shep1960

Laird215 Some of my colleagues have provided information and others needed more specifics since your question was rather open ended. As an active duty Navy perioperative nurse allow me to fill in a few gaps. As a perioperative nurse you will either circulate or scrub the surgical procedures. Not all hospitals use registered nurses to scrub because it costs less to hire a surgical technologist than another RN. You will need to investigate how your local hospitals run their ORs. I would also talk to the OR nurses at your local hospitals. They can be a wealth of information. Once you begin working in the OR and wish to expand your skills then you can become certified through the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN). This association also has a program in which you can become a RNFA, Register Nurse First Assistant allowing you to scrub into surgical cases and work directly with the surgeon. As a Physician Assistant, this will require a longer period of education in comparison to a registered nurse. Surgical PAs are out there but you might find yourself doing more paperwork for your surgeon and less time in the OR. Once again I would talk to the OR nurses in your local hospitals. If there are surgical PAs out there they will be the first to know and they might be able to provide you a name and phone number. Our military surgical PA in the Navy are primarily utilized in Orthopedics and even then they do not see as much surgery as you might think. In the civilian sector a PA makes more money than a nurse, but I assure you between the education required to be a PA and the very long hours working with a surgeon you will earn every penny of it. I wish you luck

Super RT You can rant all you want to. I have debated those same questions myself for many years and I still have not found the answer. I hope and pray social services takes the child away from this mother. A fellow nurse sends his prayers of strength for you and your family. Tomorrow is a new day with new challenges and lives to save.

Momofthree When you evaluate the company you plan on working for please also include the other benefits besides base salary. Cost of health insurance, tuition assistance and the company's retirement plan are critical issues to address with your future employer. Yes, I did work for Fresenius as a per diem nurse in southern Virginia and North Carolina. My starting salary at the dialysis unit I worked at part-time in Suffolk, Virginia was $16.50/hr in 1996. Working in a hemodialysis or acute care hemodialysis unit will truly challenge your nursing skills. The demand for dialysis nurses is high, but the burnout or turnover rate is also high in this field. It can be a very physically and mentally demanding job when you are taking care of renal patients with very extensive comorbities. Please look at all aspects of this job and the company before comparing the hourly rate. I wish you the best.

You may consider looking into working at one of the dialysis facilities in that area. I first entered the medical field as a dialysis technician in the Shreveport area in 1982. All of my experience during that time was on the job training at the facility I worked at. I was able to stay in the dialysis field while attending nursing school in the late 1980's. The hours may be long and the work is extremely challenging, but the experience you will gain in performing physical assessments and monitoring patients while they are on the hemodialysis machines is invaluable. Some of the dialysis facilities have good medical benefits for their employees as well as other benefits regarding school reimbursement. I am not saying it is an easy job, but it is one that could open the doors for you to learn about the medical profession and hopefully attain your goal of becoming a nurse. I graduated from nursing school in 1992 and I have proudly served my country and my patients as a Navy Nurse for 19 years. I would not change one moment in time to achieve what I have done. You can do the same. Take care and God Bless.

Have you thought about joining the military? You may end up working on the Med/Surg floor for a few years, but once you have completed the perioperative program I can assure you that will be your life till you retire.

Dear Libby I hope this message is received before you have made your decision about going to the rural hospital. I have been a registered nurse for 18 years. My experience has ranged from working in large hospitals and also working in a small community ED. I have been practicing as a perioperative nurse for the US Navy for these 18 years, but I did moonlight in my earlier years so I can give you some practical advise. My suggestion would be to go to the small hospital and develop your new skills there. I can assure you the excellent trauma nurses have humble beginnings and if they started in a busy Knife and Gun club ER once they graduated from nursing school their chances of burnout is rather high. Getting the fundamentals down as a recent graduate can not be stressed enough. We emphasis this to all new graduate nurses entering the Navy. Give yourself time to learn your profession and seek those nurses no matter where you go who will mentor you and show you the critical thinking and technical skills needed in our profession. I wish you the best. God Bless Mike