Questions for CRNA's working in rural areas

Specialties CRNA

Published

I have always been interested in becoming an anesthetist since before graduating from my ASN program over 13 years ago. I realize now that I should have pursued an advanced practice degree then, before I became bogged down with family commitments etc. I recently received a letter from my alma matter inviting me to apply for their new CRNA program, as they will begin a brand new program in 2005. This school is less than an hour away, which before, the nearest school was much farther and not very feasible for me to attend. I still have to complete my BSN and aquire the 1 year of required ICU experience. My questions:

1. How realistic is it to actually spend time with your family while attending CRNA school? I have 3 small children and I'm afraid that I will miss out on a lot if not all of their activities.

2. Study requirements? I think I have to study harder than most and I guess I'm very intimidated at the complexity of the subject matter and I am very afraid of failing.

3. For those of you working in rural areas, what are the workplace options? Is it better to go with a group or work for a hospital? Also, what is the starting salary right out of school? This is very important since the school I would be attending is private and very expensive. I must be able to pay back those student loans! (I'm in the southern region so I would be interested in any information about salary trends in the south.)

I really appreciate any info that you are able to provide.

SproutRN

169 Posts

CRNA school is something you have to be completely committed to or you will not do well. I am in month 15 of my 28 month program, which is front loaded meaning I spent the first whole year in the classroom. I have spent much of every day studying and reading. I have been in the clinical setting for a few weeks now and I still study to prepare for my cases and to keep things fresh in my mind.

To answer a few of your questions

1. I have a 3 and 5 year old. YES, you will miss out on a lot if not most of their activites. I usually helped get them ready in the mornings and sometimes I was lucky to see them before they went to bed. Personally, I am glad that I am doing it while they are young because I will be there more when they are older and involved in more activities.

2. The subject matter is very complex and no matter what your level of learning, you WILL have to study most of every day you are in school. Sure I do take some time off from the material but you have to stay in the books to keep up. Sometimes you have to read 100+ pages for next day lectures.

3. I can't answer the questions regarding working in a rural area. And it just depends what you want as to what type group you work for. Starting salaries vary all over the country. In my particular hospital (Alabama) the base pay for new grads. without call pay is about 100,000.

CRNA school is a HUGE step, one you have to be ready to take and be devoted full time to survive. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband who takes great care of our kids. It's been a long haul but in the end it will have been worth it! You probably need to shadow a CRNA and then decide if it's something you really want to do.

Sprout :nurse:

I have always been interested in becoming an anesthetist since before graduating from my ASN program over 13 years ago. I realize now that I should have pursued an advanced practice degree then, before I became bogged down with family commitments etc. I recently received a letter from my alma matter inviting me to apply for their new CRNA program, as they will begin a brand new program in 2005. This school is less than an hour away, which before, the nearest school was much farther and not very feasible for me to attend. I still have to complete my BSN and aquire the 1 year of required ICU experience. My questions:

1. How realistic is it to actually spend time with your family while attending CRNA school? I have 3 small children and I'm afraid that I will miss out on a lot if not all of their activities.

2. Study requirements? I think I have to study harder than most and I guess I'm very intimidated at the complexity of the subject matter and I am very afraid of failing.

3. For those of you working in rural areas, what are the workplace options? Is it better to go with a group or work for a hospital? Also, what is the starting salary right out of school? This is very important since the school I would be attending is private and very expensive. I must be able to pay back those student loans! (I'm in the southern region so I would be interested in any information about salary trends in the south.)

I really appreciate any info that you are able to provide.

kmchugh

801 Posts

I agree with all that Sprout had to say, and want to add a bit more. CRNA school is a huge committment, but on the other end the payoff, professionally, personally, and in no small measure, financially, is huge. During school, you will be spending a lot of time studying, both alone and with classmates. Your time with your kids will be curtailed.

But, if you are committed, and work hard at what you are doing, you will do well. I always tried to set two or three hours per weekend aside to spend with my kids. I wasn't always able to do that, but whenever I was with my kids, I tried very hard to make that time count. Now I am on the other end, and have found a place to work that so far, seems to be the perfect match for me. I have time to spend with my family. I have time to pursue my own interests, all with working full time. I love what I do at work, and I am really beginning to enjoy myself away from work.

