What You Should Know if You Want to be an Operating Room Nurse

I have been an operating room nurse for about two years, and I found that this transition from normal bedside nursing was a difficult one. Here are some tips that helped me in the transition.

1. Research:
-A career in surgical nursing is different in that it is not your traditional setting that a nurse is used to. There are instruments that, more than likely, most nurses have never seen before in their lives and have no idea what they are for or what they do. I suggest reading up on surgery and reading some information about surgical instruments. There are a lot of different books out there and a plethora of information on the Internet as well. Knowing more about instrumentation and surgical procedures will help with this transition.

2. Patience:
-As a nurse most of us are already patient people, but being a nurse in surgery requires a new kind of patience. Nurses need to be patient with their co-workers and especially with physicians, since they are used to have the same staff to work with all the time, this is a new transition for them as well. A lot of doctors can be difficult to work with at times, and it take a long time to understand how each one of them work, and at what pace they like to do surgery. For example, there might be three different surgeons that do gallbladder surgeries, but they all have different ways of during this, use different drugs, and setup the room differently. I have found that a lot of new nurses to the operating room find it difficult to adjust to their patients being asleep, and dealing with the different aspects of each individual co-worker, but over time they to will adjust to you.

3. Confidence:
-Remain confident and focused. There are mainly different things that can make a new nurse turn their backs on surgical nursing, but if you really enjoy assisting in surgery or scrubbing and helping with the instrumentation, stick with it. I recommend carrying a small notebook with you and take notes on doctor's preferences, different drugs that are commonly used, and phone numbers of important resources that can help and assist you in doing your job.

4. Communication:
-Commitment to your career is important, as with any career. It is important to believe in your skills, because many of the skills that you may have learned in nursing school will not apply to this job. But certain skills, such as being a good communicator, can be the most important skill of all. Practicing good communication and respecting you co-workers knowledge will help you maintain good report with them.