How did you afford to get through CRNA school?

JOVANI · Jul 14, 2010

That is my Goal too. Looking forward to be a CRNA one day. But your still young. You should wait until you finsh school to have kids.

Hartley · Jul 14, 2010

Hey,
Im a new nurse who is eventually planning on becoming a CRNA, but ill admit the process to get there is stresses me out at times.
Im starting my BSN here next month, i wasn't able to grab a ICU position right out of school, but i did get job on a unit that will help me get the experience i need to get there (ICU) sooner than later.
My question is since work during the program, so how did everyone pay for their cost of living?
My wife is a nurse as well, and thats great, however, she wants to have kids soon, were both 25, and its going to be 2 to 3 years from now before i can even get into school.
If i got in on my first try 2 years from now would probably need divine intervention given that i would only have 1ish years of exp, the year after that is more likely. However, i just don't think we can have kids during this time in our lives at all, we just cant afford it.
Anyone else had a similar situation?

I guess ill kind of add to my post here,

What is the schedule like during CRNA school? do you ever necessarily have a day off where i could stay home doing homework while also watching the kiddies when my wife goes into work?

...just trying to give myself "peace of mind" that if i don't get in right away it will still be okay.

Thanks!

PetiteOpRN · Jul 14, 2010

My parents had 5 children, starting in med school and didn't get a real (non-residency) job until the oldest was 10 years old.

We lived in a small duplex, drove used cars, and shopped at garage sales. We qualified for WIC at certain points (when my mother was pregnant and we had no income). We lived close enough to a grocery store that we could walk to the store and buy milk and not have to spend money on gas.

It was a very austere childhood -- the library is cheaper than TV, thus no TV until I was 12! One of my sisters slept in a makeshift "crib" in the sink because there was no room for a real crib. We didn't take vacations or eat out.

CRNA school is not quite as long as med school, and babies don't mind when you're broke. Breastfeeding saves lots of money, and there are organizations that give out diapers if you attend parenting classes. It's certainly doable.

Keep in mind, there is always a reason NOT to have kids. If you wait for the perfect moment, you'll be 50 before you're ready!

redessa · Jul 14, 2010

Well, it just so happens that my parents are both nurses. I was 2 when my mother finished her ADN. She worked med/surg for a year then ICU. When I was 11 she went back to get her BSN and then continued on to FNP. When I was 13, my father decided to go back to school also. He got his ADN, a bachelor's in psych and later an MSN wthin an emphasis in administration. So they spent my whole teen years going to school full-time and working full-time (nights and weekends). We were pretty broke although they still managed to send me to private school.

My mother was lucky enough to have her BSN paid for by her employer. I'm not sure about her masters. I do know they went so far as to sell the house and use the equity to pay for school (we then rented a condo) about the time my dad started back to school which would have been around the same time my mom started on her master's. And they took out some students loans when my dad got into his master's program but that was later (after I was married). And of course they were working enough to cover our basic living expenses.

It certainly wasn't easy, but yes, it can be done and with a family. As long as your wife is working and not trying to go back to school at the same time, it should be a little better for you. She'll just have to understand that there may come a point when she's going to be doing the bulk of the work for a while in terms of childcare and housekeeping. If she's okay with that, I wouldn't put off a family based on what you may or may not be doing a few years from now. There's always going to be a reason why it's not a good time to have kids. You're young still but if you're both ready then start your family and have a little faith that everything will work out.

CNL2B · Jul 14, 2010

I'm not going this route but I work in an ICU and watch many that go to anesthesia school. Here are a couple experiences that I have observed in the past year re: CRNA school and kids:

One couple -- he was applying to schools, she was an unemployed dietician (couldn't find a job in this market.) She had her first child when he was applying to schools. They were very concerned with what they were going to do. We work at a VA hospital, and he applied to the Army Nurse Anesthesia program -- this is somewhere in TX. (I am not sure that it is open to non-VA applicants.) Anyway, we are in the upper Midwest and he had to relocate to do this program (which started this past fall) but they are going to pay him his RN salary while he is going through the program, plus pay the cost of the program. He owes the VA system 3 years as a CRNA when he gets out and could be forced to go to any of the locations across the country. He said that if he had gone through our local public university, he would have come out 100K in debt between tuition and living expenses, so this worked for him. You may want to look into military programs if that sounds appealing to you. You owe them at the end but your school is paid for.

Couple #2 - I work with her as an ICU nurse, and he is in CRNA school. They moved here with their 2 year old and during the two year program, they had their second child. She worked FT and put her kids in daycare. He took max loans for tuition and took cost of living loans as well. They have no family here that could help them out. He is finishing now in August and they are moving back to Virginia where he has a job waiting for him. So, they are coming out with big huge loans, but they managed. They have a house in Virginia they rented out while they were away and rented here.

You can do it but don't expect to come out without big huge loans or some other form of payback time from what I've observed. Hope this helps you.

Maghunter · Jul 19, 2010

I agree that if you wait for the perfect time to have kids then you may never find the perfect time. I am in nursing school now with 3 kids and a 4th (surprise!) is due in two months. On top of this my youngest (4) has down syndrome. It is very hard, but we manage. I plan on either doing FNP or CRNA, and I know we will be able to manage. Kids are one of the greatest blessings a family can have.