What part of the country uses RNFA's

RNFAlex · Feb 13, 2004

Hi All,

I am interested in moving to Arizona. Can anyone be of assistance and tell me some info on the following:

-cost of living

-standard of living-

-rental cost of a 1 bdrm nice condo

-shopping malls/stores

-weather

-RNFA wages

-any jobs for personal trainers-my husband is one

Thanx for your efforts:D

Alex

New2CVICU · Feb 28, 2004

Virginia uses RNFA's.

callbabe · Mar 4, 2004

Hello,

I am a RNFA, I work in Southeast,MO. I work at a medical center.but also work privately for a GYN oncologist. I can bill the insurance for my service. I am cannot bill on Medicare, or Medicaid cases. I usually do Ok. I can bill 20% of the Surgeons fees.

I have NIFA, National Institute of First Assistants. They take care of all of my paperwork for a fee. They will send me a check from the insurance co. Unfortunately,

in SEMO there are alot of medicaid cases. My surgeon reimburses me a fee for those cases. I had to work hard to get where I am. I have been a nurse in the OR for 30years

I scrub anything from tonsils,organ retrievals, I do all services except,Ortho, OH.

AORN/Certification Board says, you have to be certified in the OR, which requires 2 years experience. Be a proficient scrub in the service in which you will be first assisting in. This is a prerequisite for applying for an RNFA program. I attended the one at Forest Park, in ST. Louis MO. If anyone has any questions I would be glad to respond.

callbabe · Mar 4, 2004

Hi All,
Has anyone heard of an OR RN doing a PA course?
Sounds like one loophole through the mess.

In MO there are several PA programs. They do not recognize your RN license though. This means you have to start from scratch. Your experience will help you thru the program though.

skypilot · Apr 1, 2004

here are some sites you can use to investigate these issues:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp

http://www.city-data.com/

The majority of the population of AZ lives in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, Prescott... but there are a lot more folks living in rural areas of AZ. There is a lot of rural in AZ - lots of mountains in addition to the deserts that we are known for. The major cities have shopping malls just like any other large cities. RNFAs are for the most part self employed here in AZ. I am not sure what the bill rates are, but I do know that most of them stay very busy and are enjoying a nice income. Personal trainers I have no idea about - but I bet that he would have no trouble finding clients here as well! The weather varies in this state - mostly known for our dry and hot summers, as well as mild winters - also dry. In Phoenix - there are a ton of people - tons of things to do - tons of things to do and see in all of AZ! It really is a great place to live - - as are many places. You can email me privately if you like - [email protected]

Karen

Hi All,
I am interested in moving to Arizona. Can anyone be of assistance and tell me some info on the following:
-cost of living
-standard of living-
-rental cost of a 1 bdrm nice condo
-shopping malls/stores
-weather
-RNFA wages
-any jobs for personal trainers-my husband is one
Thanx for your efforts:D
Alex

imenid37 · Apr 2, 2004

We have them at our tiny hospital. Here's a the program I think most of them (there are 3 or 4)went here. http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/ahd/RN_first_assistant.htm

mitchsmom · Apr 4, 2004

I live in a small town in central Florida. When I observed a c-section/tubal there was a person they referred to as a "first assist" who did the tasks described here, so I'm assuming they are used here.

Katnip, RN · Apr 30, 2004

I just saw a job add here in Maryland, and they are hiring RNFAs.

clark_bailey · Apr 24, 2005

Hey there in the Ham! I went to the Taos New Mexico program. It takes a year to complete but worth the wait as you will learn alot of things you otherwise would not know. I did my clinical internship under a spine surgeon who absolutely loved the free help. I only wish Alabama would pass legislation to force BCBS into paying for RNFA services like they do for PA's.

grimmy, RN · Apr 24, 2005

hi all,
has anyone heard of an or rn doing a pa course?
sounds like one loophole through the mess.

another loophole through the reimbursement mess is to become an np. this is the route i am hoping to take in the next couple years. our facility, a large teaching facility, will be hiring on an rnfa for a pilot program for neurosurgery. right now, tcv (thoracic-cardio-vascular) uses pas exclusively. they are really great to work with, as little as i have worked with them. i think it all depends on what line of education is readily available to you. where i am, there is not a pa school for a couple hundred miles, while after another 12 months work, my graduate degree in nursing will be paid for by my facility. i can't beat that.

callbabe · Apr 26, 2005

Hey there in the Ham! I went to the Taos New Mexico program. It takes a year to complete but worth the wait as you will learn alot of things you otherwise would not know. I did my clinical internship under a spine surgeon who absolutely loved the free help. I only wish Alabama would pass legislation to force BCBS into paying for RNFA services like they do for PA's.
Me to. I here in MO. and bcbs won't pay me anything. They only recognize another surgeon, PA, NP. I am just:o a 30year veteran of the OR with lots of experience, I went thru a RNFA program at St.Louis University some 10 years ago. There are actually alot of major carriers that do reimburse me. I also did my clinical intership with a neuro surgeon, now I primarily work with a GYN.
Lots of luck.:)