Originally Posted by MB37
[not kidding] I have a prior BS from a decent university, and I'm in a 15 month ABSN program that sucks all my time away from me. However, it's not that DIFFICULT, per se, it's just time intensive. Every SRNA just says, "there's no comparison," but what does that really mean? I'm sure the actual difficulty level of the material goes up. And I've been told that you get up in the morning and do all school-related stuff until it's time to catch a few hours of sleep, then get up and repeat. I would fully expect to spend 80 hours/week, maybe more. Is that anywhere near realistic? I'm aware that I won't be working, and that if I have children before I attend my husband will be providing the majority of the child care. I know I'll have to borrow a ton of cash. I guess...what CAN you compare it to? I'm meeting with the director of one of the local programs tomorrow, and apparently she's the one to talk to to set up some shadowing experiences, so I'm planning to do that. I've talked to some SRNAs in the same program, and they just use that same line - "no comparison." How DO I find out what I'm getting myself into? Thanks!
Here is a glimpse of my week:
Monday:
Class from 8am to 4pm. Come home at 4:30 so you can study for the classes that you just had and get ready for your cases in the OR the next day. Oh, don't forget to pee, eat, and sleep.
Tuesday:
Wake up at 4:30 am. Drive for 45 minutes to the clinical site by crossing two state lines! Set up your room for the cases that you actually find out you've been changed to after you had gotten your assignment the night before. Find your attending and be ready to change your anesthetic plan all over again because he or she does it that way. They are always right, you are not, you know nothing and your ten years of experience as an RN means Jack.
Leave clinical when they relieve you, like 4, 4:30 or 5pm. drive back home in rush hour traffic which takes longer than the morning drive. You are home at 6pm? Acknowledge that your kids exist, say hi at least. Try to sound excited about their day... Don't take your frustrations out on them. Then regroup and get meal ready, have your kids' homework done. Greet your husband who is exhausted and wants attention too. Listen to how miserable his day was. You want to talk about your day? No time for that!!! Go get ready for your cases for wednesday. You should be happy that you got dinner. Study for whatever exam you may have on monday for what 30 minutes if you can bear it. Go to bed.
Wednesday through friday: Repeat tuesday three more times!!!
Saturday: Oh, the weekend, right? NOT!!! Kids are all jumping up and down, everyone is off and at home. Listening to music, playing, making noise. Filter all that and try and study while you need to do wash, have a meal plan for the night, and maybe even catch up with the family for 30 minutes or so... Repeat same on sunday!!! If have an exam saturday and sunday is spent studying with optional pee breaks and meal breaks. Try to convey to fellow RNs how much your life sucks.
Monday, repeat the prior week only now you are one week closer to the end...
80 hours a week? I spend I pend 13 hours a day just getting to, in clinical and coming from clinical!!! That is 52 hours a week just for clinical. 8 hours a week in class, That is 60 hours. Studying and researching on the weekends is another 20 hours. That's 80. Then you have to do daily research of your cases for the OR and study your didactic, that is another 3 hours a day. So 15 more and it equals 95! That is compounded by the exhaustion factor! The rest is just sleeping time and tiolet breaks, eating...
Hope this helps.
Would you like to comment?
How Does CRNA school and clinicals compare to RN school??
