Is it easier to become a RN if you're a surgical tech already working in the hospital

trauma_lama, BSN · Jul 27, 2011

with the pt abandonment- do you mean you had just worked 12 w/ no breaks and clocked out at the end of your shift but they had asked you to stay on?

nohika · Jul 27, 2011

I will also add to what RN in Training said...as an RN, depending on the hospital, you will be expected to work 12 hours with no lunch or break often. Just fyi.

JWEMT · Jul 27, 2011

In the case of education - No it probably will not help too much as surgery is only a small portion of nursing education.

Finding a job. Also not really too much advantage to it.

Patient abandoment. did you lose your cert? were you criminally charged? if you were it's up to the state if they will give you a nursing license.

Jenni811, RN · Jul 27, 2011

I don't think being a surgical tech will make it easier to BECOME an RN.

maybe...maybe...finding a job will be easier after nursing school if you are currently working as a surgical tech in a hospital. Generally speaking, hospitals are more likely to hire current employees if in good standing.

Were you charged with anything with patient abandonment??

And just an FYI. there are times i work 12 hour shifts with no breaks, if i'm lucky i can have a couple minute bathroom break. This does not mean i am allowed to just leave my patients. I just fill out a slip saying i didn't get a break so therefore i get paid for a full 12 hours and my lunch break is not automatically deducted off my pay check. It stinks, really it does, but it goes with the job. And i know they are all "you must take your break" but sometimes that just isn't reality with all the stuff we are required to do. Sad but true.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2011

To answer your first question...yes. It would be easier for you to get through nursing school because you already have experience in the medical field. You know what an ORIF is, you know the tx, you know what an open abdomen looks like and you know the general anatomy because you have seen it in full color. You have no doubt listened to the surgeons when they are teaching, you have interacted with the circulators, and you know how to prioritize in an emergency case. This will put you ahead...generally.

Nursing school is very different. You have to take courses that you are unfamiliar with, such as pharmacology, nutrition, holistic care, ethics classes, etc. These course may be easier for you to grasp since you have some exposure, but it will still be difficult.

Your statement about patient abandonment gives me pause. What exactly transpired? Did you walk out during a case? Has this been resolved?

My advice to you would be to apply for nursing school. What would be the downside?

In response to your working a 12 hour shift with no breaks/lunch...why were you not given a break? Were you doing a case where the pt was on bypass? Many surgeons will not allow the scrub to leave for a break when the pt is on bypass or if you are doing a total joint or a revision (oh how I hate those), you can't go out of the room. Unfortunately, that is the beast of our profession. It sucks.

If the above scenario was in fact the case, did you leave anyway despite what the surgeon requested?

Lakalm · Jul 27, 2011

Nohika: Not without asking or even informing me; common courtesy? This was at a surgicenter. At the hospital, if a person normally works 8 hrs., then they are asked or volunteer, which I have many times. Techs aren't paid mandatory O/T, even if forced to stay.

My point is I am very good about staying over. I stayed until all cases were done. I just think it was crappy to keep me going from 2:30-6:00p without even calling into the room to check on me. (This happened other times).

gsamed · Jul 27, 2011

I have worked within the surgical services division for 24 years. I have seen many certified scrub techs continue on to become RN's. Many of them stayed in surgery. The transition from tech to RN can be difficult especially if you stay in the OR. Many RN's forget you are a new grad and feel (incorrectly) "you should already know this or that because you have been in the OR". As a tech you are focused on the surgeons anticipated instrument needs and the case demands. You are not always aware of the may duties and roles the circulator is performing around you. The circulator must respond to the needs of you, the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist. They also must maintain communication with the RN running the schedule for rooms and cases. Sometimes, this transition is difficult.

Bottom line is I agree with canesdukegirl about nursing school. It is a totally different track and courses. While some may be review and majority will be new.

Regarding your other situation, you must look into your state law's. If there were formal charges of patient abandoment even as a tech, it may be difficult or impossible for you to get your nursing license. Even acceptance into nursing schools (which in my state have a waiting list) might be difficult. Just remember your problem with the 12 hour shift is common practice in the OR. What's to say there will be a difference as an RN?

