go with it.