I want to look into surgical nursing, but I'm very new to the medical field. Help?

[theperfectday0]

Good day to all nurses,

My name is Emma, and I am looking into going to school for nursing.

What I want is to become a surgical nurse. The nurses that assist in surgeries, and aid the doctors. I'm not sure which program I should be getting into. My dream is to become a trauma surgical nurse.

I live in Los Angeles, California. I've been looking allover for a good school to go to. My family friends daughter suggested CES of Burbank (http://www.cescollege.com/) and I made an appointment for tomorrow to go check out the school. But if anyone has different schools they'd like to suggest, that would be delightful.

My main concern is, I'm not sure which program to take for what I want to do. I went to Concorde and I almost signed up until I realized their program was for Surgical Tech. Which is found out is different than Surgical Nurse... you can't really perform surgeries yourself (suturing, etc..)

Can anyone give me any insight as to how I begin my journey into Surgical Nursing? What programs I should be looking into? And schools, if possible. Thank you so much for your time and concern.

[AutomanRN]

There is a school for RNFA. I would suggest to look into the NIFA at NIFA Registered Nurse First Assisting RNFA

RNFA's assists the surgeon with retraction, cauterizing bleeds, suturing, stapling, ext...

[martha keaton]

I have heard that all you need to specialize in a certain field is work in that field once you become an RN. However, there may be training involved to work in that area. This is what our instructors have mentioned to us in the nursing program I am in.

[Tammitrubble]

Hi, I am a surgical nurse and there is no other nurse I would rather be (I was a surgical tech first before becoming an RN). It does appear as if the surgical tech plays a bigger role in the surgery because they are at the surgical field but everyone's role is important. You are the RN, you are in charge of the room, not the surgeon, you! if anything goes wrong - your license are in danger. First, go to nursing school, get your degree then do a perioperative course - they will teach you how to scrub, prep the patient, instruments, etc - course last about 6 weeks..I think. (I did not have to do it because I was a surg tech first). You have OR Tech and Surg Tech, OR Tech cleans the room and Surg Tech handles the instrument - some hospital calls Surg Tech OR Techs). For the record Surg Techs does not get more than nurses. Now it also sounds like you are interested in a RNFA role (Registered Nurse First Assist). So this is how it goes - RN to Perioperative Nurse(surgical nurse) - to First Assist. You have to learn how to scrub and get a certain number of scrubbing hours on various specialty, then find a school and get a surgeon to sign off on your competency then go and do a few months of schooling (nothing like nursing school) and wallah you are a RNFA and your pay significantly rises.. There are alot more explanation I could give but I think this is enough. Also, the OR is one of the hardest place to get into..

[OCNRN63, RN]

I'm not really interested in LVN. I want to get into RN. I was informed that the best way to go would be go for my LVN and then RN... But I was to be a Surgical Nurse. Not just a regular RN.

Are you sure you understand what it is you want? The nurses who work in the OR are RNs, just like the RNs on any other unit of a hospital. There is a specialty called "First Assist," which allows the nurse to do more in the OR. It requires more education beyond graduating from a nursing program.

​Have you posted any of your questions in the forum for surgical nurses? You might get more information there.

[Graduation2016]

Surgical techs go to school for a year minimum not 6 weeks. Just clarifying that.