What's your typical day like as an OR nurse?

mcmike55 · Sep 14, 2005

Amy.....let's see if this helps any.

What's your typical day like?

What hours do you work?

Is it challenging/interesting?

Is it stressful?

Do you like it?

How does it compare to med/surg?

What are the differences in duties of the scrub nurse and circulating nurse?

Now, keep in mind, I work in a small rural hospital with only 3 OR's, actually we have 6, but only use 3, sometimes 4 at a time, sooooo my views are different than a teaching hospital with 10 quadrillion rooms!!! :chuckle

That being said, you know the old saying hours of boredom interrupted with moments of sheer panic?? That's OR nursing.

For us, our day starts at 7 am, we get our room assignments, and off we go. Our team is an RN circulator and a Surgical Tech. We have float teams and aids that help us move pts and clean the room, but often it's just us two and a MD anesthesiologist. Our day typically runs till 3 or 4 pm, the call crew covers from there till 7 the next day. Call is something floor nurses don't understand. Our days can run for 48 hours plus, not just 8 to 12. There's a down side for you. You need to be alert even if you have been up for a while, or when that phone rings at 1 am!! I love OR because it's one on one with a pt, even though they are unconcious (but that sometimes is a plus!), it's hands on, and you really do become the pt's advocate. I really love having the docs ear as well. We have WONDERFULL surgeons at my hospital. Very well educated and down to earth kind of guys. Yes, we have disagreements at times, and temper tantrums, etc but, it's usually the exception rather than the rule. Stress, as I said before, yes and no,,it can happen in a heartbeat and resolve just that quick as well. Scrub vs circulating,,,,well, I don't get to scrub much, but when you scrub, you focus more on the job at hand, while when circulating you try to view the big picture more, also you are also looking ahead, and sometime at the pt you just finished too. I love to scrub, wish I got to do it more!! Teams that are all RN's I think are great, that way you can trade off, I think makes it more interesting, increases job satisfaction, and probably elevates the level of care some.

Hope that helps.....good luck.

Remember, sit when you can, eat when you can, sleep when you can, in OR nursing, these are all elective events!! :chuckle

Mike

amyrae76 · Sep 14, 2005

Thanks for your reply, Mike!

Did you ever work in med/surg, or have you always done OR? I worked on a med/surg floor for about a month and a half right out of school, and I hated it and ended up quitting (along with several other new girls -- the floor was known for very high turnover). I don't think I ever want to do floor nursing again. But from what you said, it sounds like OR nursing can be stressful too. One thing I like is that you're only responsible for one patient at a time in the OR. Being responsible for 6-7 patients on a very busy floor was just too much for me.

Are you on call a lot? Do you get called in a lot, especially in the middle of the night? I'd be applying at a good-sized hospital in a city of about 250,000, so I'm guessing that would mean more OR nurses and therefore more people to spread call duties around to.

You said you love to scrub -- what do you love about it? When you scrub, do you get stuck on your feet in those hours-long surgeries, with no bathroom breaks or time to sit down and rest your feet and back? When you circulate, what exactly are you responsible for?

Thanks so much for the info!

amy :)

grimmy, RN · Sep 15, 2005

hi!
i'm a new grad and i'm considering applying for an or job (yes, i actually found an or posting that will consider new grads!). i've always been interested in surgery, but i'd like to know a little more about the or nurse's duties:
what's your typical day like?
what hours do you work?
is it challenging/interesting?
is it stressful?
do you like it?
how does it compare to med/surg?
what are the differences in duties of the scrub nurse and circulating nurse?
i appreciate any info you can give me so i have some idea what to expect before i apply for the job. thanks bunches!
amy

here's my day today:

scrubbed a thoracotomy/lobectomy...got stuck in the finger by a bloody forcep tooth. granted, that does not happen everyday, but it does happen. sharp and dangerous objects abound. i then circulated a plastics case to relieve another rn, then circulated a double lung transplant.

normally i work 4 ten hour days, but today i worked 11.5 hours because our transplant on-call person was unavailable until 6. it can be very stressful, but i have a lot of fun, too. when cases are going well, and the team is "on," life is good. it is extremely challenging at times, and i am always learning something new. of course, i work in a large teaching facility, and we do plenty of cutting-edge stuff. while i am on the thoracic team, i do quite a bit of endovascular and vascular stuff, so there's plenty of variety.

i love my job. as for a comparison to med/surg, there really isn't a comparison: apples to oranges. different strokes for different folks. i would be very, very unhappy on a med/surg floor. i love the technical aspects of my job, and the brief but very intense interactions i have with my pt and their loved ones is enough for me.

the difference in duties is academic, but i am a firm believer that any perioperative rn should practice both scrubbing and circulating, frequently exchanging roles. knowing how best to respond to a scrub comes from having done it yourself. ditto for the scrub...their expectations from a circulator come from knowing the job, and its demands.

mcmike55 · Sep 15, 2005

Amy, oh sure I worked the floor for probably 5 years. I started out on nights, in charge of an extended care ward, the supervisor sent a senior LPN over to watch me!! :chuckle I learned so much from her, she became one of my best friends.

At that time I floated, sometimes all 3 shifts, to everyplace in the hospital except L&D, but I did special babies. Got a lot of experience, and really loved emergency!!! Ended up on days, second in charge of the main medical floor, and took over for a while when the head nurse was on maternity leave.

I wanted OR, because of the one on one, hands on, and the "toys", but couldn't for a while, because my mom worked there, and there was a rule about family members working together. She moved to outpt surgery, and then I got in.

