New grad RN with assoc degree surgical tech

[odria]

I am currently in a nursing program due to graduate in a year. I am very interested in OR nursing. While I was waiting to get into nursing school I completed a surgical tech program which I really enjoyed. During my surg tech internship I was able to log 600 hours of scrub experience, some of which was as 1st scrub.

Once I graduate, how much will my surgical tech degree help in getting a job in OR, given the difficult job market for new grads?

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

For me, the fact that I was a CST was a major influence in me being hired as a new grad nurse. They loved the fact that I was familiar with the environment, knew the procedures, and would be a flexible employee (they can use me as a scrub or circulator). Having the "inside scoop" in a job is never a bad thing, and if the environment stays as competitive in a year as it is today, this could make the difference between you being hired and not.

[tclema]

Same here, we desperatly need OR Nurses with a minimum of 1 year experience, but if you are a Scrub Tech or CST, you will be considered for the position. It helps tremendously.

[NabiRN, BSN, RN]

Your scrub experience will be helpful. However, it seems like you went directly from scrub school to nursing school without actually working as a scrub tech. Some hospitals may expect more from you and will put into cases with the idea that you can scrub and circulate. Be honest in your interview. We had a nurse who has the same background as you and everyone is saying how he lied that he can scrub. In reality, he has only done so many cases as a student.

[odria]

Thanks for the reponses! I think this pretty much validates what I thought. However, I do need to manage expections. I have good documentation on exactly what scrub experience I have as a part of my clinical and will be specific on what I have done or not done. I am pretty confident in my capabilities but I am worried that I will be rusty by the time I graduate from nursing school. It was so hard to get into nursing school and I could not afford to miss the chance. I got in a lot earlier than I had expected. After this quarter I can work as a nurse tech so possibly I can combine that with my CST and get more hands on experience in OR.

[tclema]

I hope it all works out for you and you get to use your CST and Nurse Tech combination to get more experience in the OR. Looks like you are putting a lot of thought in your career and are on a winning route.