SophiaO · Jul 27, 2011

To answer your question about being a surgical tech. and getting your nursing degree....I have been a surgical tech for 13 years and just finished my ADN last may. Nursing school is hard...(even for an experienced surg. tech). I was able to work and go to school. I was able to concentrate on memorizing pharmacology and other facts instead of reading every textbooks line by line. In reality every person is different in how they learn and how well they test. In nursing school its important to put into it what you want out of it.

Your age is just a number....If you want to be a nurse then go for it.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2011

OP, yes it is crappy that you weren't even given the courtesy of a phone call to inform you that you had no relief and that you would have to stay to finish the case...but what happened? Did you walk out?

If so, then it may be more difficult to get your foot in the door for nursing school. If this issue has been resolved to yours and to management's satisfaction, then it may be a moot point. However, it is an issue to consider.

What are your plans?

Lakalm · Jul 27, 2011

Thanks for all your replies! Please tell me your evaluation of this, good or bad. I need to explain more about the pt. abandonment: I am not certified surgical tech, I was not criminally charged, they said "We decided fire you for pt. abandonment," 2 days after the incident.

This didn't happen because of my working the 12-hrs. It happened the next day. I said that to show I am not a person who would leave a patient. I was almost always the last one to leave.

After clocking out after the 12-hrs. (Tuesday), I noticed I wasn't scheduled the next day. I thought it was an oversight, because sometimes they fill in my hrs. at the last minute. There was no one to ask, so I just went in the next morning at 6:00, just in case.

The next morning, (Wednesday), I was scheduled to work with a new surg. tech. I went to introduce her to the dr., & before I could finish, he laughed & said he knew her & had been working with her for 20 yrs., (at a different facility). She actually had more experience than me. We decided to alternate cases. I told her that I wanted to do the next case so I could get more experience with that case. She already was proficient.

So it was horrible. He started with the CRNA because she did or didn't give a drug. He just stopped with his arms folded in front of him, not doing surgery, scolding each person. A resident sat across from him this whole time retracting the wound. He asked me for a hemostat, & used it to point out his mistakes (3), caused by him "worried about us doing our jobs, so he couldn't do his job." Then he threw it back at me. The nursing mgr. was called in the room, and she just kept agreeing with him. He was saying over & over the he wanted "the same crew," on all cases. To me, this meant he wanted the new tech, not me. Maybe they hired her to work with him? Then nursing mgr. left.

Then a drill malfunctioned, & he had me keep holding it (3 x's) to prove it was too hot to hang onto. We had it sent out for repairs, and also checked it before the case, which of course he asked us about. When he resumed surgery, he kept throwing sharp needles, scalpels, on the table, causing sharps to jump around. He was very, very angry, & said he'd been sued 3x's for cutting a nerve, caused by the nerve jumping because the CRNA gave wrong drug in the past.

So the pt. left the room. I ran to the locker room, burst out crying & I didn't know how I'd face the next patient because they'd notice. The next & last pt., was a simple 5-10 minute trigger finger. The other tech was scrubbed in & set up as agreed, no patient in the room. I told 5 people I was not doing the last case. Also I was leaving the room and going home, since they told me if I had O/T, I had to leave early, so there would be no O/T on my pay, or they would "crack down" on me. I had 6-8 hrs. O/T. It was customary for people to leave early with even one hr. O/T. The mgrs. couldn't be reached by phone or in their office, so I asked those 5 people to tell them I left so I wouldn't get in trouble with the O/T, (not to mention I was a wreck & dr's. incompetence, etc).

So they fired me 2 days later, (Friday), not because I left, but for patient abandonment, which doesn't fit the description. But please let me know what you think. Also I had nothing on my disciplinary record. Thank you.

SophiaO · Jul 28, 2011

Being a surgical tech. is NOT easy!! I have dealt with a lot of MISS-Behavior!! Sounds to me that it was a huge mess. In the future find a job where the manangers will support you. Ive been at both types of places. There are facilties out there that do not stand for bad behavior. If you do find a place that supports your growth, go back to school and get your RN degree. That way you will be at a place that you love working at. Good luck!