Our RN First Assistant course prepares CNORs to take on an expanded role and empowers APRNs to follow their surgical patients throughout the perioperative experience.
This course will provide you with an in-depth look at the essential elements of RN First Assistant practice, including scope of practice, the nursing process as a foundation for practice, communication, and operating room safety. You will gain clinical skills including:
use of surgical instruments
tissue handling and wound healing
surgical procedures
management of perioperative complications
RNFA Course Details
The course is a five-week intensive course with weekly online synchronous sessions where you can meet with your instructors and guest speakers and conduct interactive, asynchronous online learning activities (videos, active discussion boards, activities and readings and resources).
We have been able to harness the expertise of our surgeons, RNFAs, NPs, OR nurses and wound care/infection prevention specialists to provide a complete and thorough education based on the five modules of the AORN curriculum.
This combination of learning methods allows your schedule to be flexible, while utilizing best online learning practices and enabling connection between learners, instructors, and experts.
This will be followed by an in-person simulation and lab day in which students will be separated into small groups and rotate among the following activities:
suture skill development
scrubbing, gowning, and gloving
instrumentation identification and handling
robotic surgery simulation
laparoscopic simulation
Once the lecture and skills portion of the class are completed, along with clinical onboarding and site approval, you will complete a 200 hour clinical internship with a board-certified preceptor of your choice, which will require a Clinical Placement Agreement with the clinical site and a Surgeon Letter of Commitment. Fifty hours of this internship can be pre- or post-operative, the remainder must be intra-operative.
This course is designed for students who already hold a degree in nursing. It is based on the guidelines set forth by the Association of Peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN) and is an acceptable program for CRNFA or RNAS-C eligibility. It is approved for 6 graduate level credits.
How to Apply to the RNFA program
To secure your spot in the next RN First Assistant course session, please begin the online application process as soon as possible. You will be able to save and come back to your application as you submit various materials.
Two to three semesters, depending on practicum schedule
Upcoming Course Sessions 2022:
Spring Session: Online February 7 - March 20 In Person Simulation Day- March 23
Summer Session: Online June 6 - July 17 In Person Simulation Day- July 20
Fall Session: Online October 3 - November 6 In Person Simulation Day- November 19
Application Deadlines
The RN First Assistant Program is offered each year in June, September, and February. Preference is given to those who already have a placement agreement and those who already have CNOR/NP certification.
For Summer 2022 Class Session: April 15 ($50 fee) For Summer 2023 Class Session: March 15 ($50 fee)
Julius Cheng is certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is a member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, The Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Medical Association.