2020Grad

Thanks for the tip Ruzan. Just looked at AORN's website and it definitely looks like it will help. What did you find most helpful on their website prior to graduation? I see access to journals, webinars, ORNurselink, etc... Any direction or input you can give would be much appreciated! There's a lot there.

"I have been in the OR for 3 months and I am beginning to feel confident to be able to circulate independently. There is still so much that I do not know, but in time I will get there." I am a Dec. 2020 grad looking at going directly to OR. What kind of prep did you do prior to your training period at your facility? And what kind of background did you have prior to nursing school? I have all this time before I graduate and am wondering if there is something I could be doing in my spare time to "help the transition" as they say; study surgical terms, familiarize myself with operation types, study pictures of the typical tools? Just curious!

Thank you for your response. So it sounds like the RNFA might be stuck in the middle? The surgeon's are beginning to prefer PA or NP, and the facility might prefer the Surg Tech over the RN for cheaper costs? If you don't mind me asking, how big is your organization? I am trying to grasp what 7 FA's means as part of the "total employee" picture. There are three very big hospital systems in the area I live. So am trying to understand how many jobs might be out there (when I go to job sites like Indeed and even the hospital websites themselves, it appears to be a niche with jobs few and far between).

ME: Male nursing student, graduating Dec. of 2020 (an accelerated BSN program). I am older (35), and at this moment don't see myself aiming for a Master's degree like CRNA. Student nurse trying to figure out his "niche" right now. With the whole COVID-19 issue, it is impossible to get job shadowing right now (all hospitals have shut it down). I did some shadowing before the COVID-19 shut downs, one of those being the OR. I really liked the vibe of the OR, but to me it seems like a dead end; (1) once in OR, you're stuck in OR and (2) limited growth opportunities (maybe you become a manager). By nature, the OR skill set is totally different and guessing you are easily passed over if you choose to move out of it? Registered Nurse First Assist seems to be one of the only things you can "ladder up" with as an OR nurse. Does anyone have any personal experience with this and can offer any incite about the "opportunities" that are out in the real world right now (I never believe government statistics). I've heard that PA programs are beginning to take over what use to be for First Assist's.