Questions in regards to OR nursing

TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN · Aug 17, 2010

If body fluids bother you, then being in the OR (either as a circulator or scrub) may not be for you. As an RN you will have to clean up bowel movements on occasion, help patients with bed pans in the pre-op area if you are available, and insert foley caths. You will also have to deal with colostomy bags, etc with patients coming with all manor of tubing from the ICU. As a scrub you will also have to deal with stool, in bowel resections etc, and all manor of other bodily fluids that are in or around the surgical site.

The role of the RN and CST are very different and nobody can really tell you which would be the best for you. That's something only you can decide. As a nurse you would be able to scrub, as a CST (in most states) you would not be able to circulate independently. From that perspective I guess the RN has more flexibility, but if you're not interested in circulating, then become a CST.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2010

Are you a nursing student?

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 18, 2010

hello,i'm a student interested in working in the operating room and have a few questions.i have an idea of what some of an or nurses' duties are from duties of a circulating rn - nursing for nurses
does a or nurse have to clean bodily fluids/bowel movements,insert catheter foleys,bath patients,or change bed pans? or is this mainly some of the duties of a med/surgery floor nurse?
yes to all of the above. it's not every patient, but there are those who will have a bowel movement during surgery. most patients who have prolonged surgery/abdominal surgery/ urological surgery/gyne surgery will have foleys placed, sometimes removed at the end of surgery. bathing patients- i've bathed many a trauma patient once we finished surgery so that when we put him/her in the nice clean bed, it stayed that way a little bit, and it was nicer for the floor/icu nurse. changing bed pans- typically not done in the or itself, but as we preop our own patients after a certain time, it happens on occasion. don't forget about those emergent surgeries where the patient ate recently- they may vomit. and blood, there's almost always some that needs to be cleaned up afterwards.
is it worth it to get an aas in surgical technology,become an cst and attend additionally schooling to be a certified surgical assistant later on?
as someone else already said, only you can make this decision. if scrubbing is all that interests you, an rn may not be necessary, and some hospitals do not have rns scrub at all. if you want to be able to change specialties if you would burn out/find out or nursing is not for you, sts can't do that, they're pretty much stuck in the or or ob doing c-sections, whereas the rn can move to any other unit.
or is it better to get an adn in nursing and apply for an or position?
thanks.

-poet

disciples · Aug 18, 2010

Thanks twoaspirin & poet.

@canesdukegirl

I'm taking prerequisites for ADN nursing this fall..it's the same courses for the first semester of AAS for surgical technology as well..I may want to be an RN because of the flexibility but still contemplating.

Can RNFAs with just an Associates degree bill or is that limited to only CRNFAs with a BSN?

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2010

So consider a couple of things before you decide:

1. You will be able to do MUCH more being an RN. You will make more money (in my experience, RNs make about 25-35/hr and techs make 13-15/hr, of course these vary by place and experience) and if you want to consider travel nursing, you will make about 43-60/hr not including housing stipends, bonuses and referrals. I made about 93/yr when I traveled because I took the stipend, got GREAT bonuses, and worked a good amount of OT.

2. If bodily fluids gross you out, then I would not consider the medical field at all. You have to see some pretty gross stuff, and even as a tech, when you do a bowel resection or an emergency x-lap, the room really stinks.

I am unsure as to your last question regarding RNFAs and billing. I am currently looking into RNFA school, so I don't really have an answer for you. I will tell you that I worked with an RNFA that only had an Associates and she was able to bill, but I don't know what the circumstance of her hiring was.