Hello! I’m a second year nursing student at a local community college. I will be graduating with my ADN in December of 2019. (Side note: I will be continuing my education to get my BSN). Anyway, My dream in to be a scrub nurse, but I haven’t gotten as much exposure to the operating room as I’d like. How do I go about observing surgery or shadowing ? Who do I contact? Do I contact the doctor directly? I have one surgeon that I would really like to shadow. My senior year of high school, I had the pleasure of watching a heart transplant live-streamed to a museum in my city for educational purposes. (So, I know he’s interested in teaching). 2+ years later, I still have the doctors name, but no contact information. I want to reach out and ask about possible shadowing or observation. Long story short, how should I go about this? Any advice? I want to seem professional. Thanks!
I recommend trying to do your SR practicum in an OR, which will get you some experience as well as to start networking. Some OR’s will take new grads and some won’t, so you will need to reach out and see where this is an option. You can also request to shadow OR RNs at various hospitals as well.
Call the hospital education department and ask for a shadowing experience. It is hospital policy, not the school that is minimizing your time in the OR. Concerns about contamination and patient safety have curtailed these types of experiences.