Perioperative Nurse – Career and Education Profile
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As a perioperative nurse, you’ll work closely with patients who need surgery, providing care before and after the procedures, as well as assist doctors during operations and other medical procedures.
Job Responsibilities
Your job responsibilities as a perioperative nurse will depend on your education level and the type of patients. Your job will change from day to day, as no two patients are the same. When someone needs an operation or other type of medical procedure, the perioperative nurse will prepare them for surgery and provide care afterward. Your tasks could include educating the patients, performing assessments before the surgery, monitoring patients after the operation to ensure that there are no complications with the anesthesia, and developing a pain management plan for patients following an operation. You could also work as a scrub nurse, circulating nurse, or RN first assistant in the operating room, helping doctors and other nurses keep the patient as safe and comfortable as possible.
Salary and Career Options
According to a study in 2007, perioperative nurses make an average of $60,400 annually. You’ll make more money if you work in a larger facility with dozens of operating rooms and more patients to manage. Many perioperative nurses also consider other roles in the operating room, such as becoming a critical care nurse or nurse anesthetist.
Educational Requirements
Although you can start working as a nurse with just an LPN certification, most operating rooms require more education, so employers generally require nurses to have RN certification, which requires an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree. You can also go on to get your master’s degree or every doctorate in this field, and the more education you receive, the more you can specialize. Your classes will cover general nursing tasks, as well as teach you skills relating to perioperative patient care.
LPN to RN College Programs
While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.
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Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road. |
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The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees. |
Other Nursing Degrees
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Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school. |
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Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs. |
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Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school. |
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