A word or two about working in a rural setting. The first thing you need to know is that you won't be ready for a setting like that fresh out of school. You will need to work at a larger facility to gain experience. You will need the safety net of a back up. (I believe this holds for a brand new MDA out of residency, as well.) You will need to spend a couple of years at a setting like this, performing anesthesia for as many big horrendoplasties as you can get. WHy? You will need the experience.

I did this right out of school. I worked for an anesthesia group at a level I trauma center, and I did a LOT of open heart cases, a LOT of carotid cases, a LOT of intercranial cases, a LOT of ASA III and IV patients. After a couple of years there, I went to a rural hospital. It had it's advantages, like reasonably short workdays, fewer cases that had me sweating bullets throughout the anesthetic, and better pay. It also had its downsides. There were only two CRNA's at this hospital, and no MDA's. We were it. Therefore, I was on call every other day and every other weekend. On call meant I had to be within 15 minutes of the hospital. In a town of 5000, this meant there was very little to do when I was on call.

Now, I work at a hospital that seems to combine the best of both worlds. It is a small facility, with only 6 OR's. The pay matches or beats the pay at most rural facilities, but there are four CRNA's, one full time MDA, and two part time MDA's. We get along well, and most days are busy enough to keep things interesting, but not so busy that we don't go home until 10 pm. And to top it all off, I am only about 15 minutes away from Memphis, which has anything you might want to do. The point is that before I could get here, I had to put time into learning anesthesia at a big hospital. I would STRONGLY recommend that path to anyone fresh out of anesthesia school.

Kevin McHugh, CRNA

TraumaNurse

612 Posts

I totally agree with what has been said so far. I would like to add that your support system is very important to manage CRNA school, especially when you have children. I also have 2 (soon to be 3 and 5) and yes my time with them is much less than before I started school but I do make sure I spend some time with them every day. It's all about time management! I am usually in class or clinical until the late afternoon, I will then hit the gym (as many days as I can) and get home to spend a few hours with the family, have dinner etc. After dinner I hit the books for a couple of hours, read my kids a story, say goodnight and back to study. I also have to schedule in other things I need to get done such as yard work, fixing things around the house etc. Of course some nights I have less to do and take it easy and some nights I do not leave the library until they kick me out! Also, while at the gym, I read something from school for at least 30-40 min on the stepper! You study when you can. I also keep a anesthesia book in the bathroom now...how pathetic!

Many of my classmates have children too and they get by with good time management and help from family and friends. My wife works weekends so she is free during the week and I take care of the kids all weekend. This cuts down on what study I can get done on the W/E so I have to do more during the week.

To make a long answer shorter:

1. Yes, it is realistic to spend some time with your familly, but it requires committment and good time management. You and your family MUST accept the fact that you will not be around as much as before.

2. I was told to expect b/w 60-80 hours per week committment to school for study time, classes, and clinical (I am in an integrated program). I think this is a very fair estimate.

How much sleep do you SRNAs get? I expect some degree of sleep deprivation but I know that I do need more sleep than average (heaven would be a solid 9 hours every night) and my mental and emotional functioning go down the tubes very quickly if I run on a sleep deficit for more than a few days. I don't have kids, so I'll have a few more free hours than the people with children.

deepz

612 Posts

Specializes in Anesthesia.
How much sleep do you SRNAs get? I expect some degree of sleep deprivation but I know that I do need more sleep than average (heaven would be a solid 9 hours every night) ........

One word:

amphetamines

---- Ooops, no, I meant to say:

caffeine.

deepz

One word:

amphetamines

---- Ooops, no, I meant to say:

caffeine.

Amphetamines sound divine, but don't you get drug tested?

I suspect I'll be keeping Starbucks in business.

Carolina SRNA

11 Posts

I have always been interested in becoming an anesthetist since before graduating from my ASN program over 13 years ago. I realize now that I should have pursued an advanced practice degree then, before I became bogged down with family commitments etc. I recently received a letter from my alma matter inviting me to apply for their new CRNA program, as they will begin a brand new program in 2005. This school is less than an hour away, which before, the nearest school was much farther and not very feasible for me to attend. I still have to complete my BSN and aquire the 1 year of required ICU experience. My questions:

1. How realistic is it to actually spend time with your family while attending CRNA school? I have 3 small children and I'm afraid that I will miss out on a lot if not all of their activities.

2. Study requirements? I think I have to study harder than most and I guess I'm very intimidated at the complexity of the subject matter and I am very afraid of failing.

