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Nursing Students SRNA

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If one has a choice as to where they would obtain clinical practice/experience, would it be better to choose a highly renowned teaching hospital that has MD residents competing with RRNAs for experience, or a smaller hospital that still encompasses neuro/cardiac/regional experience in an all or nearly all CRNA model without competition for cases from resident MDs? Again, thanks in advance to all of you who have had to make this choice for sharing your experience and expertise!

Thanks Again!

Melissa

Hi Melissa,

There are pros and cons to both approaches, but I will tell you what I would do.

First, if you go the bigger hosptial route, you will be involved in a lot of big cases, and will see a lot of different approaches to anesthesia, but you may find it aggravating that the resident steals your cases, and you will come in contact with specific residents who won't care that you are there, and then others will be more than willing to show you how to do things. this is something you need to question the school about, wherever it is you are going. ask them about the relationship b/w the crna's and the residents and the srna's.

If you decide to go to the smaller hospital with the same routine surgeries, and you get more exposure to actually doing things, what can this hurt? I am the type of person who learns by doing. I remember things because I've had clinical experiences doing them, and I will be more confident coming out if I have actually intubated more patients with difficult airways rather than watched other people intubate. Believe me, watching and doing these skills are two different things. I believe this is how you learn the most, and I think this is what makes people the best clinical providers.

I just think you will find a lot less aggravation, and less stress if you are not competing with others for the cases you are doing. As a student, if you can concentrate on the actual case and not the herd of people around you, then you will do all the better for that patient.

One other thing to think about is where you will be when it is all over. Are you going to work at the bigger hospital institution, or are you going to work in a smaller institution. if you are going to be a crna in the bigger institution, then maybe you should go to school there.

I am a rural person though, so my opinion is somewhat biased and slighted. Good Luck.

Pete,

Thanks for your input! I am leaning toward the smaller hospital setting, being from a rural area myself. I appreciate your feedback!

Melissa

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