[chaseloff]

I am a new grad from a highly accredited University in Texas with a BSN. I am extremely interested in nurse anesthesiology but don't know what the next step in schooling will be. Do I go and get my master's? How much experience do I need now and in what unit is the best experience for this schooling?

[mhenning8]

You will need to do several things. First, you need to get yourself into the SICU/MICU/CVICU for at least one year. Preferably 2 or 3. You must study, learn your drugs, learn why your patient is on the medications that he is on, etc. In the meantime, contact the AANA website at WWW.aana.com and look up to find all of the nurse anesthesia schools. Select several that you are interested in and contact them for their specific requirements for admission. It is important during these years of acquiring experience in the ICU to read about the physiology effected and pharmacology interventions of your patient's
disease process. Also spend time with a CRNA and shadow them for many times to get a feel for what the job entails. It is very hard work, stressful, but the rewards are worth it. You will get your Masters on completion of the Nurse Anesthesia program.


[This message has been edited by mhenning8 (edited January 24, 2001).]