[nynurse!]

Hi all!

wondering what current CRNAs/CRNA students think is the best preparation for nurse anesthesia school. CCU? SICU? MICU? Is there any specific unit that helped you in the OR?
Thank you!

[japaho41]

Look at other threads, this is a very common question on this site.

I typically rank the ICU experiences in this order
1)CTSU/CVICU or SICU 2) MICU 3) NICU 4) CCU

Why CTSU: majority if not all surgical post-open heart pt's, full invasive lines, vent, pacer, gtts.

SICU: I think that you get a broader range of surgical pts as well as trauma but may be less invasive lines and gtts at times.

MICU: wider variety of conditions typically chronic that will as be a beneficial exp when you get in the OR when you are caring for the type of patient that have a page of chronic conditions and a page of meds to go with it.

[ralatek]

Bottom line...it doesn't really matter what unit it is. As long as you get plenty of vents, hemodynamic monitoring, vasopressors, etc. Go to the unit you think you'll be most happy with. Your attitude will be better and you'll want to learn all you can. As for the above poster's ranking...I went to #4 (CCU), worked for 2 years, accepted to nurse anesthesia school on first attempt, and now finishing up my senior residency. Good luck