How to Become an OR Nurse?

The Qualifications and Skills of an Operating Room Nurse

Becoming an operating room nurse is an exciting journey to a lucrative and rewarding career where your work directly impacts the lives of your surgical and operating room patients.  

How to become an operating room nurse: 

Step 1:     Complete an accredited nursing program, either a 2-year associate's program or a 4-year bachelor's program in nursing. (Note: if you have your heart set on working in a particular place, check to see if they require new nurses to have a BSN, as a growing number of medical centers are doing)

Step 2:     Obtain your RN license in the appropriate state

Step 3:     Gain clinical experience 

Step 4:     Earn OR experience --preferably in a hospital operating room, surgical center 

Step 5:     Get certified and earn continuing education (CE) credits

The minimum certifications for most operating room nurses:

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Depending on the operating room nurse job description and the patient population, a hospital or surgical center may require additional certifications and/or training.

AORN and CCI (Competency and Credentialing Institute) offer several certifications for OR nurses like the CNOR®, CSSM®, CNS-CP® and CRNFA®, which they note can enhance your career and improve patient safety. More than 35,000 nurses hold the Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) credential, and that might be a good place to start. One day, you might want to try a leadership role, and that might be a good impetus to work toward the Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM) credential.

And of course, you’ll want to keep up those CE credits throughout your career. Your professional association can be a great resources for continuing education opportunities. 

Read More About OR Travel Nursing Salary and Requirements from the link below.