Why are OR nurses frowned upon?

[hopefornursing]

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?

[daVinciNurse]

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.

Becoming an OR nurse does not mean "wasting your skills"....but it does mean learning and then fine-tunig a whole new set of skills while building from all the skills you've developed as a med/surg nurse. I made the switch just over 11 years ago, and have not once regretted it.

[LivewellRN]

DaVinci RN,

Glad to hear the positive feedback. I have an interview with an ICU unit on Tuesday, followed by some time spent in the OR shadowing. Hopefully, I will get a better feel for everything then. I consider myself smart, with good critical thinking skills and a lifelong learner. I'm not so concerned about what others may think about RNs in the OR. I do want a job that is challenging that I can become proficient in.

[LAM2010, BSN]

Here to give positive O.R. nursing feedback. I don't trash floor nursing, and floor nurses shouldn't trash O.R. nurses. They are two different areas and the nursing process is just applied in different ways. Don't listen to people who say you'll lose skills. It is the other nursing skills that matter - the fast prioritizing, multi-tasking, the speed, your personality, etc. that make the transition back to floor nursing possible after you've been an O.R. nurse.