RNFA, Surgical NP, or ONP

[alishalee]

Hi all,

So I'm really looking for some opinions here. I started going to nursing school and wanted to finish and become a CRNA. Well things happened and I kept wanting to go further that I decided I wanted to go to med school and just become a Dr. So I stopped nursing and switched majors working on my bachelor's in sports science (wanted to do ortho/sports med). Things have happened to cause me to stop and I've recently started thinking when I do go back just going and finishing my nursing degree. ADN, work while getting my BSN. Then furthering from there. My question is, what would be the best route? RNFA, Orthopedic NP, or Surgical NP. I definitely want to be in the OR and get AS much hands on stuff as possible! I understand an ONP may not be in OR as much (or maybe so I'm not sure) but I'm drawn to it still. Any opinions please??

Thank You ahead of time!!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

moved to prenursing for more pertinent answers

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

It may be a good idea to explore the various scopes of advanced nursing practice before you decide on a career path. There is no "Surgical NP" or "Ortho NP" - these reflect medical specialties, not nursing. The best option would be obtaining an AGACNP (Adult-Gerontology, Acute Care NP) license which would qualify you to work with patients in these hospital settings. There are a few programs that offer NP (post-graduate) certification/fellowship programs in orthopedics. I think that Duke has one, so they may be developing it as an NP specialty by now.

An RNFA is a certification, and does not currently require advanced nursing practice credentials. AORN is in the process of revising this position to reflect advanced practice, but they are not there yet. HERE is more information.

Best of luck on your educational pathway.