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 nurseā¦someone 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 ā OR nurses among them! For instance:
- They need to know their Criles from their Kellysā¦and Ballentines from Heaneys (forceps and clamps).
- Most of them donāt considerate it āoddā when someone says to them, āGee, I didnāt know you had hair.ā
- They ādanceā with surgeons and ātie them upā (orchestration & communication of patient issues).
- If asked for an implement, such as a pair of scissors, instead of just handing it to you, theyāll slap it in your hand!
- Weāre told, itās 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 āstraight cathingā themselves when they canāt take a bathroom break.
Some operating room nurses are known as āā because they keep track of time in the operating rooms, get patients ready for the surgical team and call for anything thatās 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.Ā Itās a hectic job that keeps them on their feet and on the āgoā most of the day.
If youāre the sort of person who welcomes these, and many other, challenges, becoming an OR nurse may be the right choice for you. But, first, youāll have to study and become an RN (registered nurse). Thatās 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.