Question about path to OR...

[julesradio]

I have just started my first semester of pre-recs for nursing. I want to evenually be an OR nurse, and I was wondering if I should try for the surgical tech program instead.

My only thought about that is that under an RN I am not limited to what I can do...As a Surgical tech, that's it, right?

What's the difference between an OR nurse and a Surg tech?

Any insight into this is appreciated.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

Stay in the nursing program and when the time comes, do an internship in the OR if one is available. In many hospitals the RN can circulate and scrub whereas the surg tech just scrubs. Rn's also get paid more and have more options in the long run.

I'm not minimizing the tech role-I used to be one. But my surg tech program was way overpriced($20,000) and I often wished I had just gone to nursing school right out of the gate.

Many places also take new grads right into the OR. Good luck!

[shodobe]

Do a search on this subject. I know there have been many threads related to this subject. You will get different opinions from people and it depends on what state they are located. At least here in California techs are limited to passing instruments to the surgeon and can't venture much beyond that due to scope of practice. It definitly wouldn't hurt you at all on being a scrub tech, but that time you spend going to tech school could be better put to use taking the necessary pre-reqs for nursing school. Many techs have gone back to school to get their RN but these indivduals either had been a tech for awhile or came out of the military already trained. I think going to tech school could put you behind about a year towards your nursing goal. It also depends where you would want to work because some places only want their RNs circulating and not necessarily doing both. I don't know if you would want all that training to go to waste, not really waste but under used. If you think you can handle not only college courses for your pre-reqs but also an intense Tech school, go for it. The ability to do both as an RN has always been a plus when I have gone looking for a job. I have been in the OR for 31 years and can do both because we don't use Techs and have an ALL RN staff. Good luck with your decision because it is a big one.

[ewattsjt]

Here the RN an ST are considered more or less two totally different fields. ST is not a stepping stone toward nursing. The associate degree prerequisites usually are the same in both programs leaving only the core classes to be met, so you could view it as a step within that manner of "stepping stone". The core classes for ST are usually about 3 semesters while the core classes for traditional program ASN is about 4 semesters. As you can see it will have you at least one year off if you try both. I do not see an advantage to doing both. BTW I am a CST who is going back to school for nursing.

At most facilities the ST can not circulate but the RN can scrub. Not all facilities have the staffing to allow the RNs to scrub. Here we give assistants to any surgeon who does not have their own. So our facility has hired 2 techs to every nurse. So the nurses do not get to scrub very much at all. Within the same token there is a surgery center within half an hour’s drive that only hires RNs.

This is one where you are going to have to check with the schools and see what kind of prerequisites they have, what kind of “wait list” they have, and what the facilities around you actually do. Checking out this information for your self in your specific area is the best choice. You may also see how the facilities staff.

I might also add that there are many more advancement opportunities for RNs as compared to STs.