Anyone who has visited a hospital operating room (OR) or watched a doctor show on TV knows nurses are assigned to ORs. They also likely know it takes a special kind of nurse to be an operating room nurse鈥omeone with a lot of skills, training, concentration and anticipation, among other qualities.
But, there are some things about that are known to very few people 鈥� OR nurses among them! For instance:
- They need to know their Criles from their Kellys鈥nd Ballentines from Heaneys (forceps and clamps).
- Most of them don鈥檛 considerate it 鈥渙dd鈥� when someone says to them, 鈥淕ee, I didn鈥檛 know you had hair.鈥�
- They 鈥渄ance鈥� with surgeons and 鈥渢ie them up鈥� (orchestration & communication of patient issues).
- If asked for an implement, such as a pair of scissors, instead of just handing it to you, they鈥檒l slap it in your hand!
- We鈥檙e told, it鈥檚 not surprising to find an OR nurse basting a turkey with a Toomey syringe, typically used for urological irrigation.
- And, more than one OR nurse admits to seriously considering 鈥渟traight cathing鈥� themselves when they can鈥檛 take a bathroom break.
Some operating room nurses are known as 鈥溾�� because they keep track of time in the operating rooms, get patients ready for the surgical team and call for anything that鈥檚 missing but needed by the surgical team to complete procedures, such as calling in a radiologic technician to the operating room to take an x-ray to double check an issue or repair.聽 It鈥檚 a hectic job that keeps them on their feet and on the 鈥済o鈥� most of the day.
If you鈥檙e the sort of person who welcomes these, and many other, challenges, becoming an OR nurse may be the right choice for you. But, first, you鈥檒l have to study and become an RN (registered nurse). That鈥檚 where Fortis Colleges & Institutes can help. Many offer an Associate Degree in Nursing that can prepare you for a number of nursing positions. Visit Associate Degree in Nursing Page to learn more.