Registered Nurse First Assistant RNFA

The Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) is an advanced practice nurse specializing in the Operating Room Environment. First Assisting is within the scope of nursing practice in all fifty state boards of nursing.  As a provider of surgical assisting, the RNFA is often reimbursed by insurance companies for services rendered at a significantly lower cost to the consumer while providing safe quality patient care. To be accepted into an RNFA program, the RN must have at least two years of professional nursing experience in the operating room environment and achieved the credential of CNOR (Certified Perioperative Nurse) or possess an advanced practice degree.   Certification is not required to function under the Florida State Nurse Practice Act as an RNFA.  The program is usually a 2 semester program involving both classroom and clinical components.  The nurse may then apply for and complete a national exam to receive the credential (CRNFA) through the Competency Credentialing Institute. 

What Does a RNFA do?  The RNFA has preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative duties including patient history and assessment, collaborating with surgeon and other professionals for an optimal surgical outcome, assisting with patient positioning, skin preparation, and draping, providing wound exposure, handling tissue, controlling blood loss, suturing tissue, and performing follow-up care. 

Education:  Completion of an approved Competency and Credentialing Institute program.   

For more information go to the web site http://www.aorn.org for national information. For testing information follow the link http://www.cc-institute.org .   Click here for an application package with all the information.

Credentialing Requirements include:  CNOR, bachelor's, or master's degree in nursing, 2000 hours (first assisting) and completion of a CBPN-acceptable RNFA program. Registered Nurse First Assistants are credentialed by The Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses. Gulf Coast Community College offers a surgical assistant program once a year in Spring.