FutureORCRNFA

Hey all! I need some help here. I am currently in the process of getting back to the OR after 9 months of CVICU. Prior to nursing school I worked as a CST for 12 years and still maintain my certification. My question is this: I know that I want to go back to the OR-no Q about it, but I want to get my CNOR and CRNFA. How should I approach this subject while in the interview process? My proposal would be for the hospital to hire me on with the expectation that I would start immediately working to complete these goals. I would suggest that while learning the circulating role at their institution, I can be preparing for the CNOR and at the same time beginning the enrollment process for the RNFA program that I have already chosen. I am just not sure how to propose this to the recruiter or Hiring Manager of the OR. Ideally, I would like to apply for an RNFA position and begin right away in basically an intern-type role with the hospitals support of furthering my education (not monetarily-I will paying for my education myself, although tuition reimbursement would be nice). At this time, I just want them to support my functioning as a surgical assistant to complete the course. Please offer any advise that you may have on how I can lead into this...either during the interview, in my resume objective, or even through my cover letter. I appreciate all answers and thank you in advance.

No…sorry, female. Worked in OR for many years and my co-workers and I would always joke that we wished we could get a two-for-one boob job! This cartoon just fit the bill!

FANTASTIC JOB CheesePotato! I could never have said it better myself! This is an excellent training course in and of itself for all aspiring STs and new grad nurses to the OR! Once again….FANTASTIC!

Yes, the preoperative consortium would be better for you. Getting an ST certificate/degree is not necessary for you. I worked as a CST for 12 years and now I am an RN pursuing an RNFA. Once you are able to get into the OR suite, most hospitals will train you OTJ to scrub cases. I think that the difficulty you are running into is that the OR is so specialized and it takes someone that has been in this area for awhile to be able to perform a multitude of tasks and roles. Most Operating Room nurses are expected to be able to scrub as well as circulate. If you have one under your belt it is then easier for them to see the potential in just training you for the other. However, it is not unheard of for new grads to get OR jobs, so I would just keep applying. Just make sure that when you are applying to the hospitals that you are ONLY applying for OR positions and not anything else. This will show that you are serious about that specific position and are not interested in any other areas. You can also try to find out the OR managers name and email address and directly send a cover letter and resume to them asking that they take the time to review your nursing school experience and maybe take a chance with you. Just be persistent.

I agree with Joeldew… I worked as a CST for 12 years and have had my fair share of "mean surgeons." I have found over the years that it is best to NOT escalate the issue if you can avoid it. It is always best to confront the surgeon him/herself and explain that you are not comfortable with the environment. You should try to gear the conversation toward the fact that you enjoy working with him/her and would like to know if he/she would be willing to take the time to sit down with you and explain where you could do better. I would be willing to bet that once you have a private conversation with this surgeon, he/she will look at you differently and think more before speaking to you in the way he/she has in the past. You will gain more respect from this surgeon (and other surgeons who know about your situation) in trying to resolve it yourself in a professional manner than you would if you were to make a complaint against the surgeon. Making the complaint could cause other members of your team and other surgeons to be leary of working with you for fear that you may deem their actions inappropriate and thus file complaints against them too. I have seen this happen over the years….so that is just my personal advice based on experience. I really do hope that this situation can be resolved so that you can continue to enjoy your job. If it so happens that you are not able to resolve it, I would consider looking for another position, either working exclusively within another POD or for another hospital altogether. Good Luck!

Thank you NedRN! I appreciate the time you took to answer my Q:up:

Dr: Hello Ladies! Which one of you is here for the breast Augmentation? Nurse: We were hoping we could get a two-for-one discount!

