Hey guys

[meandragonbrett]

I have not started nursing school....yet. I still am undecided whether or not I want to be a CRNA or MD. I've always wanted to do anesthesia, for as long as I can remember. Part of me wants to be a CRNA, but the other part wants to be a MD. I think i'd be happy being either. If I did go to med school i'd probably not do anesthesia, although I can't say for sure. I believe i'd like to get into Cardiothoracic or Transplant surgery. I have thought about doing this: Going through Nursing school, and while going take the prereqs for med school also, apply for med school after MCAT. And when the time comes to be able to apply to anesthesia school apply, and try to get it to one of them. What does this sound like? I know it probably sounds like a "What-if" situation, but it's not! Please tell me your thoughts on this and if you had trouble deciding CRNA or MD.

Thanks,

Brett

[Tenesma]

As a lurker on this forum, I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in ....

The choice between CRNA and MD is a very difficult one... To be quite honest I think most of the lay public is not even aware of CRNAs, so most people who become CRNAs tend not to have that as their goal when they start nursing... only during their nursing training, or even later during the course of their work do they realize what a wonderful jewel CRNA is!!! I would argue that you (meandragonbrett) belong to the exceptions.... The total opposite is evident for medicine, because there are a lot of people out there who want to be doctors even before they really know what it entails...

As a resident physician it is kinda obvious which choice I made. Both professions are very noble and both professions have totally different mentalities and training... I chose to become a doctor because I wanted to be the last man standing - I wanted to bear every responsibility for the patient's care/treatment/outcome/palliation(and possible demise) on my own shoulders. With this responsibility came a lot of sacrifice.... Medical school was rough - the amount of knowledge poured down our throats was mindboggling. Internship and Residency is even rougher - the long hours, the lack of sleep.... BUT WORST OF ALL: the sacrifice of your social life... My friends (nurses, lawyers, businesspeople,etc.) have married, bought houses, drive nice cars, spend their weekends with family and friends, and are always asking me why I look so tired. My other friends (MDs) and I are losing relationships (just ask any nurse what it is like dating a doc...), losing money (>100,000 bucks in debt)..... In retrospect do i think the sacrifice is worth it? Some days, absolutely... Some other days I scratch my head in bewilderment! Would I change my mind and do it differently? NEVER, this is an unbelievable experience and I would never give it up.

Now from the outsider's perspective on CRNAs: great job, great future, fun environment, great salary, great hours... and this is available to RNs with ICU experience and 2 years of master's training!!!! sounds good to me! But only CRNAs can explain why they chose to be a CRNA...

Just so you know the training for transplant surgery (assuming we are talking general transplant - not cardio/thoracic transpl) is:

4 years of med school, 5 to 7 years of general surgery residency (the extra year or two are for research as it is required by some programs, and if you want to get into a good transplant program - you will need research anyway) and then 2 to 3 years of transplant surgery.... so that is 11 to 14 more years of training and salary

I don't know if this helps or not, feel free to ask more questions

Tenesma

[Tenesma]

just an addendum... transplant surgeons make between 300-400k per year after training

[meandragonbrett]

Tenes,

hey, yes, I know about the MANY years involved in doing transplant surgery. I've made my mind up that I want to do anesthesia and that I want to be a nurse not a doctor. Thanks everybody for all the advice\info.

brett