From the Editor

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Thank you to those of you who provided feedback in our survey last month to help us make the e-News better.
For the rest of you, we get it. You’re busy! So are we. That’s why we designed the survey to be very quick. We would still LOVE to hear from you, so if you have 2 minutes (no kidding) to help us out, please go to our brief survey and fill it out right now. We will genuinely appreciate it.
Julie Lancaster, Editor

NIFA News

NIFA™ and RNFA NATION™ are on the move. First, NIFA quadrupled the size of its show booth at AORN Congress in New Orleans.
Next, when the show concluded, NIFA instructors drove its state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment to the beautiful beach town of Gulfport, Mississippi, to instruct the nation’s first RNFA specific daVinci Robotics class at Memorial Hospital – the best in the Gulf Coast!

 

The need for NIFA robotically trained RNFAs is HOT, HOT, HOT! Check out this month’s job leads and you’ll see what we mean.

 

Surgical Jokes
Max was in the hospital recovering from surgery when a nurse asks him how he is feeling.

“I’m OK, but I didn’t like the four-letter-word the doctor used in surgery,” he answered.
“What did he say,” asked the nurse.
“OOPS!”

It’s been another long day at the pearly gates, and St. Peter is dutifully processing people.  An amazingly long line of people waiting to get in stretches for miles before him.  Then, from the back of the line, a lone figure starts to walk toward the gates.  He’s clean cut, dressed in scrubs and a white coat, and has the word “Neurological Surgery” stitched under his front coat pocket.  He smugly walks to the front of the line, winks at St. Peter, and strides into heaven. The people in the line are dumbfounded and outraged.  “Just because he’s a neurosurgeon, he doesn’t have to wait in line?!?” The people start to yell. St. Peter looks back at them and answers, “No, that’s just God.  He likes to pretend he’s a brain surgeon sometimes.”

 Perioperative Puzzle

Test your knowledge of a laminectomy by attempting this month’s crossword puzzle.

Click here for the puzzle clues and here for the answers.

 

Surgical Breakthroughs

Autograft or Allograft for ACL Reconstruction? Click here to read the full story.

Student Spotlight

 

Name: Henry Hoang
Credentials: MSN, CRNP-AC

City and State: Baltimore, MD

Current Job: Vascular Surgery Associates – Nurse Practitioner

Path to RNFA: I went to nursing school at the University of Massachusetts-Worcester. I became an RN because the healthcare field was something that I knew growing up would always give me a rewarding feeling. As a nurse, I am able to help people in many different ways. Each day comes with many different achievements. I wanted to become an RNFA to improve my skills in the operating room and to do my part in improving patient outcomes. Additionally, working with my hands gives me a sense of accomplishment; it’s pleasing to know that a patient is better due to my direct involvement.

Future Newsletters?


Please take the time to answer a few short questions to let us know what you would like to see in future newsletters. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Click here to begin the survey

 

Job Front

Click here for the RNFA Job postings we’ve collected for you this month, including 8 robotic RNFA jobs in Florida!

iPad App of the Month

General Surgery enhances doctor-patient communication by offering a new paradigm for explaining the complex issues surrounding the care of surgical patients. In order to improve patient understanding of medical problems, drawMD utilizes the iPad’s unique interface to allow anyone to sketch, stamp, or type directly on the detailed anatomic images included in the application.

Questions?

Do you have questions about implementing an RNFA team or becoming an RNFA?

Try the following links. If you do not find the answers you need, please call us at 1-800-922-7747. We would be happy to discuss any questions you may have and discuss the benefits of having an RNFA team–you will please staff, surgeons and administrators!
Prerequisites for becoming an RNFA

Surgical Skills Workshops

RNFA Tip

How to become an RNFA at your facility? Get a hairdo! If you walk into a hair salon, most likely you’ll end up getting a hairdo! By the same reasoning, you need to place yourself in the right position NOW, to get your RNFA career started.

Here’s how. First, ask your favorite surgeons, “If I enroll in the NIFA RNFA program, would you be my surgeon preceptor?” After showing them the school’s simple Surgeon Sponsor form, most likely, he or she will say, “Of course!”

Second, go to surgical services or management and let them know that you have surgeon support to become an RNFA. Let them know that you will do whatever it takes to make this as easy as possible for them, such as providing a job description, and policies and procedures–all provided by the school. Voila! You are on your way to a better career and higher pay scale! You can’t lose what you don’t have, so make a goal to get a new hairdo this Monday!!!