Right now, there are 7 RN"s in our OR. So that puts us on call once a week, and about every 7th weekend. As any OR nurse will likely tell you, call in's are a cycle. Won't get it for a while, then get hammered!!!

Scrubing is hard on you, I'm sure others can attest to. Of course you do move around a little, and that helps, we have a padded plastic mat that we stand on for long cases, that helps too. You get used to being on your feet. Good shoes are a must. I've seen floor nurses try to keep up with us, they often don't,,,it's different I guess on those hard OR floors. I like scrubbing because you are really on the front lines!! You really get to talk with the doc, get your hands in there, and see what's going on. Can't always say that when circulating. Bathroom breaks, are just like when you were little, dad would say, go now, not sure when the next stop will be.

I have seen guys drop out, then come back, depending on what's going on. But the way we have stuff set up, you'll probably have relief in 4 to 5 hours, which isn't too bad. I will admit, as I get older, the potty breaks are coming a little closer together!! :chuckle

Circulating, in our hospital. We start with the pt in the holding area, check the chart, confirm ID, any last minute teaching etc. The holding nurse starts the IV"s, sets up antibiotics, puts on TED hose, etc. Once the surgeon and anes. doc are ready, we move the pt to the room, help position and help with induction/intubation. Next is foley's, preps, and that. We also count sponges/needles with the tech. A healthy Time Out, and we start. From there, it's paperwork, going after things needed, answer pagers, etc. I also call the waiting room to have the family ready for the surgeon to talk to, check with holding to see if the next pt is ready, and if need be, tell recovery room of any special needs. The anes. doc and I are in charge of moving the pt to recovery, where we give report. I then drop off my papers at the desk, see the next pt, and help set up the room, before starting over.

Again, that's a small rural hospital,,,,,your mileage may vary! :chuckle

Mike

huda · Jul 18, 2006

i think working in or operating room is wonderful .

Lee75 · Jul 18, 2006

You can't compare OR nursing to floor nursing at all. They are just so different. I have never worked anywhere other than the OR and after 10yrs, I still have no desire to work anywhere else. Because the nurse/patient ratio is so bad on the floor, even those nurses who at one time loved working on the floor are beginning to burn out. I hate to be negative about floor nursing but it's reality.

tessa_RN · Jul 20, 2006

What's your typical day like?

My day starts out going in and seeing what room I am in..I then go to the room and get the room ready. I position the bed, get the equipment needed for the case, get lots of blankets, suction, its all according to what room I am in and what the cases are. I then check on my patient and see if it has came to the holding area. If it has I see what it needs (permit, anesthesia, H&P) I help open for the case and get some of my paper work ready (count sheets, charge sheets, path sheets) I go get the patients. I help position them. I prep them. I may put a foley in. I get my scrub nurse settled in before I start any of my paperwork. While trying to get my paperwork done I run and get stuff for my scrub person, answer pagers, and get stuff for anesthesia. I then after the case is done take my patient to PACU or back to Outpatient to recover. I help clean the room and start over again.

Sometimes like today though I will scrub instead of learing to circulate. I do whatever they need me to do.

What hours do you work?

Right now in training I work day shift M-F (6:45-3:15) There are also shifts 7a-7p, 11a-11p, 7p-7a, 3-11

Is it challenging/interesting?

It can be challenging especially when you are starting out and dont know what you are doing. You are trying to learn and do everything fast because as soon as the patient is asleep the surgeon is ready to start. And I love the OR I think anything is interesting when it comes to the surgeries.

Is it stressful?

It can be very stressful because you have to learn to multi-task. It takes time to settle in a get a routine when you are trying to learn. Some surgeons are very weird and dont like new people and some are very nice. For me dealing with the attitudes can be stressful. I am good at ignoring them but sometimes it gets on my nerves.

Do you like it?

I love the OR. After being in nursing school I decided that if I could I didnt want to work on the floor(I like having one patient, nothing against anyone working on the floor) I would have 6 patients at the end of school and I just felt bad that I couldnt give them all the attention that I could. I would have a little elderly lady who is so lonely and doesnt have any family and I felt guitly that I couldnt spend alot of time with her..That is just how I am..I like the OR because that is something different.

How does it compare to med/surg?

Ive never worked med/surg or any place else

What are the differences in duties of the scrub nurse and circulating nurse?

Above I already said what a circulator does. They have alot of resposability. As a scrub nurse I will check my buggies for the day and make sure I have all of my instruments that I need. I set up for the case. I make sure that for cases that need instruments counted that the counts are correct. For me I need to know where all of my sponges and instruments are at all times. I will pass the doc instruments and first assist sometimes. Thats all I can think of. Hoped this helped a little bit.

Hawaii2LasVegas · Oct 1, 2006

I hear OR Nurses make the most money. I hear an OR usually makes 100,000 dollars. Is this true?????

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Oct 6, 2006

i cant tell you what being on or nurse is like cuz i am not a nurse. but OR nurses can make just as much of an impact on the patient as the floor nurses. i had one..."I will be there with you the whole time dont worry." then held my hand as i went to sleep.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 6, 2006

OR nurses are not necessarily the nurses that make the most money. All depends on the area. If you take a lot of call, there's more earning potential.

lector · Oct 11, 2006

Im still a junior student nurse in our college of nursing, and so far is still exposed to the DR,MED-SURG,PEDIA areas never been into ER & OR.Ive always wanted of becoming an OR nurse coz for me it is very exciting and challenging.You do always learn things.....I wanna be an OR NURSE and i'll make sure I will be.....soon.

Im a failure but I do make sure I do learn from them.