3. For those of you working in rural areas, what are the workplace options? Is it better to go with a group or work for a hospital? Also, what is the starting salary right out of school? This is very important since the school I would be attending is private and very expensive. I must be able to pay back those student loans! (I'm in the southern region so I would be interested in any information about salary trends in the south.)

I really appreciate any info that you are able to provide.

Anesthesia school will be the best decision you've ever made. Professionally, personally, everything. I am now an upper classmen and have no regrets. I would do it all over again. Definetly listen to the previous suggestions...once in, you are no longer a dad, a husband, a friend; not like before anyway. You're priorties will certainly shift and have to be maintained. Just remember though...it is a temporary condition with lifetime beneifits. You can do anything for a short amount of time. Yes there are nights you will go without sleep d/t call, studying, stress, etc. However, it always comes out clean in the wash. I myself have done much better than I thought I ever would. The hardest part for me was overcoming the "walls" I had built thinking it would be impossible to succeed...start off with an attitude of success and don't look back. Make a schedule for your day, your week, and stick with it. As far as salaries in my area (SE US), rural hospitals pay anywhere from $150,00 to $260,000 with some call. DO NOT LET THIS entice you though until experience is gained....we are accountable 100% to that of an MD-A. Good luck!

jewelcutt

268 Posts

I never really frequented coffee shops much until I started school, now I'm so pathetic I have a coffee card. I get about 6-7 hours of sleep a night and try not to make it less than that. I prepared so much mentally for school that it's not a big deal to study on a saturday or sunday or week day nights, everything else just doesn't seem as important anymore. Although I do take friday nights off. Before I started school I drank mostly water, but I incorporate a lot of coffee into my diet now. You need caffeine to keep you awake to read and study such large volumes of information, I figure I'll wean myself off of it when out of school!!! Anyway it can be done and everyone figures out a way to make it work because you feel extremely guilty if you haven't studied as much as you should have.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. What about the ICU requirement? I really dread the prospect of having to work in this area for any length of time as I really hated it while in school. :( No offense to anyone working there it's just not my thing (I'm a L & D nurse) So did anyone else feel this way or could it be a sign that I am not going to be well suited for anesthesia?

louloubell1

350 Posts

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. What about the ICU requirement? I really dread the prospect of having to work in this area for any length of time as I really hated it while in school. :( No offense to anyone working there it's just not my thing (I'm a L & D nurse) So did anyone else feel this way or could it be a sign that I am not going to be well suited for anesthesia?

I think that, and just MHO here, it depends on what it was that you hated about the ICU. I mean if it was the stress and the high-tech kind of care of critically ill patients that's one thing; but if it was cleaning up massive amounts of C-diff poo, doing huge dressing changes and bed baths, and tending to the ADL kind of requirements of patients, well than, that's another thing entirely. I didn't particularly "love" my job in the ICU because of the latter, but I absolutely loved taking care of the sick, sick patients and running my butt off all night to care for them. As another poster said, you can do anything for a short time, and every night I would get stuck with the patient who was playing in his own feces and the other patient who was waiting for a transfer bed and on the call light every two minutes for an emergency cup of ice or mouth swab, I constantly reminded myself of that...

TraumaNurse

612 Posts

Cabbage patch,

First of all, I don't think you can judge ICU nursing based on your experience while in school but ICU is not for everyone, and you need to find out what you really like. Also, what about ICU didn't you like? If it was bed baths and cleaning poop... than you are not alone, but that is just some of the things that come with being a nurse in almost any unit. However, if it is the high acuity patients, multiple monitors, drips, ventilators and the knowledge that things can go wrong in a second, that bothers you, than maybe anesthesia is not the right area for you.

To put in in another perspective, I hated psych when I was in school and would never want to work in a psych unit, so if I had to work in psych for a minimum of 1 year and possibly more to become an advance practice nurse, I would not do it! I would find something else to do.

I guess it depends on what it was you did not like about ICU and whether you are willing to accept those things to gain the experience and knowledge you will need for anesthesia school. Although anesthesia is its own world and being a CRNA is different from any other type of nursing, there are a lot of overlaps to ICU nursing. Shadow a CRNA and if you REALLY want to do it and are committed to it, than you will be able to tackle any obstacle that is in your way (including cleaning poop!)

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