Would a first job at a plastic surgery OR be a waste of time?

[cobee]

I have a few options of first jobs I'm thinking about and one of them is working at a plastic surgery office/ OR. if I can't find a hospital job after graduation I can do this job, but I'm worried that it won't count as experience and a year down the road I'll be at the same level as the "new" new grads. What do you think? Work there or hold out for a bedside job? Thanks

[MassED, BSN, RN]

I think that'd be a great job. You'd learn quite a bit from a surgeon - you could possibly go on from there to learn cosmetic nursing, ie Botox and such. Maybe even go on for CRNA and continue working in Plastics. That sounds fun! Maybe you'd never want to go into hospital nursing after doing that kind of job.

[LordHaveMercy]

I'd say go for it!

[KaitRN]

That is an excellent opportunity as a first job!!!!! I would have loved to do that! It will teach you excellent sterile technique, OR, how to work with the surgeon and techs... And I'm not positive but I think you could go anywhere from there (If you should decide to leave). Any OR in a hospital I would think would take that as experience.. Seems pretty ideal, and probably no weekends or holidays (JACKPOT!!!!)

[cobee]

I also have the option of working there as an assistant over the summer (I could now but it's in LA and I'm in Sacramento). I'm just worried that I'll never get to break into bedside nursing if I pursue this because of lack of hospital experience. If money was no issue I'd gladly stay I'm really attracted to cosmetic surgery nursing, procedures and the atmosphere.

[cobee]

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty excited now! I didn't know it counted as real OR experience. I hadn't been thinking about advanced practice but I could get interested in the future.

[saltwaterstat]

heck, if you dont want it, I'll take it!!!!

[DayDreamin ER CRNP]

I'd JUMP at this opportunity myself! I am a single mom and it sounds like this would be a great job for me.

I have a friend that has worked as a plastic surgeon's OR nurse in their own outpatient OR for 25 years! Every year, this doc's nurses get a free procedure too. For 20 years, she never took him up on his offer but a year or so ago she did a little botox and some rejuvination. I always thought she looked great but after that she is quite the hottie!

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[cobee]

If I did an internship there over the summer and winter breaks, do you think it will count as internship experience for when I write my new grad resume? Would a hospital count that as a real internship?

[cobee]

@Keepermom, he specializes in rhinoplasty, liposuction, face lifts and injectables so I don't think I'll take up any free procedure deals in the near future hehe. Maybe in 20 years :)

[PetiteOpRN]

I work in a similar setting (plastics clinic/OR, but we also do non-cosmetic stuff).

Just like with any other job, proceed with caution. This is a hard job, and nursing school didn't really prepare you for it. You were not taught how to do cosmetic assessments in nursing school. Use the other nurses as resources, and get good at this. You will also have to learn to be a salesman. After getting good at assessment, find someone who does sales for a living, and get some lessons. You may be writing clinic notes (all the clinic nurses I know do). Practice, and have others read over your notes.

In the OR: Learn to scrub first. Learn the instruments, learn the procedures. Then circulate the cases. If cases are done under conscious sedation, get ACLS certified and take a course in conscious sedation. If you try to master the OR in a different order, it will be much more daunting. (BTW, not sure about the CRNA comment above but clinic/perioperative nursing is not critical care...) Buy a book on AORN standards, and make sure you know the legalities of the OR. You are the only one who is going to be able to protect your license.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[N2NRSING]

Cobee I have a question for you. PM'd you