RPN wanting to get into orthopaedic nursing

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Hey,

I am an RPN student in ontario looking to get into orthopaedic nursing. I want to get into the role of scrub nurse so I was wondering if anyone could tell me what courses I need to take after the RPN exam. The only course I know that is offered currently is a perioperative nursing course but when I check the job listing I have yet to see anyone have that listed, the only thing they seem to want is either a certified RPN or RN.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Orthpedic nursing would be working on an ortho floor. You are talking about OR nursing. I think you would need to have your BSN to be a scrub nurse.

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Specializes in NICU.

Actually, you can be a scrub nurse as an RPN in Ontario. You need to take the peri operative course which is offered at many colleges...I know Mohawk college does one for RPNs. Rpns are currently only working as scrub nurses in the OR, I haven't heard of them being circulating nurses. Other thing you could do is go to the hospital you want to work at and ask the OR manager what suggestions they have to become part of the team. When I did my OR rotation the manager told us that they really wanted more RPNs and would be wiling to train them without the college course...so you never know. Good luck !

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Oh that's interesting. I guess it depends on where you work.

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Specializes in NICU.

Yeah I guess so! This was with Hamilton Health Sciences. I personally would never want to be a scrub nurse, but someone needs to do it, and a lot of people I went to school with were interested in it. Good luck to the OP!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Yes I wouldn't want to do it either. Too much standing around.I took a peri anesthesia course. Interesting, but it didn't make me want to work there.

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If you have completed the Peri-operative course successfully, you are capable of working in either role, scrub or circulator. The law only requires one RN be present in theatre.

From what I've seen and heard in my hospital the RNs usually want to circulate in the longer surgeries. The surgeons don't really care who passes the instruments as long as they do it quickly!

As long as LPNs can take and process verbal orders there is no reason for them to be tied to the scrub role. Often the two nurses in theatre will decide between them who does what. Usually they try and take turns on the different cases in that theatre for the day.

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Oh, and if the OP really does want to do ortho, s/he should look into the Orthopedic Technicians course. Usually work in emergency and the cast rooms. Put on remove casts, huge knowledge of the skeletal system. Really cool bunch of nurses.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I have gotten to watch them doing casts. Pretty interesting job.

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Thanks for all your help guys, I had a feeling that I would need the perioperative course but I wasn't sure. I find it odd that they didn't list it as one of the requirements in the job listings though.

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