Where did you start your OR career?

[jer11ren]

I am a recent periop 101 grad looking for my first OR job. Where did you start out and what was orientation like? How long was it? Any major lessons that you learned from your experience that I should keep in mind when I find a job? Most positions that I require 1 to 2 years experience, so I guess I will just start applying wherever that isn’t listed as a requirement. 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I started out in the main OR of a level 2 trauma center. My orientation was 6 months with a one on one preceptor followed by another 3 months with a resource nurse for 3 new nurses. My orientation included Periop101 and rotations in all surgical specialties done at that location.

Since then, orientation has changed a bit. Still includes Periop101, but has been shortened a few weeks as one specialty has split off on its own with a dedicated team.

As for things to keep in mind, check out my articles.

[NurseCDT, MSN]

I scrubbed for 8 years before I got my RN. 

[justine_ferren_cnor_crnfa, RN]

I was lucky enough to be one of the first graduates of a perioperative nursing residency program at a tier-1 institution.  It was the first year that perioperative had its own residency.  That 12-month learning experience was invaluable as we got to scrub and circulate through 8 different surgical specialties. We got great mentorship from senior OR Nurses and APPs. The last month of the program allowed us to request a dedicated specialty elective. I chose the Cardiothoracic Team and got to build great rapport with the service and was offered a scrub nurse position after completion.  The rest is history...