Registered Nurse First Assistant Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

The Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) graduate certificate program expands specialized certification options for graduate nursing students and BSN qualified RN’s certified nurse-operating room (CNOR) eligible. 

Admissions Requirements:

• BSN - CNOR qualified
• 3.0 GPA
• Personal statement
• Resume
• 2 Letter of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s experience as a RN and the applicant’s knowledge, judgment, and skills specific to perioperative patient care.
• Proof of licensure to practice as an RN or APRN in the state in which the clinical internship will be undertaken
• Verification that the student has, or is eligible for, one of the following credentials:
  • CNOR – if the student is not certified as a CNOR at admission, proof of certification must be submitted before a certificate of completion is awarded.
  • APRNs - without experience in perioperative patient care must undergo an assessment by the certification coordinator. The assessment should include preoperative and postoperative care competency, aseptic technique, scrubbing, gowning, gloving, creating and maintaining a sterile field, and positioning the patient. If it is determined that the applicant’s knowledge or skills are deficient, faculty members in the educational institution shall develop a plan to remediate the identified deficiencies.
  • Certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or basic life support (BLS). Advanced cardiac life support is preferred, though not required (ACLS).