Advice on RN - RNFA/ACNP

[nurse144]

Hello all! I am graduating in May with my ADN and have secured an OR position at a prestigious teaching hospital where I will be trained to both circulate and scrub. However, my true goal lies in assisting with surgeries and being more hands-on. I have always planned on going the RNFA route but have heard that in most cases, an NP or PA will be selected to be the first assist over an RN. I have always considered going the NP route and have seen here and there that you can secure both NP and RNFA. However, looking into NP programs is very overwhelming, and to be honest, it's hard to even know where to start. As for now, my plan was to attend an ADN-BSN program online while working through my residency but now I'm wondering if that will be an unnecessary step, as I have seen some ADN-AGACNP programs out there.

I think my main questions are as follows:

(1) What routes have you taken to get to be a surgical NP?

(2) Are there any programs that are recommended and why?

(3) Is there that much of a difference in the OR for an RN versus an NP?

Any other advice anyone is willing to offer would be greatly appreciated!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

You may find this thread helpful.

 

[nurse144]

Thank you! I've actually already read through that one and have a few questions of my own to ask.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Perhaps if you post them there, Alicia will get a notification and respond.

[Aortic_Surgery_RNFA, BSN, MSN, DNP, NP]

On 3/22/2022 at 3:29 PM, nurse144 said:

Thank you! I've actually already read through that one and have a few questions of my own to ask.

I'd be happy to answer any questions as well.