or tech

AmyLiz · Dec 29, 2003

We do use surgical techs in the US. I'm a nursing student & at our school, they offer a 2-year degree in surgical technology. I don't know too much about it, but I have seen job postings for surgical techs at local hospitals.

POPRN · Dec 30, 2003

we use certified or techs where I work. It is a 13 month course like the LPN course. In one hospital, I worked uses or techs who are not certified. but they took the course.

mitek · Jan 11, 2004

I was an OR tech for a long time before I started/graduated from nursing school. It's a nice "stepping stone" job, but I wouldn't recommend it as a career.

Please advise anybody who's thinking of going to ORT school to apply that time and money to nursing school.

In the long run, they'll be glad they did it.

As far as the duties of an OR scrub tech, they can work in the operating room, central processing, surgery centers, etc....

In the OR, they scrub, set up and pass the instruments, assist the surgical team and perioperative nurses. They can get pretty involved. It's kind of an individual thing. If the techs wanna go further they can, if not, they can simply pass instruments.

Overall, it's not a bad job, it just doesn't go very far.

carz · Jan 12, 2004

thanks for the info on OR tech I have been a LPN for a long time and just thought I would try it. It will still be the same though, limited in what you can do and zero abundance of jobs!

T

mitek · Jan 12, 2004

Yea, from what I understand, OR tech school is about 18 months. You cold go for six months more and have an associates degree in nursing. Although, again, I recommend going for a BS in nursing if you want to take it further.

Good luck!

RN Zeke · Jan 13, 2004

Go for the RN, I have been working on becoming an RN since 1990 when I became a Surgical Tech. Borrowing from Rodney Dangerfield, "We just don't get no respect for the knowledge and job we do." I have been a traveling Surg. Tec. for a few years and just completed my pre-nursing classes. I am considering the Excelsior program due to the thousands, like myself waiting to get into a nursing school. Get the pre-nursing classes out of the way and go for it, all the way to NCLEX!!

jemride · Feb 13, 2004

To mitek and Cay:

I too am a surgical tech (for the past 8 years) and would not recommend it as a career. Although, most of my colleagues seem content with being techs for the rest of their lives.

I have changed career paths several times in those 8 years from wanting to be a PA to a CSA and finally graduated with a BS in Computer Science 2 years ago. Only to find that I hate that field. I am currently finishing my prereqs (down to my last one: Physio) and will begin an Accelerated BSN in May.

Anyways, it seems to me that I have taken the longest path possible to decide that I would like to be an RN but it was worth it and I have no regrets aside from the fact that I am 8 years older and still in school. The moral of my story, if there is one, is that if someone is stuck between becoming a CST or an RN then become an RN and save yourself some time.

I do not mean to sound like I am putting down CSTs because it has been a great experience for me and a great stepping stone. Its just that a CST is greatly limited and at times greatly overlooked and unappreciated.

jemride

RNKITTY04 · Feb 14, 2004

I have been a Surgical tech for the past 10 years. It is an ok job to use as a stepping stone but I just got tired of having to teach the "new nurses" everything I knew and they get paid approx $10.00 more an hour than I did. I also agree with a previous poster, that there is not much respect for Surgical tech's despite the fact that they are basically in charge of the OR.

I topped out at $16.48 an hour.

I graduate this summer and will be back in the OR, but this time as a circulator :chuckle

sunnyjohn · Feb 28, 2005

I agree with many on this thread. I love the OR and being a CST. Being a scrub tech really does make you want to go further and reach for more.

Although the scrub tech program I took was only one year, it took me 2. I was always broke and low on funds. The last straw came when I lost my home. Even though I lived in my car for a while, I eventually had to drop out, 3 months before I finished scrub tech school.

The program had a strict requirement, if you did not finish, you had to start again AT THE BEGINNING!

I had to retake two semesters of lecture, clinical and Lab.

Before I started again I did try to get into the ADN program, but I was way past the deadline and it was packed.

I knew healthcare was for me, so I cried my heart out, bit the bullet and did it all again. It made me a better tech.

If someone had told me I would have gone through all of that (PAIN) for my CST I would defintely would have pushed harder for the RN program.

I love being a Surgical technologist. All the older/experienced CST's I have met have all encouraged me to keep going.

Agape

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 28, 2005

I agree with CSTs getting no respect (most of the time). There's some people out that that feel (and state loudly in so many words) that if you're not an RN, you might as well be less than zero. And that's not an easy thing to work around.

Lonman · Mar 2, 2005

I too am a CST and unlike the ones on this forum, I really enjoy my job and it has allowed me to enter the fields of assisting and education. There are many roles and job opportunities for the CST. Not too mention the outlying roles that many CST's get into because of their experience, like working for companies that deal with products in the operating room.

Are there hurdles for this profession to overcome? Yes, but changes in those areas are happening. That is another topic on its own.

I would advise going to www.ast.org and asking some folks on their board about the field.

The bottom line is do what you feel you need to do. If you want more in career regarding nursing, the RN is for you, but not everyone does.

Good luck to you!

Lonman