Surg Tech first?

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I recently have aquired a great interest in the OR. Ive been on the patient side a lot and recently had a c section and I really loved the atmosphere.

I have been planning to apply to nursing school for this fall...however I have been in contact with a Surgical Tech program and it has really interested me.

Reading through all the threads on here I notice that most RN's do not scrub usually but a RN that CAN scrub is thought to be invaluable to the OR because they can anticipate the needs of the surgical tech. I would love to learn how to scrub!

Do you think it would be a waste of time to learn to scrub and then go to nursing school? My end goal will always be a nursing degree.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

That's a personal decision that only you can make. You would have to take into account the cost of going through both degrees- although many of the prereqs for the ST program would carry over to the RN program, you would still be paying tuition for several years. It would also depend on what kind of a setting you want to work in- do the hospitals in your areas utilize STs or are they RN only and scrubbing is part of the orientation? What about ambulatory surgery centers? Being able to scrub would make you more well-rounded and marketable when you start applying for jobs, but then again there are ORs who like those with no experience because they can train them "their" way without having to break learned habits that maybe don't mesh with the way they work. Also, even though there are several nurses who are former STs where I work, they never get to scrub because we simply don't have enough nurses on staff to cover circulating, and HR won't approve hiring anyone else. How much time you would get to scrub as an RN could also affect you, in the "use it or lose it" sense.

You also have to think about your own personal timeline- would you go straight from the ST program into the RN program while starting to search for an ST job? What about loan repayment? Starting a family?

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Specializes in OR.

Its something to consider....you could go to surg tech school and then find a job as a ST at a facility that has tuition reimbursement and then let the facility pay for your nursing school. Though working full time while in nursing school is not easy, I certainly know many who have done it that way. There are some facilities where RNs do not get to scrub. Where I work, we are about 60/40 RN/ST so the RNs do get to scrub but not very often. And not all RNs know how to scrub, I was fortunate to learn the wonderful world of OR nursing in a facility where RNs do get to scrub and actually RNs new to the OR were taught to scrub BEFORE learning to circulate. I think knowing how to scrub helps me circulate better...though I can say I do work with RNs who do NOT know how to scrub and are still great circulators. Its a decision only you can make though...good luck whatever you choose to do!

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The local hospitals here do employ ST's...i know when i had my c section there was an ST in the room.

I have all my pre reqs for both programs complete except microbiology which im currently taking.

I already have started my family which is one of the reasons I looked more into the ST program when I heard about it. I have two small children (2yrs and 2mths) and a husband. The ST program is new to our area and starts Jan 2012. The hours required for class and clinical seem family friendly...1st semester you have only one class where you have to attend campus and its 4 hours 1x a week. second semester you have clinicals and lab which equal to 2.5 days a week and 3rd and final semester you have 3.5 days for clinicals and lab and then you graduate with an associate. since its the first in our area i think i would have a really good chance of getting on at one of the clinical sites.

Id love to find an OR that would take me as a GN and train me to scrub as well as circulate.. because i think scrubbing would be so interesting..id really love to do it. At the same time..i dont want to give up being an RN because its been my dream for a very long time and im sooo close... i also never thought id be so interested in the OR and scrubbing ...i wish more RN's were allowd to scrub..that would be ideal for me..best of both worlds I guess.

Im only considering the ST path because im so interested in scrubbing..ive been researching it for days now LOL trying to find out as much as I can.

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Specializes in OR.

Its kind of sporadic in how often I get to scrub--this past week I was assigned to scrub 3 days...yet in the 2 previous weeks I think I only got to scrub one day. No rhyme or reason. I just go with the flow. Another thing to consider.....I really don't know the average pay rate for STs, but RNs do get paid a considerable amount more than STs. I read somewhere STs start around $17/hr, and RNs around $26/hr (Northeast region of the US), but those are rough estimates. But a $9/hr difference in pay amounts to a hefty chunk of money over the course of a year, or a career even. Just more food for thought. A

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I already have started my family which is one of the reasons I looked more into the ST program when I heard about it. I have two small children (2yrs and 2mths) and a husband. The ST program is new to our area and starts Jan 2012. The hours required for class and clinical seem family friendly...1st semester you have only one class where you have to attend campus and its 4 hours 1x a week. second semester you have clinicals and lab which equal to 2.5 days a week and 3rd and final semester you have 3.5 days for clinicals and lab and then you graduate with an associate. since its the first in our area i think i would have a really good chance of getting on at one of the clinical sites.

I have been a CST for almost 4 years and I love it! I am currently in an RN program but I'm glad I started out with ST because it got me into the OR quicker and it worked for me at the time (plus the tuition reimbursement is nice).

I was looking at your schedule here and it doesn't seem right for an associate's degree. I graduated with a certificate and my schedule was as follows:

First semester

1st 8 weeks was classroom M-Th 8-4, F 8-1.

2nd 8 weeks was classroom M 8-4, F 8-1, & W was Micro 3-5. Clinical T&Th 7-3, W 7-12.

Second semester and summer semester was classroom M 8-4, Clinical T-Th 7-3, F 7-1.

It seems to me that I spent a lot more time than what your schedule shows and, like I said, mine was a certificate program. I just think this is something you should double check with your program.

Good luck in whichever you decide!

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here is the course outline

most of the co reqs i have done and if i dont have them done they are offered online..when she gave me the schedule it was only for the actual st labs/clinicals/and classes.

prperequisitepsyc[color=#ffffff] 100[color=#ffffff]first year seminar, (if required)[color=#ffffff]1)[color=#ffffff]+alhe 105[color=#ffffff]medical terminology3+biol 111general biology3+biol 112general biology lab 2+biol 271microbiology3+biol 272microbiology lab2csis 100computer concepts and applications3total16-17

semester i engl 101english composition3+surg 100introduction to surgical technology4+alhe 122introduction to pharmacology3*+biol 257human anatomy and physiology3*+biol 258human anatomy and physiology lab2total15

semester ii surg 102principles and practices of st5+surg103principles and practices of st lab3+surg 202surgical procedures i3psyc 155general psychology3+comm 213interpersonal communication3 total17

semester iii sosc 100introduction to sociology 3+surg 204surgical procedures ii 4+surg 206surgical procedures clinical7total14

student selected elective course 2

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it should average around 500 clinical hours.

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