clinicals in first semester of the program

Specialties CRNA

Published

Hey Guys,

I'm a first semester SRNA, and I have been keeping up with the Q&A sessions and I've been able to answer a few of the questions and then others have been way out of my league. This was somewhat alarming to me at first, but then I considered that some of you are in programs that incorporate clinical rotations beginning from the very first semester. I guess that your program would have to organize the courses in a different fashion than mine does. I am usually in lecture 3 days a week and pretty much live in the library for the other 4 days. We have Med Physical Sci (Chemistry), Med Ethics, Pharm, and of course A&P. We also have skills lab 2X a month. We will have a full year of didactics before we even set foot in a hospital for clinicals and since reading the Q&A posts, I have been reevaluating whether I consider that to be a good thing or a bad thing. I feel like I get a lot from all of the classes, but even at the level that I'm at now (which is light years beyond where I was 3.5 months ago) I 'm not sure I would be entirely comfortable functioning in the clinical setting.

I was just wondering how you guys felt about starting in the clinical setting during the first semester. Was that first day terrifying? Did you all start out just doing procedures like intubations and build up from there? Do you feel that you have enough background to be anesthetizing patients already? How often are you in the clinical setting? Does preparing for clinical ever hinder your study time for didactics?

Just looking for your perspective.

Phoenix

My first semester consisted of :

Monday: Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology

Tuesday: Anatomy, Biochemistry

Wednesday: Anatomy, Anesthesia for Dummies

Thursday: Clinical

Friday: Pharmacology, Physiology

Clinical the first semester consisted of intubation attempts, IV starts, charting, maybe spinal attempts, basic adjustments in anesthesia. You had a patient assignment the night before and needed to look up co-existing diseases and procedures but wern't responsible for much beyond having the room set-up and the table-top set-up.

Second semester

Monday: Physiology, Pharmacology

Tuesday: Physiology, Pharm

Wednesday: Anesthesia for the not-so-bright, Regional anesthesia

Thursday & Friday: Clinical

Second semester: Responsible for care plans for all patients. All inpatients seen the night before, day after. responsible for pre-op assessment, IV starts on all, A-line insertions with CRNA or MD OK. Central line attemts occasionally, Epidural and spinal knowledge and attempts.

Third Semester

Monday : Statistics, Research

Tuesday: Anesthesia for the mediocure, Journal club

Wed, Thurs, Fri. : Clinical with weekend shifts, evenings weekends and beginning specialty rotations. Everything else the same.

Fourth Semester

Monday: Anesthesia for those that have a clue, Journal club

Tuesday: Microbiology (only 1 class, can you believe it?)

Wed, Thurs, Fri: Clinical with weekend shifts, evenings weekends and beginning specialty rotations. Everything else the same.

And so on and so on and so on.

First few times in the OR were OK, the CRNAs hold your hand and the MDAs haven't started telling you you are worthless yet. Good experience because as your Phar teacher tells you about the purple gas you get to turn on the Isoflurane vaporizer. It is pretty good experience. I've done my 1st year and have done close to 300 cases and intubated over 175 people already. So I can apply theory to practice a bit.

Not claiming to be good or anything yet but I do know which end of the larygoscope to put in the patients' mouth.

I am in my 1st semester of school now. We have class M,W,Th, &F. Clinical this semester is Tues only. Classes are A&P, Pharm, and Priniciples.Next semester, clinicals will be 3 days one week, 2 the next, plus 3 classes. I've only been to the hospital about 6 times now and it doesn't feel natural yet. The first 5 weeks were filled with sweating and hoping nobody yelled at you. This past week I did 2 MAC's and one general for lap chole and it almost felt like I could get through the day without having to reapply deodorant. I usually am only really, really nervous during and right after intubating. Intubating is the most difficult new task I have learned. It is not nearly as easy as those CRNA's made it look in the ICU.

Anyway, I am really glad to be in the clinic this early. All the CRNA's at the hospital say "you all are here really early, that's great." So I think it is working out well. If I think of anything else about having clinical early I'll post.

+ Add a Comment