---

E-mail to a friend | Print This | Select Text Size:
Question:

Dear Donna,

I’m in the medical assisting degree program at a local vocational school, but I would like to become a surgical nurse. What steps should I take? I was wondering about taking the surgical tech course to familiarize myself with surgical procedures and instruments. Would this be a good start?

Arlene

Dear Donna replies:

Dear Arlene,

Starting out as surgical tech is a great way to prepare for a career as surgical nurse. And once you become a nursing student, you should join the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses <http://www.aorn.org> as a student member.

Once you have a few years of surgical nursing experience, you might look into becoming a registered nurse first assistant, an advanced nursing credential for the surgical arena.

Good luck,
Donna

---

Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, well-known career guru, is Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek’s “Dear Donna” and author of Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional and The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses: Practical Advice for Thriving at Every Stage of Your Career. Information about the books is available at www.nurse.com/CE/7010 and www.nurse.com/CE/7250, respectively. To ask Donna your question, go to www.nurse.com/asktheexperts/deardonna. Find a “Dear Donna” seminar near you: Call (800) 866-0919 or visit http://events.nursingspectrum.com/Seminar.