Why are OR nurses frowned upon?

Argo · Dec 6, 2010

Surgeons and Anesthesiologists think highly of staff in the or, if they are good. Believe me, there are bad surgery nurses just like there are bad floor nurses. If it was an easy job it wouldn't pay as well as it did and there wouldn't always be a high demand for them.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 6, 2010

I think the low opinion of OR nurses comes from some people's very narrow definition of nursing as someone at the bedside while the patient is awake, giving meds, doing assessments, etc. as well as a lack of exposure to OR nursing. I would not have had any exposure to OR nursing during school if I hadn't done my senior practicum in PACU. Many programs only have 1 or 2 observation days. There is no way to adequately explain the role of the nurse in the OR in such little time.

Obviously, OR nurses don't think that way, as it seems they never leave the OR for other nursing specialties, and the surgeons/anesthesiologists I work with know the value of a good OR nurse and aren't afraid to say so.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2010

I have not been subject to being frowned upon by any of my fellow nurses who work in other units. I have read some threads on this forum that allude to nursing instructors commenting on how OR nurses aren't "real nurses", but I can surmise that these individuals have never actually worked in the OR. It is a highly specialized area of nursing that requires months of training. I just laugh when I read comments like that.

mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I · Dec 8, 2010

We enjoy our anesthesiologists and MDs it's just the OR nurses that get a bad rap at my hospital. Mainly because we have had a couple transfer from the OR and you can tell they are without skills and general nursing thought processes.

It's prob not their fault it's just the Anesthesiologist does most critical care thinking and the nurses just don't do much thinking for themselves it seems.

FYI: I work in a surgical intensive care unit and PACU on occasion.

kat von b · Dec 9, 2010

We enjoy our anesthesiologists and MDs it's just the OR nurses that get a bad rap at my hospital. Mainly because we have had a couple transfer from the OR and you can tell they are without skills and general nursing thought processes.
It's prob not their fault it's just the Anesthesiologist does most critical care thinking and the nurses just don't do much thinking for themselves it seems.
FYI: I work in a surgical intensive care unit and PACU on occasion.

Maybe they never have those skills to begin with....

Owensaunt · Dec 10, 2010

If you're interested in OR than try it. If you don't like it thatn atleast you tried it out.

It helps if you can stand up for yourself because this is a type of nursing that is totally different from what you learned in nursing school. Usually everyone gets along back behind those doors. Just make sure whrever you decide to learn to work in the OR that there is not a high turn over rate or alot of travelers. Thats a big red flag.

Hey everyone,
Just wondering why OR nursing is frowned upon by sooooo many other nurses? Is this low opinion persistant throughout Drs. and anesthesiologists? To me it seems so interesting, like no other job in nursing and I just can't wrap my head around the attitude others have been showing? Any thoughts?

ctvsurgrn · Dec 16, 2010

Several of the institutions where I have worked regard OR nurses as kind of the elite, so to speak. And I fully agree with the comment that you are looked down upon by those who don't understand. Just remember, you can pull an OR nurse to the floor and most of the time they can function effectively to get the job done. You cannot bring a floor nurse into the OR and expect the same result. I do not agree with the comment about OR nurses not having to use critical thinking, however. Having run a heart surgery program for the last year or so from inside of an OR, I can say that most OR nurses still retain most of their assessment and critical thinking skills, as they are usually the first to notice when something is wrong or out of place.

orkwb · Dec 30, 2010

I believe OR nurses may be frowned upon because the speciality is misunderstood. The life behind the closed doors of the restricted areas can be likened to living in a foreign country for most RNs. The language is different, the culture is different, even the air is different (changed 15 times per hour)!! What most can't appreciate is the speed and intensity of the intranet-operative setting. Everything is "now" for the most part. OR nursing is physically demanding. Imagine that you must move all your patients, not just a few. OR nursing is definitely different an therefore, I think, misunderstood. Come visit for a few days. You might like it.

fusionfire32 · Dec 30, 2010

i used to be a medical ward nurse and i was feeling a bit bored with repetition and thought i need to have a change. so i spoke to my very close friend who happens to be an educator from the university i graduated and this is what she said. my god, you are wasting your talent. you will get so bored over there. i dont think working in or is for you. so i did have doubts when i first started working in or. but now i can tell after nearly 3 years that i have never looked back at my decision. i am an or nurse through and through. i love the technology, i love the buzz, i love the fast pace and i love everything about this speciality. go for it. if you are not sure, take a chance. the worst will be that you dont like it but hey not a chance you too will love it

MereSanity · Jan 7, 2011

I love this argument! Like previously started you can take an OR nurse to the floor and they can pick it up after a few weeks. However, it takes MONTHS to learn how to work the OR. Its a longer orientation than any other specialty. It is very physically demanding! Running, bending, crawling on the floor in blood and urine, moving patients that are completely sedated. You also are going to need to know how to work every piece of equipment in the OR (more than just an IV)! I LOVE the fast pace, I love the culture of the OR. Crack a chest open in SICU? The SICU nurses had no clue. Just stood there. And of course they don't do that every day. I hated the floor (HATED it), slow, boring, monotonous, ugh. We all need each other! We are the money makers of the hospitals (sad but true).

LivewellRN · Jan 9, 2011

I'm looking for a career change from Med/Surg floor nurse. Looking at both ICU and OR. I have been told I should be an ICU nurse because becoming an OR nurse would be wasting my skills. I don't get it either.