Please note: this course offering is currently on hold pending availability of teaching faculty.

RNFA is a six-semester hour course held in H-212, the perioperative learning lab. Five-day intensive didactic sessions are offered twice a year, in June and October. Dates are announced each year. Class size is limited to 18 participants. Sessions run from Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The didactic portion is followed by 120-hour independent internship at the nurse's home facility or other surgical suite as arranged by the participant. Lakeland does not arrange the internships and does not sign affiliation agreements for RNFA interns.

This nursing elective course is for qualified perioperative nurses and certified advance practice registered nurses. Acceptance into the RNFA course requires a specific process. Nurses cannot register themselves for the actual course. Potential participants are required to get a Lakeland identification (LID) number by applying to the college using 9100 as the major number. No transcripts are required as with the nursing program.

When the LID number is received by the instructor, a credentialing packet and further instructions will be sent by email in PDF form. This packet must be filled out completely and returned by postal mail. No electronic or fax submissions are accepted. The instructor completes the registration process and the school issues the tuition invoice.

For more information about the RNFA course, please contact us.

1. Be a licensed registered nurse in the state or province of practice:
2. Twenty-four (24) months as a perioperative nurse: CNOR or CNOR eligible (and planning to take the exam before the completion of the internship part of the program).
3. Certified Advanced Practice Nurse (CNOR is waived for advanced certification)
4. Must be able to do an independent internship at your own facility. Lakeland does not establish affiliation agreements with remote facilities.
5. Participants are required to carry professional liability insurance. Affordable liability insurance is available at www.nso.com. Employer coverage is not enough since an intern is usually categorized as a student, not an employee during the internship. This is a Lakeland credentialing requirement.
6. Must be associated with a surgeon mentor, who is available for supervision during surgical procedures. Interns are permitted to scrub with other surgeons on staff as the facility permits. A surgeon must sign every case.

RNFA interns must submit one log of 40-hours, CNOR (APRN exempt), and one case study within one year of the didactic attendance. Do not send originals. Failure to submit any of the required components during the first year will result in placement in the inactive status and dropped from the course. This means the participant will have to repeat the didactic portion of the course to continue on to completion. The independent internship must be completed within two years.

For more information about the RNFA course, please contact us.