Do not spare me..

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello everyone,

Please be blunt with your answers and dont spare me any details! good or bad.

Here is a little background. I am in the guard (national guard) and have worked for the last 3 years as either a Correctional officer and a car salesman. I have always had intrests in the medical field and i will be an RN within the next 5 years, but I do have a family so I must work until then! i am planing on attending Concorde for their 12 month surgical tech program. I thought i wanted to pursue criminal justice but it is not the way i want to help poeple.

Long story short I need the pros and cons of the trade(surgical tech)! I have done a little research but I want more info! I did look at becoming an lvn but i believe this is a better fit for me

I am 22 and a male if that helps with advice.

Thanks.

Thanks for all of the info!

But!

I would love to just go straight through to RN. The only reason I am not going that route is like I said i do have a wife and child and can not afford to spend 1-2 semesters getting my pre-reqs then be put on a waiting list for 1-2 years only to finish 2 years after that.

I know that it would be easier to bridge from Lvn to Rn. But in my area DFW i would not be able to work in a hospital, and almost all of the hospitals offer some kind of tuition assistance unlike an ltc clinic. After doing a little research i have found that an lvn and a surg tech make about the same.

I do however get that an lvn would have a better schedule for when I do go for my RN.

Please keep the info coming it is helping me out alot!

A plus for me on becoming a Surgical tech was that once certified i can work wherever unlike an Lvn. (i mean in the nation)

Thanks for the replies!

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Hello:) and thank you for your reply. the only problem i have run into with the EMT route is that if done in texas you are only qualified in texas. Is that right?

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Hello:) and thank you for your reply. the only problem i have run into with the EMT route is that if done in texas you are only qualified in texas. Is that right?

No, that is not correct. You can take the NREMT and apply for another state's certification to work. Just about every state allows you to do this with the NREMT certification.

LVNs can also move from state to state as well by applying for their license in another state through reciprocity which is true for most licensed professions. There are also many more employment opportunities for LVNs than there are for Surgical Techs. The Surgical Tech is still certified (voluntarily but recommended) by a couple of agencies without licensure recognition at a state level which is why the training programs vary greatly.

Make sure your program is fully accredited.

This is stated clearly on one of the certifying exam websites:

One thing you should make sure of, is that the program you enroll in is accredited. This means that Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) has approved the program. THe only way to get certified is to have attended an accredited program. Having an accredited degree will give you more leverage in the work field.

You may also be competing with Surgical Techs who have degrees if you move. With just a 1 year cert you may have a hard time finding a job or applying for licensure in other states. If your credits don't transfer, back to the beginning when it comes to getting a degree of ANY type.

Examples

http://www.mcc.commnet.edu/academic/degrees/surTech.php

http://www.gatewaycc.edu/Catalog/GateWayCatalog.pdf#127

http://www1.cpcc.edu/nursing_human_services/surgical-technology-a45740

The advantage of these programs is that those credits will go towards the prereqs of a nursing degree. You would probably have a very difficult time finding a job in any area that had a college degree program.

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RNs rarely scrub any more. However, it would be great prep for circulator, a job that pays well and is very often held by men.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
A plus for me on becoming a Surgical tech was that once certified i can work wherever unlike an Lvn. (i mean in the nation)
LVNs/LPNs are found in all 50 states and Canada. I originally obtained my LVN license in California, but have since endorsed it into Texas and Oklahoma.

Your employment options will be limited to ambulatory surgical centers or hospital ORs if you become a surgical tech. However, the LVN has more career mobility to areas such as med/surg, rehab, psych, long term care, MR/DD nursing, jail/prison nursing, clinics, doctors' offices, hospice, home health, and lower management. Some facilities have even trained LPNs/LVNs to work as surgical techs.

I also live in the DFW area of Texas, which is becoming a difficult job market for healthcare workers due to the economy. I simply needed to throw that warning in. Major hospitals in the area have seriously slowed down their hiring of new grads.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"RNs rarely scrub any more."

Certainly not true in my facility or in any facilities in my large city.

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"RNs rarely scrub any more."

Certainly not true in my facility or in any facilities in my large city.

Huh. I've on;y ever met techs. No RNs. Maybe regional.

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Huh. I've on;y ever met techs. No RNs. Maybe regional.

It must be regional. Up here in Canada, the Surgical Tech doesn't exist. You have to be either an PN or an RN to get the training. Both nurses scrub and circulate.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Consider this: a scrub tech only makes about $13-$15 an hour from what I have seen thus far in my career. I went to nursing school and had 5 different scholarships and grants that PAID me to go. Look into scholarships that are being offered statewide or from surrounding hospitals. I was able to work every weekend while in school, and that money along with my grants/scholarships, I was able to float a mortgage and a car payment without getting into debt.

If you go to RN school, you will have so many doors open to you and an ST position will not. I just worry that you will get used to your salary as an ST and not be able to pursue your RN because... life just happens, and many times, our goals get lost in the shuffle.

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I agree about lives getting lost in the shuffle! it has taken about four years for me to get back on track. We (as a family) are finaly where we need to be.

I think that i am going to pursue the Surgical tech route then i will get my pre reqs knocked out for my RN. You all have given me things to think about. Tommorrow I am going to a couple of hospitals to ask what they prefer to hire and if any school has left a bad taste in their mouth.

The program i am looking into is accredited through ABHES and the Surg Tech is additionally accredited through CAAHEP and has been around since 1998. According to the ABHES website.

But! the best info is from yall! because you guys are right their. So any thing else you guys can tell me would be much appreciated!

The program is at Concord yes it is exspensive. No i refuse to stay an ST for any longer than i have to.

Thanks

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Specializes in LTC.

If you are worried about tuition reimbursement, a lot of large ltc corporations do offer reimbursement of some sort.

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You can make 13-15 as a Cna working in a hospital.You have been given good advice and I hope that you are willing to think about some of the suggestions.I agree that you should do your LPN at this point.Why not if its the same amount of time as the ST..but u could be making more money and not be on call? BTW,did you think about how u will finish school if u are on call with various working hours?...Begin with the end in mind.Your goal is to be an R.N. so IMO,U should do CNA,LPN,RN...

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