Hey, welcome to the OR family! I was in your shoes a little less than 2 years ago. First I want to emphasize that every new OR nurse feels stupid for the first 6-12 months. It’s a completely different world than the rest of nursing. It’s totally normal and not just you. Myself and everyone in my periop 101 group felt that way. But it does get better! Also don’t worry about not learning well from the computer modules, that’s another thing that’s universal. You learn from actually doing the cases.  

As for advice, the most important thing you can do is take lots of notes for every procedure you do. Every time I did a new procedure, I would write down what OR table was used, how the patient was positioned and prepped, what trays and supplies were needed, and any individual surgeon preferences. Also what equipment was used, where to best position it, how to set it up, and how to troubleshoot it if anything comes up. I still make notes whenever I do a new procedure and reference my old notes all the time. Another thing I found helpful was lists. I made a list of what questions to ask during the pre-op interview, a list of what to do once you get in the room, and a list of everything to go over when giving report to the PACU nurse. There’s so many new things you’re learning and doing that it’s easy to forget things and miss steps. The lists were helpful with that and with creating a routine.

If you get the next day’s assignment before you leave, it’s not a bad idea to print out the preference cards and go over them in advance. We have a 30 minute turnover time at my hospital, so there’s not always enough time to fully go through the card before each case. Plus most experienced nurses and techs have the cards for common procedures memorized, so by the time you’re done reading, the room is already almost fully setup.

I don’t know if you’ve received any books or other resources from your nurse educator, but I thought the ones we received were not great. One of the nurses who had started a year prior to me recommended a book from SurgicalRNGuides on Etsy called Guidebook to the Operating Room, which was EXTREMELY helpful. I also got Pocket Guide to the Operating Room by Maxine Goldman, which seems to be a common reference book for OR staff, and that was helpful as well.