Should I? - Surgical Tech Program in 1 year before NS?

[in2ICU]

Hi - I'm new, and tomorrow I need to make a decision about entering a Surgical Tech program.

I have been accepted for Fall 2009 BSN program, but I have a year of idle time until then. My local CC has a 1 year ST program that is relatively cheap and is also interesting to me.

Is it feasable to do the ST program in hopes of working at that job part-time while going to nursing school?

Do ST's work other shifts besides the standard "day shift"?

I just don't want to sit and wait a year. I have all my prereqs done and would like to work in the medical field in some capacity to gain experience.

My ultimate goal is to be a CRNA. My sister has been accepted to start a CRNA program this fall. I had never heard of a CRNA until she told me about it and I was instantly fascinated.

So, would this ST path be of any benefit? I don't want to lose my A&P knowledge, etc. by sitting around. Money is not an issue - I am very fortunate that I don't have to work. This is something that I really WANT to do!

Please advise - I look forward to your input!

[in2ICU]

Again - fantastic replies. The time you all put into providing quality answers is really something special.

As far as working goes - it is the alternative to school and I need something to do. We don't have kids yet - so all my responsibilities fall on caring for my 3 cats and husband (heavy workload, I know :nuke: ). When I was in school I loaded up with 19-20 hours per semester and I got all A's. I did have one B lurking in my past from an online Chem course though so I have a 3.89 GPA in the nursing prerequisites.

I have been out of school mode for the past year. My mom is dying of lung cancer and my husband and I closed up our house in STL and moved to Alabama to care for my elderly parents during this time. Luckily his job lets him work anywhere as he has offices in DC, SF and Chicago. So my mom has only a few more weeks to live and we are planning a return to our STL lives. That is where school/work kicks in. I need a schedule to help me - call it a crutch. At the same time I am still super focused on my nursing goals that I would like to put the time to good use.

So that's the scoop on my background. I will absolutely consider not working during NS in order to focus on the studies, since ultimately that knowledge will be the most important.

One other thing... I have been working on becoming fluent in Spanish. I am at the intermediate/advanced level now - have traveled to Guatemala & Costa Rica (and LA) to practice and improve my skills. My husband grew up in LA and lived in Mexico a few summers in college so he is fluent and I practice with him a lot. Has anyone come across Spanish skills being a distinct advantage in nursing? I took one medical spanish course but it was very cursory. Perhaps I should work on medical Spanish more in-depth as well.

[Nurse Salt]

Of course Spanish skills would be helpful-- ANY additional langiage skills are a plus! CRNA school is VERY competitive and that is one more skill you may have over another candidate.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

I have just put about a dozen apps in for Patient Care Tech and Medical Assistant (these two seem to be lumped together here).

Pirap, do you think that going through Surg Tech program from this August through next summer would give me time to actually start working as a ST in any beneficial capacity to the hospital considering I start NS at the end of that August?

That is the logistical question I have trouble with.

Also, how would scheduling, etc. be different for a surg tech vs. a patient care tech as mentioned in your message? You are right that I don't want some jerk boss who doesn't care about my schedule. I would probably do per diem work while in school to avoid this. Does this seem like a good plan?

I wanted to add this to my post from yesterday, but it wouldn't let me...It can take a good couple of years to truly feel comfortable as a scrub tech-when I started, my stomach was in knots every day before I went in.. You can get anything and everything thrown at you, a ruptured anurysm, trauma, the patient could code on the table and you have to be able to anticipate what the doc needs..There are surgeons that hold their hand out and won't say anything-you have to know what instrument to give them. This is anticipation, and it is a skill that it can take a good few years to master.

And again, call is always there and some places even make per diem staff take call(like my last hospital). They have to be able to depend on you, the OR is a very team oriented atmosphere. Most techs also work days-there are evenings and nights, but the more experienced techs tend to get those jobs because the cases tend to be more acute late at night:they need someone who has the skills and experience to do it.