Association of periOperative Registered Nurses

[nursinghumor]

AORN Online:"The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses was formed in 1954 to encourage cooperative action by registered nurses to improve the quality of patient care before, during, and after surgery."
Executive Director
Highpoint Office Building 2170 South Parker Road, Suite 300 Denver, Co 80231-5711
(303) 755-6300 (Voice) (303) 750-3212 (Fax) (800) 755-7980 (Fax-On-Demand), website@aorn.org
http://www.aorn.org/

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

How do you get started in OR or OP surgery as a med-surg or floor nurse. All I hear is you dont have experience. How to I get it????


Any answers????

There are alot of hospitals that will train you for a commitment, usually about 2 yrs. Ask at some of the hospitals near you or in a bigger city near where you are.

[heartdiva]

There are a lot of hospitals that offer perioperative classes. Call your human resources and find out if your offers. I started out as a floor nurse then happened on an opening at one of the outpatient surgery units at our hospital that happened to be ortho which was the floor I was working. I started out in PACU and preop then, because I have always been curious, started assisting then circulating uin the OR part. Now, I'm in open heart surgery unit circulating after I learned general, ortho and neuro cases. So there is hope, you just have to be willing to do a little searching.

[TexasRN]

Look for a hospital that is offering an internship in the OR for nurses. That is the best way besides OJT. My internship was for 3 months and to this day was the best thing I did. Too many people learn bad habits when you are trained by regular staff. You may have to take a cut in pay during the internship, but you will make up for it in the long run.

In my case, I simply bid on the job. I had worked as a floor nurse in the same hospital with a good reputation as a floor nurse. I explained that I would need training from the ground up, and that is what they are doing with me right now. I guess it depends on supply/demand in your hospital.