Hello everyone! I am new to this site and so very glad that I have found you all! As my screen name says "ORCRNFA" that is my dream and would have been more correct had I placed future in front of it (sorry if misleading). Anyway...I have been reading this site for hours now and have so many Qs that I am about to explode with excitement! (currently on page 7) ...First..here is my background:I have 12 years as a Certified Surgical Technologist (certification still current), I have a BSN with 9 months as a CVICU nurse, ACLS certified and am a member of a # of advanced nursing organizations.OK...so, I left the OR which I absolutely LOVED under the direction of fellow nurses who said that as a CST I was stuck in a "dead-end job, and was not utilizing my abilities." I knew that the OR was the only place for me and that I did not go to nursing school because I never wanted to be just "a floor nurse" (not knocking the floor nurses-just not for me), anyway...I left the OR and pursued a BSN with the ONLY goal being CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). I worked extremely hard in nursing school and everything fell in line better than I could have dreamed. I landed 2 ICU interviews before I ever graduated and had 2 ICU job offers before NCLEX!!! I know right?!Well, needless to say, I took the ICU position that I thought would best lead me to that CRNA position, and guess what...it was a horrible choice! After just 3 months I knew that the facility I chose was not being "run" like any ICU I had experienced before, and in the 9th month I did not feel as though I was being challenged at all and was eons away from being able to sit for a CRNA interview...NO WAY! So I left the job....then I went into a MAJOR FUNK because I was not sure what I wanted to do with my career. I KNEW I had to get back to the OR (never a Q), but was I going to go back in the OR and settle for working as a circulator and give up my dream? I am not a young nurse fresh out of high school, I have some years on me..(not too many though-haha). Now, a year later, after many-many sleepless nights, I am certain that I am going back to the OR and not pursuing the CRNA route (too many more yrs of education, too many more $ in debt, and taking a CHANCE that I would even get accepted). BUT!!! and here comes my reason for this post...(I know-I'm a talker, but I thought the background was important)...I CANNOT just go back and be a circulating nurse, I HAVE to be IN the field with my hands IN the patient. So I have decided that I want to get my CNOR and CRNFA (hence the screen name :)). ANYONE that can help me....please offer ANYTHING! First, I am in the process of looking for a position, but need to market myself so that the hospital is willing to support my starting the RNFA process immediately upon hire. I am curious if anyone has been down this route.Second, I would definitely want to be an IC, but do not know if I have to go the NP or PA route to be able to market myself as an IC-RNFA.I have extensive knowledge in Adult and Pediatric surgery (I have also performed in a first assistant role on numerous occasions, in many different specialties); plastics, cardiovascular, harvest/transplants...are my #1's.My dilemma is just getting started with ALL of it! I am in my late 40's and need to get the ball rolling here. I do not want to spend many more years getting to the ultimate goal. I am a "GO-GETTER" and WILL get the job done, I just have to get the opportunity to do so.PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...[if you are still reading this you are a TROOPER and I am grateful to you for it]...help me with ANY aspect of this road I am traveling.Thank you so much to all....and I most definitely am so thankful for this site!Hello everyone! I am new to this site and so very glad that I have found you all! As my screen name says "ORCRNFA" that is my dream and would have been more correct had I placed future in front of it (sorry if misleading). Anyway...I have been reading this site for hours now and have so many Qs that I am about to explode with excitement! (currently on page 7) ...First..here is my background:I have 12 years as a Certified Surgical Technologist (certification still current), I have a BSN with 9 months as a CVICU nurse, ACLS certified and am a member of a # of advanced nursing organizations.OK...so, I left the OR which I absolutely LOVED under the direction of fellow nurses who said that as a CST I was stuck in a "dead-end job, and was not utilizing my abilities." I knew that the OR was the only place for me and that I did not go to nursing school because I never wanted to be just "a floor nurse" (not knocking the floor nurses-just not for me), anyway...I left the OR and pursued a BSN with the ONLY goal being CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). I worked extremely hard in nursing school and everything fell in line better than I could have dreamed. I landed 2 ICU interviews before I ever graduated and had 2 ICU job offers before NCLEX!!! I know right?!Well, needless to say, I took the ICU position that I thought would best lead me to that CRNA position, and guess what...it was a horrible choice! After just 3 months I knew that the facility I chose was not being "run" like any ICU I had experienced before, and in the 9th month I did not feel as though I was being challenged at all and was eons away from being able to sit for a CRNA interview...NO WAY! So I left the job....then I went into a MAJOR FUNK because I was not sure what I wanted to do with my career. I KNEW I had to get back to the OR (never a Q), but was I going to go back in the OR and settle for working as a circulator and give up my dream? I am not a young nurse fresh out of high school, I have some years on me..(not too many though-haha). Now, a year later, after many-many sleepless nights, I am certain that I am going back to the OR and not pursuing the CRNA route (too many more yrs of education, too many more $ in debt, and taking a CHANCE that I would even get accepted). BUT!!! and here comes my reason for this post...(I know-I'm a talker, but I thought the background was important)...I CANNOT just go back and be a circulating nurse, I HAVE to be IN the field with my hands IN the patient. So I have decided that I want to get my CNOR and CRNFA (hence the screen name :)). ANYONE that can help me....please offer ANYTHING! First, I am in the process of looking for a position, but need to market myself so that the hospital is willing to support my starting the RNFA process immediately upon hire. I am curious if anyone has been down this route.Second, I would definitely want to be an IC, but do not know if I have to go the NP or PA route to be able to market myself as an IC-RNFA.I have extensive knowledge in Adult and Pediatric surgery (I have also performed in a first assistant role on numerous occasions, in many different specialties); plastics, cardiovascular, harvest/transplants...are my #1's.My dilemma is just getting started with ALL of it! I am in my late 40's and need to get the ball rolling here. I do not want to spend many more years getting to the ultimate goal. I am a "GO-GETTER" and WILL get the job done, I just have to get the opportunity to do so.PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...[if you are still reading this you are a TROOPER and I am grateful to you for it]...help me with ANY aspect of this road I am traveling.Thank you so much to all....and I most definitely am so thankful for this site.Hey all, I wrote a thread already asking for advice, but I forgot to mention something in it. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the step to take in finding a position working with a specific surgeon in a specific specialty as a private assistant and IC (independent contractor)? This would be the ultimate position if anyone knows the best way to go about marketing and selling yourself for this type of employment. Thanks much to all that answer. Hey all, I wrote a thread already asking for advice, but I forgot to mention something in it. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the step to take in finding a position working with a specific surgeon in a specific specialty as a private assistant and IC (independent contractor)? This would be the ultimate position if anyone knows the best way to go about marketing and selling yourself for this type of employment. Thanks much to all that answer.

I would recommend Goldfarb School of Nursing 100%. They are have an excellent program either in the upper division (~22 months) or the accellerated version (extremely fast paced-needing a previous Bachelor degree to enter). The program is very hands-on and the clinical experiences are at Barnes-Jewish and Children's (as well as other sites), as they are affiliated with these hospitals.