OR Nursing: A Journey Worth Fighting For

I can still hear them. I can still hear those voices planted along my journey, telling me I was heading towards failure. “You won’t like nursing.” “Why are you going into the OR? That’s not real nursing.” “You’ll get trapped in the OR after you lose all your nursing skills.” “What a waste of a 4-year education to end up in the operating room.” Yet, amidst all the negativity, there was that soft, gentle inner voice whispering, “Keep going. You’re on the right track. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.” My calling to become an OR nurse was one of determination and perseverance. The challenges that stood in my way tried their best to defeat me, but I overcame them to get where I needed to be and where I wanted to be.

My story is not uncommon to those who pursue the OR. During my nursing school clinical rotations, I was nervous when I didn’t find a particular specialty that captured my interest. I quickly ruled them out and feared maybe nursing wasn’t going to be for me. It was during that one single day we get to spend in the OR during school where I was able to see a heart valve replacement. I fought hard to get placed into an OR for my last clinical rotation. No student before me at the university had done it, and my professors were against the idea. I begged, pleaded, and worked hard to maintain my high GPA to prove I was worth the risk. Then one afternoon, I was called to the clinical coordinator’s office and my request had been granted.

My first year in the OR was not easy by any means. I was not immediately welcomed. I was walking into an old belief system where nurses needed to pay their dues on the floor and earn their rightful place in the OR. I also had experience in school with bullies, but adult bullies in the workplace were much worse. My nursing career would have ended in the first 12 months if I had let it, and truthfully, I had considered it. The hostile work environment was intense, and if it were not for a very few who helped pull me up when others knocked me down, I may not have made it. I fought my way through and took my place as a new nurse who was serious about being in the OR. When I moved on from that place, I made a promise to myself: I would never treat someone with such ugliness. My colleagues would always be able to come to me for support and encouragement.

Sixteen years later, the OR is the only specialty I know, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I still love what I do as much as I did that first day I walked into an OR. This road has been lined with heartache, tears, laughter, fear, worry, stress, long hours, sore muscles, exhaustion, anger, and so many wonderful memories that have helped create my identity and shape my soul. Each day presents itself with new learning opportunities where I find myself growing into a better version of myself. My experiences have allowed me to work in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. I have worked in several states and even taken my knowledge and skills across the ocean to the Congo, where I served on the Mercy Ship for an unbelievable life-changing chapter.

I have had the absolute honor of caring for thousands of patients while they undergo their surgeries. The hands I’ve held, the hugs I’ve given, the warm blankets I’ve delivered, the tears and laughter I’ve shared, and all the stuffed animal limbs I’ve wrapped; the memories are endless. I look back today and cannot imagine taking another path. What a blessing and what a privilege I have had to be able to care for so many patients in their most vulnerable moment. There will never be a day, and never be a patient I take for granted. I know how important my role is, and I truly love what I do.

For those who once looked me in the eyes and told me I would “get trapped in the OR and lose all my nursing skills,” I would tell them today, “No, I have never been trapped. I didn’t lose anything. I gained so much more.” What a ride this has been, and I can’t wait to see what’s still ahead.