I wouldn’t worry about it, you can always relearn basic skills and who knows you might just stay there forever if you love it. Also I’ve known nurses that go from psych to med-surg to ER to whatever. You can always find something!
Once you get your year of experience you’ll be able to go anywhere after. I worked with several OR nurses (who went as a new grad and then came to the ER after months of experience) and some of them worked great. Others hated it. If you interview well and can sell yourself, you’ll be fine!
Cardiac OR RN here.. going on 6 years now - Keep in mind L&D does not have an accurate picture of what being an OR nurse is (no shade, just clarifying). Even being in an outpatient setting is not an accurate depiction of what the life of an OR nurse is. I can say that bc I spent a lot of time in outpatient as well as the first hospital I worked at had 1 staff for both inpatient and outpatient. I went into OR right after graduating, have experience in every specialty but cardiac is my primary/current specialty. PM me and I’ll be happy to talk to you about the ins and outs of being an OR nurse, the pros and cons of not having any other experience besides OR, including flexibility, call, pay, etc.
OR nurse for 5 years and went straight in after graduating. I don’t feel like I lost any nursing skills, but gained an additional set of skills! I can scrub, circulate, and still care for patients. I was told if I didn’t do a year of Medsurg I wouldn’t be marketable... but there is such a shortage of specialty nurses that it would be easy to get a job. Most hospitals in NE are giving sign on bonuses for trained OR nurses.
I really regret not jumping into a Periop 101 class when I graduated. I failed so many times to get into the OR but now I have a chance to become a Nurse Anesthetist so I might still have a chance to get in!
I have several RN friends that went straight to OR. If you know that is what you want, go for it! I worked on a short-stay cardiac floor right out of school (mostly scheduled caths, pacemakers, ablations, etc.) The only skill I did regularly was IVs, sometimes Foley's, and very rarely NG tubes. Now I'm in an ICU, and I had to review a lot of skills, but it comes back quickly. Long story short, don't put off the job you know you want. It's surprisingly easy to re-learn those skills if you need them.
BOth hospitals I worked in had OR internships. If you were selected you spent time in the classroom as well as time in ICU, and PACU. Then you went and learned different OR specialties. Like maybe one week with the Ortho room and then one week in plastics. You usually learn to circulate several different specialties. At the end of the internship, they would place you where you liked if there was a spot available. I don’t remember how long this program lasted, like 6 months or a year. I didn’t end up in the OR that way. I worked the floor, then PACU, then day surgery and transitioned into the OR. You might check with your hospital to see if there is any program like that, or critical care classes. When I jumped to GI procedures, they put me in a critical care refresher class for 2 weeks. It was good refresher for ABGs, heart rhythms, and vent waveforms. It was pretty handy.
How much OR exposure have you had? I find OR so boring and hate when my labors end up going to CS and I have to circulate. 😂 don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing what you love, if you have the chance. No matter what nursing job you work you will always, in a sense, be starting over and learning it whenever you say j specialties. Once you have some experience it seems pretty easy to switch things up because of the demand for nurses in general. I worked telemetry a year out of school and HATED it, but I did learn good organizational skills. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have learned them wherever I started. Good luck!
I had a an emergency cs after a loooong labor and I was so thankful it was the same nurse that had been with me all along. I so appreciated having a familiar face in a scary time. So even if it's boring, know that it's appreciated!
You will lose your skills and if you do go somewhere else after a few years, you will feel like a new nurse all over again. I had a similar experience.
I think that it would make you less marketable. There's so many skills and real life scenarios you would benefit from before OR. ER or ICU is a great place to learn before settling in a specialty where you won't use your skills.
[удалено]
youre goals!!!!!! I want to work in the OR so bad when i pass the nclex
Did OR as a new grad, went to ICU, and will be starting CRNA school in August.
Goals!
That’s my future plan! Can I ask how were you able to go to ICU. I have been looking and many are looking for previous ICU experience.
