My name is Twyla. I have been an operating room nurse throughout my 19 years of nursing. How did I get here? I grew up in a small town in East Texas. Although I did well in high school, I had no immediate interest in attending college. However, I knew I had to do something, so I joined the United States Army. Hooah! My military occupational specialty (MOS) was 77F, Petroleum Supply Specialist. Don’t ask. Let’s just say it had absolutely nothing to do with the medical field. And yes, the recruiter got me good. During my time in those beautiful Army fatigues, I got to see some exciting but often dangerous places such as Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, Somalia during Operation Restore Hope, and South Korea. Those were experiences that helped shape who I am today, and I would not trade them for anything. With that being said, my intent was to be all I could be for only two years. However, two years turned into six years. A few months before receiving my Honorable Discharge, I came across a soldier whose MOS was 68D. That is an Operating Room Specialist. I asked for details related to the job. It piqued my interest.
With no clear plan in place, I decided I would go to school and become a Surgical Technologist. I did just that. I went to Southern University at Shreveport-Bossier City and received an Associates Degree in Applied Science, Surgical Technology in 1999. I became a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) which is an allied professional working as part of the surgical team. I got a job immediately upon graduation at a surgery center. Four years later, I decided I wanted to become a nurse. I went to Brookhaven College to pursue an Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN). I graduated from the program in 2003 in which I became a Registered Nurse (RN). In 2011, I went back to school received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Although there are numerous specialties to pursue with a nursing degree, my nursing specialty has and always will be an operating room nurse. As a result, I received my CNOR credentials shortly after starting my nursing career. CNOR stands for Certified Nurse of the Operating Room. CNOR certification assesses the knowledge and skills of the perioperative nurse, and it is the only accredited certification for perioperative registered nurses.
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