Mar 07, 2008, 12:40 am
Although I can't speak from a nursing perspective on peri-operative I did spend a number of years working in theatre as an orderly. The work I did was a driving force on pursuing my degree and I too am in my final year.
I would say they major factor is where do you want your job to take you. Being a theatre nurse does confine you to larger centres to a certain degree but saying that I have worked with many nurses that have traveled extensively.
Theatre can be a bit of a hotbed with a fair bit of pressure and some strong personalities to deal with. Once your "inside" you may not see the light of day for many hours and you are working in a quite confined atmosphere. Meaning there is nowhere to hide :-)
The surgeons I worked with were fantasic in the change room but often were quite different once the action started (quite understandable). However, the job was immensley rewarding on a good day. Meal breaks come and go so make sure you have a BIG breakfast.
It was often said to me by the surgeons that it was good to have male company and the nurses also commented that it would be good to have some male scrubs. So if you reckon your up for the challenge, go for it I say. If you like your patients asleep more than awake then thats a bonus too.
All the best mate ;-)
