Learning to suture

[Cmsmith7]

Hey!

I am an RN that has been working with a plastic surgeon. I have been scrubbing in on cases with her and assisting her. I would like to learn how to suture so I can help her close or at least place some sutures. Anyone know if this is within the Louisiana Scope of Practice and if so if there are any good courses on learning how to suture. Eventually I would like to get an RNFA but right now learning how to suture might be my best bet. Thank you

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

You can follow up with LSBN, but I’m pretty sure you’d need to be RNFA first. LSBN has made it clear that you can’t assist in surgery without it even at the NP level. And I don’t think suturing lacs is within an RN’s scope either.

[Seaofclouds, BSN, RN]

This is something that varies from state to state, so you would need to check with your BON and the Scope of Practice for your state to be sure if this is something you can do. Some states allow superficial suturing while others allow none.

If it is allowed, you could always check with the physician you work with to see if she would be interested in learning. If she says yes, you could ask her if she had any recommendations for learning and practice.