Certifications and Prep

hello, i will be starting nursing school on august 30th. i have always had an interest in working in the or, and almost went into my schools surgical tech program rather than the rn!

i was just curious as what kind of(if any) certifications i should strive to obtain besides the bls for health providers i have obtained, to help me in the resume and prior knowledge department.

the only certification specific to or nurses is the cnor (certified nurse operating room) which requires 2 years experience before you can apply to take it. some hospitals require acls, some don't. not sure that it would give you much edge over someone without it.

also, i'm curious as to certifications to work in the or. i have see cfna and rfna, aorn and such thrown around and have been wondering what they are.

never heard of cfna, but if you mean crna, that stands for certified registered nurse anesthetist. this is a nurse with a masters degree and specialized education in giving anesthesia. rnfa is registered nurse first assist, a nurse who must be eligible to take the cnor exam, goes on to get additional education, and assists the surgeon by being able to suture, use the electrocautery, and other things (is directly supervised by a surgeon, not able to do any of these independently). aorn is the association of perioperative nurses (aorn - association of perioperative registered nurses) and is an association specific to or nurses that sets standards, publishes a journal, and other things.

would it also to be advisable to make take some of those surg tech classes or would my future rn status just rule them out?

most hospitals employ surgical techs to scrub, and nurses only circulate. while the classes would teach you instrument names, how to drape, sterile technique, etc, these are all things that should be covered in your orientation program. it seems to me that this would be a waste of money, and if you aren't actually planning to graduate from the program, would be taking a spot from someone who does want to graduate as a surg tech.

thanks a lot for reading and any advice you can supply!

i apologize if these questions seem unfocused, but it's 2 am and this has been bugging me and i just had to ask!

my replies in red, hope it helps!