The Studious Mom

I quit my first nursing job!!

You haven’t tried if you haven’t failed!

This post is not meant to discourage anyone who is pursuing their nursing degree or has already newly graduated.

When I was offered the OR position as a new grad RN, I was ecstatic. I didn’t think much and accepted the position. The hospital was great and the Peri-Op 101 program was designed in a way where I was learning. But I did not realize that we do not use much of our nursing skills.

As a new grad, I wanted to learn to start IVs, learn more about medications in depth and different health conditions. All the good stuff that we learn in Med-Surg. But there was so much negative vibes towards the Med-Surg unit while graduating that I kind of did not want to look into it. Now, everyone is different. Some love the OR, some love L&D and other specialties. Some are drawn to Med-Surg/Tele unit, geriatrics, etc. There are just so many options for nurses to choose from.

As an OR nurse, I learned how to set up the sterile field, pass instruments and learn the different types of instruments as a scrub nurse. I did not get into circulating because I left before my circulating rotations began. Circulating nurses are basically the ones documenting and making sure the surgery is going well. They do the pre-op interviews, bring the patient in, do counts with the scrub nurse, document, take the patient to the post-op area and do hand off reports.

The pros to working in the OR is that you take care of one patient at a time and you actually get 30 minutes of uninterrupted break time. Maybe one day I would want to go back into the OR after I have worked on the floor and gained the experience.

We hear how bedside nurses are burnt out and that’s because many hospital administrations are not taking care of their staff members. That’s why it is important before applying to any facility to do your research and read reviews from current/former employees on websites. Also during in-person interviews, ask the hiring manager for a unit tour.

Also, really look into what you want to do in the future. Some may choose the NP path and for that you may require some experience on the floor. Some people may choose to go into informatics, management, education, etc. For me, I’m still not sure which field I want to pursue my Masters in. But I guess I will figure it out once I start working on the floor. I still haven’t decided which hospital I want to work at since I am still interviewing. Hopefully I land somewhere where I will be happy and satisfied with my nursing career.

You can leave a comment below with your thoughts!! 😊

Job Interview Tips

Follow these tips to ace your RN job interviews.

Be prepared. Do mock interviews with yourself before the actual interview day. Practice in front of a mirror. Start at least 3-4 days prior to the interview date.
Look into the company you are applying for. Read about their mission, vision, values, philosophy etc. So when the interviewer asks, “Why do you want to work for us?”, your answer can align with their vision. This also lets the interviewer know that you did your ‘homework’.
Take a notebook and write down all the potential questions that the interviewer can ask. Some of the most popular ones are: tell me about yourself, what are your weaknesses and your strengths, why did you pick this position, where do you see yourself in five years, etc.
Google most common interview question for the position you are applying for and write down the answers. Practice answering the questions before the day of the interview.
Some of the behavioral interview questions to look out for are: how do you stay calm in a stressful situation, give me a time when you had to handle a difficult patient, how did your clinical rotation help you, how did you handle a situation with a difficult coworker, give a situation where you worked better with others (teamwork), and more.

It is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Going in the interview prepared ahead of time gives you the ability to speak confidently.

In the next upcoming post, I will share my experience during interviews and how I answered the questions.

Stay tuned.

I accepted a position in the OR!

I started my job two days after my pinning ceremony. As you can see from the blog title that I started in the operating room (OR) which is exciting. I enrolled in the Peri-Op 101 program through the hospital since I have no prior OR experience and nursing school does not teach you much about the OR. The first week was virtual hospital orientation and one day we had an on site orientation. This is my second week and I have been completing my modules and got to tour the OR.

I enjoyed the tour in the OR. Everyone was so welcoming and genuinely nice. I could see everyone busy and the circulating nurses coming out of the room to grab stuff. We were able to walk into a room where a robotic surgery was being performed. It was really cool to see everyone in action and the surgeon was so pleasant. It will be a great learning experience for me and I am very thrilled to be a part of the OR team.

What made me pick the OR?
During the last semester of nursing school, I knew I did not want to work on the Med-Surg floor. I know it would’ve been a learning experience but I just couldn’t see myself working on the floor. But I loved the emergency room (ER) and so I considered it. During a brief call with the HR, they had mentioned availabilities in the OR. At the time, I didn’t know that OR hired new grad nurses and so I never bothered looking it up. But my hospital participates in the nursing residency program and so my interest in the OR grew after the call. I became interested because I have always loved the human anatomy and the different surgical procedures were very intriguing. I gave it a thought and the hours fit perfectly with my schedule.

Right now because I am in the nursing residency program and enrolled in the Peri-Op 101 program my schedule is from 7 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday through Friday. No weekends. My orientation will continue for 8 months before I can start working independently. After orientation, I will be doing evening shift which is not as bad because none of the shifts are overnight. I know most new grads start on nights and I was not up for it because I need my nights sleep no matter what. So I was lucky enough to get into the OR. I absolutely do not mind working regular 8-hour shifts Monday through Friday.

So yeah that’s the latest update on my nursing life. So far, as you can tell, it’s been going great and I hope it stays that way. The amazing thing is that whatever you put your mind into, it will eventually happen or come true. My inspiration to become a nurse sparked when I gave birth to my daughter at the very hospital that I am working at right now. Believe in yourself, put in the effort, and watch it all come to life!