for Perioperative Nurses, NPs and RNFAs
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August 3, 2008 Vol. 1, No. 6 |
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From the Editor
 We're hearing the word "change" a lot during this election year . . . and some changes are certainly afoot in the perioperative community. Check out what's different regarding CRNFA certification as of August 1, 2008, below. Julie Lancaster, Editor
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CRNFA Eligibility Requirement Changes
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Whether you have completed the RNFA program and are not a CRNFA, or you are thinking of becoming a RNFA, listen up! This news comes from Mary O'Neale, RN, MN, CNOR, and Director of Credentialing and Education for the Competency and Credentialing Institute.
The CCI Board of Directors has approved a change in eligibility requirements for the CRNFA certification program. Effective August 1, 2008, a bachelor's degree in any field, along with the completion of the existing CRNFA eligibility requirements, will be accepted in order to sit for the CRNFA exam. Prior to this date, a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), or in its absence a master's degree in nursing (MSN), was required. All other CRNFA exam requirements, including the requirement of a CNOR or APRN credential, 2,000 RNFA practice hours and completion of an accepted RNFA program, remain unchanged.
 Expanding the bachelor's degree requirement to include non-nursing bachelor's degrees reflects the characteristics of a changing nursing workforce. Many nursing students are entering a second career and have bachelor's degrees in fields such as business, the sciences or education. This change will maintain the existing standards and value of the credential while allowing other baccalaureate-prepared nurses to pursue a career as a CRNFA.
This change is in response to input received from CRNFA experts who recently convened to review the CRNFA job analysis and exam blueprint. During their meeting, they unanimously agreed to recommend this change to the CCI Board of Directors. The Board met earlier this month to review and discuss this recommendation, and acted to approve the change immediately thereafter.
If you have any questions about this change, or wish to apply for the CRNFA exam, please visit the institute's website at www.cc-institute.org or call 888-257-2667. The next exam application deadline is August 31, 2008, which would enable a qualified applicant to test at any available time in October, November or December. |
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Graduate in the Spotlight
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| Name: Lisa R Kwasigroch
City & State: Dyer, IN
Credentials: RN, MSN, CNOR, RNFA
Current Job: RNFA at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
Hobby: Golf
Latest Accomplishment: Her MSN senior project is being used for educational purposes at Sage Products, Inc., a company that manufactures interventional patient hygiene products. Click here to see the website with Lisa's PowerPoint presentation on ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Quote: It is great working at a teaching facility like Northwestern Memorial Hospital because all the surgeons are willing to teach new techniques and everyone does things differently, so you can learn many different ways to do something like a skin stitch. Also, so many different instruments to learn and the docs stop and show you, and then I can pass on my knowledge to medical students - makes me feel great!!!
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL |
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Medical Litter: Device Debris Poses Serious Risk
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Pieces of broken equipment or surgical tools, inadvertently left behind in a patient's body, can wreak havoc over time. According to an article from MSNBC, "hundreds of patients have learned the hard way" about this growing problem.
"Earlier this year, federal Food and Drug Administration officials warned clinicians about the danger of devices that litter patients' bodies with broken stents, torn balloons, fractured wires and stray parts ranging from catheter tips to drill bits," writes MSNBC Health Writer JoNel Aleccia.
"'Patients who harbor such material may subsequently experience complications such as local tissue rejection, inflammation, perforation, blood vessel obstruction and death,' is how the Journal of the American Medical Association recently summarized the problem in a cautionary article.
"Even worse, some health workers don't tell their patients about the broken devices, sending them home with pieces that have the potential to migrate throughout the body, or to interact with future procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging. One worry is that metal objects can overheat during MRIs, scorching patients from the inside."Read the whole article here. |
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIFA. NIFA does not give any express or implied warranty as to accuracy of statements made by our contributors and does not accept any liability for error or omission. It is the responsibility of all perioperative personnel to work within and adhere to their facility bylaws and individual State scope of practice.
 The National Institute for First Assisting (NIFA) is the nation's leader of distance learning RNFA programs. NIFA students receive over 54 hours of simulated skills, hands-on lab training at our SutureStar Workshops. NIFA's RNFA programs are CCI-accepted and meet all standards as set forth by the AORN for formal RN First Assistant programs, taking Perioperative Nurses and NPs to expert levels in the expanded role of Registered Nurse First Assistant. |
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