should i stay or should i go....

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hey all..in need of a little advice. i am a new rn and i want to go for CRNA in the near future when i get more experience etc. anyways, my question is...should I, as a current employee at Georgetown Uni. Hosp, which has a CRNA stay there, even though it's a level 3 trauma center...or move to Uni. of maryland health system..which is a level 1 trauma center and also has the same program.....i want to be a competitive applicant when i apply for the CRNA program...

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To the Pre-CRNA Forum. Good luck, amiro!

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Specializes in ED,CVICU,MICU, SRNA.

As far as experience, I think you need to look at the type of ICU you would be working in Georgia. For example, when that hospital gets a really sick, unstable patient do they ship them to another hospital? Do they have an open heart program? Is it busy doing at least 4 or 5 cases a day? You need sick, challenging patients. You need pt's on balloon pumps, lots of drips, ventilators, etc... Good luck

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Can you meet with an advisor at the schools you're interested in and ask them? I think level I is generally preferred, but you might meet someone at Georgetown who can write you a great recommendation if you want to go to their CRNA program.

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Doesn't GTUH have high acuity ICUs? You don't necessarily have to be in a level 1 Trauma center as long as their other ICUs are high acuity. Do they do Open Hearts? then the CVTICU may be an option. Do they have a high acuity MRICU or SICU? Look at those too.

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Specializes in ICU, currently in Anesthesia School.

If you are at GUH, the experiences should be adequate. If you feel you need a little more trauma just for your own experience, as a medstar health employee you should be able to transfer down the road to WHC- Make sure it is to 3G or 4H for the types of experiences you want. The dumb driver's knife and gun club in DC keeps all the hospitals pretty busy with trauma though. ('Cept Club Sib).

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As far as experience, I think you need to look at the type of ICU you would be working in Georgia. For example, when that hospital gets a really sick, unstable patient do they ship them to another hospital? Do they have an open heart program? Is it busy doing at least 4 or 5 cases a day? You need sick, challenging patients. You need pt's on balloon pumps, lots of drips, ventilators, etc... Good luck

Don't get stuck in the rut thinking that you must work cardiac ICU. I've worked in Neurotrauma ICU my whole career in Level I and Level II trauma centers and have all the same exposure (except for balloon pumps) as the cardiac nurses. Besides....you won't be playing with any balloon pumps in anesthesia!!!!!

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Specializes in ED,CVICU,MICU, SRNA.

Ummm... It's not really about playing with balloon pumps. It is about having the advanced knowledge to manage a critically ill patient. It's about knowing physiology & about being able to make quick, independent decisions. I do agree that you do not necessarily need cardiac experience, you just need to go where the sick unstable patients are.

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Agreed Rayjc1. It's not about balloon pumps, or what type of ICU you work in, as long as it's high acuity and you get a lot of exposure to all sorts of wonderful things! I was lucky to be able to work with Swans, Bio-Z's, BIS monitors, CRRT, vents, vasoactive gtts, ventrics, Ommaya reservoirs, etc. every day of my career. Very grateful I am to have that exposure. I know it will help. I believe that knowing the basics, like your hemodynamics, the pathophys, etc. is the key to building a sound foundation for the CRNA program.

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