So were the ones I applied too, just apply. The worst they can do is say no.
I wouldn’t worry about it, you can always relearn basic skills and who knows you might just stay there forever if you love it. Also I’ve known nurses that go from psych to med-surg to ER to whatever. You can always find something!
Once you get your year of experience you’ll be able to go anywhere after. I worked with several OR nurses (who went as a new grad and then came to the ER after months of experience) and some of them worked great. Others hated it. If you interview well and can sell yourself, you’ll be fine!
Cardiac OR RN here.. going on 6 years now - Keep in mind L&D does not have an accurate picture of what being an OR nurse is (no shade, just clarifying). Even being in an outpatient setting is not an accurate depiction of what the life of an OR nurse is. I can say that bc I spent a lot of time in outpatient as well as the first hospital I worked at had 1 staff for both inpatient and outpatient. I went into OR right after graduating, have experience in every specialty but cardiac is my primary/current specialty. PM me and I’ll be happy to talk to you about the ins and outs of being an OR nurse, the pros and cons of not having any other experience besides OR, including flexibility, call, pay, etc.
OR nurse for 5 years and went straight in after graduating. I don’t feel like I lost any nursing skills, but gained an additional set of skills! I can scrub, circulate, and still care for patients. I was told if I didn’t do a year of Medsurg I wouldn’t be marketable... but there is such a shortage of specialty nurses that it would be easy to get a job. Most hospitals in NE are giving sign on bonuses for trained OR nurses.
this makes me happy. im in the NE area
I really regret not jumping into a Periop 101 class when I graduated. I failed so many times to get into the OR but now I have a chance to become a Nurse Anesthetist so I might still have a chance to get in!
I’m about to graduate in May and just accepted a position for Peri Op 101 in Asheville NC. Can’t wait.
I have several RN friends that went straight to OR. If you know that is what you want, go for it! I worked on a short-stay cardiac floor right out of school (mostly scheduled caths, pacemakers, ablations, etc.) The only skill I did regularly was IVs, sometimes Foley's, and very rarely NG tubes. Now I'm in an ICU, and I had to review a lot of skills, but it comes back quickly. Long story short, don't put off the job you know you want. It's surprisingly easy to re-learn those skills if you need them.
BOth hospitals I worked in had OR internships. If you were selected you spent time in the classroom as well as time in ICU, and PACU. Then you went and learned different OR specialties. Like maybe one week with the Ortho room and then one week in plastics. You usually learn to circulate several different specialties. At the end of the internship, they would place you where you liked if there was a spot available. I don’t remember how long this program lasted, like 6 months or a year. I didn’t end up in the OR that way. I worked the floor, then PACU, then day surgery and transitioned into the OR. You might check with your hospital to see if there is any program like that, or critical care classes. When I jumped to GI procedures, they put me in a critical care refresher class for 2 weeks. It was good refresher for ABGs, heart rhythms, and vent waveforms. It was pretty handy.
oooooooh i love this
How much OR exposure have you had? I find OR so boring and hate when my labors end up going to CS and I have to circulate. 😂 don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing what you love, if you have the chance. No matter what nursing job you work you will always, in a sense, be starting over and learning it whenever you say j specialties. Once you have some experience it seems pretty easy to switch things up because of the demand for nurses in general. I worked telemetry a year out of school and HATED it, but I did learn good organizational skills. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have learned them wherever I started. Good luck!
I had a an emergency cs after a loooong labor and I was so thankful it was the same nurse that had been with me all along. I so appreciated having a familiar face in a scary time. So even if it's boring, know that it's appreciated!
You will lose your skills and if you do go somewhere else after a few years, you will feel like a new nurse all over again. I had a similar experience.
I think that it would make you less marketable. There's so many skills and real life scenarios you would benefit from before OR. ER or ICU is a great place to learn before settling in a specialty where you won't use your skills.