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| It's a Tough Job But...: A Perspective on Life as an Operating Room Nurse |
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by UnsinkableMB - May 23, 2011
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Provided by Blood, Guts, and Coffee
If you peruse the job boards, there are a lot of openings for nurse managers and directors of nursing in surgery. After spending the last 10 months in my current position, I can understand why: this job is HARD. I'm not saying that it's a piece of cake being a staff nurse. The challenges are a bit different.
It wasn't too long ago that I was a staff nurse. I remember what it's like to run around trying to making sure you have the right equipment and instrumentation for a case, while the surgeon and anesthesiologist are breathing down your neck to get the patient in the room.
As an assistant clinical nurse manager, I make rounds and help the folks in my services get their day started. Throughout the day, I jump in when needed - running downstairs to the Sterile Processing Department to get instruments, troubleshooting machines when the circulating nurse can't figure it out, calming an angry surgeon, etc. In other words, I am trying to be the frontline leader that I wished I had in my past job.
Not only am I clinical, but I need to function at administrative level. There are meetings and conferences to attend, projects to coordinate, evaluations to write, coaching/discipline to give, and plenty of spreadsheets and reports to compile. This is definitely NOT an eight hour, Monday thru Friday job. If I'm not careful, I could work 12 hours every day during the week. Although I don't have to take call, I am still on 24-hour resource call unless I'm on vacation.
At the end of most days, I am physically and mentally exhausted. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. But then I think about the progress that we have made thus far that has made a different in patient care, physician satisfaction, and employee satisfaction.
I suppose the most important thing is that I feel that I am making a difference. Once that fades, if it ever does, then it will be time for me to think of something else to do. Luckily, there is no shortage of opportunities in healthcare!
UnsinkableMB is an Operating Room Nurse at a Little Trauma Center, a Level I trauma center, in Big City, USA, sharing some insight into the world of surgery. Join her on her adventure as a rookie assistant manager in the wonderful world of surgical nursing at Blood, Guts, and Coffee.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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