bubbles42

I know this is a late response, but just wanted to say that the site performing the drug screen will contact you if any amphetamine is detected in your urine. You will be given an opportunity to provide a valid prescription for the medication and once you do so, you will "pass" the drug screen. It's totally routine and nothing to worry about. I think you might even be protected by HIPAA from disclosure of your prescription to your potential employer, but maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm this?

I think publishers realized that there was no reason to give away access to extra resources when they could charge an arm and a leg for them, so some publishers now restrict access to those resources unless you pay the additional fee.

If your school doesn't require you to have access to Adaptive Quizzing and you just want to purchase it as a personal study tool, then the previous edition should be fine. However, if it is required, then you might need the access code for the edition being used by your instructors because they will give you a special key to enroll in their course once you've gained access to the Adaptive Quizzing (if that makes any sense).

I have to second this. I love the Carhart ripstop cargo scrub pants, and I'm female, but not a "girly girl." They have a million pockets and they're not form-fitting at all.

Thank you so much! This is excellent info!

I'm definitely open to changing my mind, but I've never felt so much excitement and awe as when I was in the OR. I had no idea how much I would love it in there. None of my other clinical experiences left me feeling anything like that.

Sorry that wasn't clear. I was talking about my path to becoming a nurse practitioner and working primarily as a first assistant in the OR.

Thank you! That's what I'm working towards right now. I just wish I could figure out my path forward after getting into an OR. There's a local Adult-Gerontology Acute Care DNP program that would probably be ideal for what I'm trying to do, but I just don't know.

Thank you all for the replies! Lots of good info! I just joined AORN as a student member. I'm getting worried because my local hospital with the new grad residency in the OR also has a scrub tech program and ALL the area hospitals seem to be going the scrub tech route. I'm scared I'll never get a chance to learn how to scrub, and I really want to. Plus, everything I'm reading about the scarcity of RNFA jobs has me super concerned. I just really want to be in the OR and I'm completely baffled and feeling slightly defeated about how to reach my goals. CCU nursing is not something I'm interested in at all. I'm strictly interested in being involved in the surgery itself, then handing the patient off to those better suited to taking care of what happens afterwards.

As others have already said, go to your local community college and take a math placement test. That will tell you which courses you need. Keep taking math classes until you get to college algebra. It seems scary, but you can do it! Also, ask for help. Most community colleges have free tutoring available for math students. I used to absolutely hate math and I thought that there was NO way I could ever do it, and then I got a REALLY good instructor that finally made it click for me. Can you believe I actually began to *like* math? In fact, I liked it so much I ended up minoring in math. Never in a million years would I have ever expected that. There's nothing wrong with dreaming big. Believe in yourself and don't give up!

I eventually want to wind up in an RNFA role, but I know that's a few years down the line because I first need OR experience.

I would absolutely LOVE to become an RNFA, but definitely not CRNA. I know that one advantage of NPs as RNFAs is that they can bill insurance.

I stuck this in 'general nursing' because I wasn't sure if it should go under 'students' or 'student NP' or just 'NP'... I know I want to be in the OR, and I'll be applying for a new grad residency in the OR to get all the experience I can. I'm also an older student, so I need to get on the ball with the rest of my education, but I cannot figure out which path to take to get my NP. I want to choose a path that will be relevant to my goal of spending as much time as possible in the OR. I just have no idea what that path is. I've come to the decision that whether it's an MSN or a DNP program is less important than exactly which track I take. I know there are several certifications that would be fantastic to have, but I don't want to put the cart before the horse. I just want to figure out what kind of NP I should choose. I've already eliminated the FNP because I'd prefer to stick with adults, so I'm thinking adult/gero is probably what I need. My other issue is that I need a program that would allow me to work while in school, and I would prefer staying with an in-state program, so that severely limits my options. If I must go out of state, I really don't want a program that charges double tuition for the privilege. I guess my question is what NP specialty is most often found working in the OR?