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Real-World Advice for New O.R. Nurses

New O.R. Nurses

I distinctly remember my first day in the O.R. Even now, when I think back on it, I still remember feeling excited and amazed, yet also overwhelmed and scared to death. Everything was so different than what I had always imagined the operating room to be! Then you add in the strange equipment and thousands of instruments – how was I ever going to learn all this stuff? I was definitely in a whole new world, everything was foreign, and I had no clue what was going on. Which left me, an experienced nurse, feeling just like a new grad, wondering if I was ever going to make it.

Do you remember that feeling?

Or maybe you feel that way now?

All of those feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and confusion make you positive that you’re going to drown. Oh, and you’re also questioning whether your hearing is intact because with the masks, hats, and loud music, you can’t hear a dang thing. And what’s with the language around here??

Catgut? You mean that’s a thing? 
Did you just call that a Big Ugly?
And that’s a Mother-in-Law…right…
Mosquitos? I thought those were insects.
I’m supposed to call that a twirly-bird? For real? I think you’re lying…
Army-Navy…why both branches? You can’t pick one?
Alvarado – not the city, the knee positioner. Of course…

It’s enough to make your head explode.

I get it. I still stare blankly at people sometimes wondering if I really heard what I think I heard and if what they are asking for is really a thing. Instruments have weird, sometimes multiple, names, which makes it even more confusing. And the names of positioning equipment vary from the mundane (wedge, pillow, L-bar) to the unusual (Spider, Stulberg, peg board).

So how are new O.R. nurses supposed to make it?

Well, sheer tenacity is one answer. Just refuse to give up, even though it’s really hard. But, that’s not a very helpful, practical answer. So, I asked my Facebook followers what advice they would give to new O.R. nurses, and they definitely had some helpful things to say! I’ve put together a list of helpful, real-world advice from some of their comments, and I’ve included some of my own as well.

I hope this helps you today. Every experienced O.R. nurse knows that being a new nurse in the O.R. is hard. Surgery is a very unique specialty with a steep learning curve. But don’t give up. You can do it.

I’m cheering for you!

Melanie

Everyone offered such good advice, but I couldn’t include it all here – there was too much. Is there more advice that you can add? Please leave a comment and pass some helpful information on to someone else!

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