I was recently accepted into the LPN course and start September 3rd of 2013. I want to do Surgical Tech, but I don’t really want to wait until the next class starts, which is September of 2014. I’m worried about the choice I’ve made in nursing. I’ve always wanted to become a Surgical Tech and then later on become a First Assistant. LPN does NOT strike my interest, but It’s right in my face. I start in 1 month. I’m not getting cold feet at all, but I do not want to become an RN, I’m not interested in it period. I’ve worked as a CNA and hate the LPN and RN field that I’ve seen working in Nursing Homes and Hospitals. I feel like Surgical Tech would fit me more and it seems really interesting to me. I just don’t really want to wait another year before my schooling starts when I can just take the LPN. My girlfriend wants me to do the LPN, so I’m basically doing that for her just to get a decent job. My schooling is completely paid for. I just was thinking maybe do the LPN for now and apply in 2014 for the Surgical Tech? I can’t apply to the course until my LPN course is done, which it ends in September, so I don’t think I’d be able to start until 2015, which is fine for me. But should I just take the LPN? Or wait? I have heard that an LPN can be trained as a Scrub Tech in some hospitals and was hoping to possibly do that, but I have heard that most hospitals won’t hire LPN’s for ST spots because of this new law in Tennessee, not sure if it applies everywhere. Any information would be good! Thanks!
1 Answer
The sentence that stood out was “my schooling is completely paid for..” So basically you have really nothing to lose except the time that you have to study and other things that are associated with that.
To answer your question, if you don’t want to be a nurse, I would wait a year, and go to the surgical technician school. If you go for the LPN school now, you may end up working as one for only a few months while you do the surgical technician school. You can always work a per diem basis instead while you are in the surgical technician school. The money will be better and basically you will not have to do the dirty work. (I hate how that sounds, so no insult was intended for those hard working CNAs.)
In California, for example, at UCLA medical school, they use registered nurses in the operating rooms. They’re not hiring too many surgical technicians unless it is for less complicated cases, and not in the main suites. So I’m not sure you could be promoted to be the first assistant nowadays.