About our RNFA Program
The RNFA program is a two-semester program the nature of which requires that students be highly motivated, self-directed individuals able to build upon prior learning and experience, establish personal and professional goals, and strive for goal attainment.
FIRST SEMESTER:
60 CE Credits / 5 Quarter Hours of College Credit
Six days (Wed-Mon) of didactic instruction. Students review the RNFA program syllabus and core curriculum for the RNFA in preparation for these six days of concentrated study. The program focuses upon the nursing process and the perioperative nursing concept as a basis for the provision of care for patients experiencing surgical intervention. While the curriculum emphasizes the RNFA's independent nursing behaviors encompassing preoperative assessment, formation of nursing diagnosis and care plans, postoperative evaluation and patient education, it focuses on the interdependent intraoperative nursing behaviors appropriate for, and unique to, the qualified Perioperative Nurse functioning in the expanded role of the RN First Assistant.
SECOND SEMESTER:
140 CE Credits / 4 Quarter Hours of College Credit
Upon successful completion of the didactic semester, students return to their home facilities where they complete the requirements for the Independent Clinical Nursing Internship. During this time, students document their performances in the intraoperative role of the RNFA with their chosen surgeon preceptor(s). They also complete several learning activities designed to assimilate knowledge gained in the first semester into the practical setting of the second semester. Students work at their own paces, completing the requirements within the allotted time frame of twelve months.
Prerequisites for the RNFA Program
- Current, active license to practice as a professional registered nurse
- CNOR or CNOR-eligible
- must have scrubbed and circulated proficiently for prior 2 years
- CNOR eligible students must pass CNOR exam before program completion
- Two letters of recommendation validating proficiency in the scrub, circulating, possibly RNFA, role and ability to perform effectively in stressful and emergency situations
- Current CPR certification prior to second semester
- Evidence of professional liability coverage prior to second semester
APN's without competence in intraoperative patient care
must undergo an assessment regarding clinical skills and
knowledge. If it is determined that skills and
knowledge are deficient, the APN must read and review
pertinent information of such areas and have minimum
competency validated by a clinical manager in the
facility in which they practice.
