4 Comments so far

1. whoknewt on August 1, 2009 12:10 am

   By “surgical nurse” I’m assuming that you mean a nurse who works in the OR. OR nurses assist the surgeons and the anesthesiologist but they do not perform any actual surgery. To become an OR nurse all you need is to do is become an RN and then get specialized on-the-job training/orientation in the operating room. You do not have to have a bachelor’s degree to become an RN. You can train to become an RN at any accredited RN program in a community college in just over 2 to three years.

2. webhead2 on August 1, 2009 1:07 am

   Actually, you only have to be an RN, which means you could have an Associate’s degree.
   In my area, the OR nurses don’t actually touch the patient except to help prep for the surgery. Scrub Techs are the ones with their hands in all the action with the doc. LPNs used to do their job, but not usually in today’s hospitals.

3. Nurse Answer Mama on August 1, 2009 1:32 am

   If you mean working in the OR as a scrub or circulator, you just need your RN license. A BSN is a plus. An MSN would probably put you more in an administrative position or along that track.

4. annejv on August 1, 2009 1:42 am

   BSN