A day in the life of a SRNA

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hi All,

I'm just another one of many contemplating applying to CRNA school. Something that would be extremely helpful to me would be for current SRNA's to give me a snapshot of what your days are like as a SRNA. Worst / best / average, etc. Thanks.

Specializes in ICU.

It is impossible to work full-time while in CRNA school. The general consensus is that it is not really possible or a good idea to work at all. Have you looked at the stickies in the CRNA and Pre_CRNA forums? There is a lot of information there that should help answer your questions.

I'm amazed at how you people do everything that you do. I hope that if i'm lucky enough to even apply/get in, that i can be like you. I'm curious, how do you do it?! It sounds insane!!!!!

Specializes in ER.

Hey just curiuos I am in nursing school at VCU and have always wondered where do yall have the majoirty of yall classes, classroom that is. Thanks

All our classes take place in one room, 2nd floor of the old West Hospital Building. Our teachers come to us. The exception if 1st semester when you have Physiology class. Everything else is in West Hospital. I recommend taking Physiology before the program starts if you can, that way you have more time to devote to that one class. It sucks up a lot of study time.

Specializes in LTC, ICU, ER, Anesthesia.
I'm amazed at how you people do everything that you do. I hope that if i'm lucky enough to even apply/get in, that i can be like you. I'm curious, how do you do it?! It sounds insane!!!!!

ok we're not gods, and IMO most of what people are describing seems to be a little extreme

maybe i'm just lazy, but here's my take:

-i get 8 hours of sleep a night. more on the weekends if i feel like it

-i'm up at 430 on clinical days, in the OR by 545. i'm always the first one there. my classmates get there at 630.

-i study on the weekends. i've only studied during the week about 2 times since the program started 8 months ago

-i spend lots of time with my family and my baby (e.g. every day)

-i have friends, and i see them socially

-apparently half my class got trashed on St pats

i have a 4.0 with more than half the academics done. i'm not exceptionally bright, i got a 2.8 cum undergrad. everyone in my (small) clinical group has a 4.0 as well.

the clinicals can flay you alive, no matter how awesome you think you are. that depends day to day on your preceptor. it will be far worse than what you experienced in undergrad.

Specializes in ER, OR, MICU.
ok we're not gods, and IMO most of what people are describing seems to be a little extreme

maybe i'm just lazy, but here's my take:

-i get 8 hours of sleep a night. more on the weekends if i feel like it

-i'm up at 430 on clinical days, in the OR by 545. i'm always the first one there. my classmates get there at 630.

-i study on the weekends. i've only studied during the week about 2 times since the program started 8 months ago

-i spend lots of time with my family and my baby (e.g. every day)

-i have friends, and i see them socially

-apparently half my class got trashed on St pats

i have a 4.0 with more than half the academics done. i'm not exceptionally bright, i got a 2.8 cum undergrad. everyone in my (small) clinical group has a 4.0 as well.

the clinicals can flay you alive, no matter how awesome you think you are. that depends day to day on your preceptor. it will be far worse than what you experienced in undergrad.

Hi,

I don't know what semester / year you are in but I can say that the first year was as I described...no time to do anything. Now I am in my second to last semester and I do have more time because I am at clinicals 4 days a week and class on the 5th day.

I don't have time to study much because I have to take care of my 2 yr and 3 yr old. As for weekends...it is the same thing. I have exhausted my family members' generosity so I don't really have anyone to help so I will say that makes it difficult to study. Thus, I still have to wake up in the wee hours to have time for myself. I am exhausted most of the time because even though I don't study much clinicals is still stressful because I am at a site that continues to 'challenge' you.

Honestly, the only reason why my household was in order for the most part is because I had a housekeeper every week. So I tip my hat to you if you are able to balance your life so well in anesthesia school.

I wish I could have gotten some advice from you before ALL of this :-)

Specializes in LTC, ICU, ER, Anesthesia.
Hi,

I don't know what semester / year you are in but I can say that the first year was as I described...no time to do anything. Now I am in my second to last semester and I do have more time because I am at clinicals 4 days a week and class on the 5th day.

I'm in month 8 right now - 2 class days 3 clinical. we have another 4 months of class, then its full time OR for the next 14.

I have a very supportive wife who more than does her fair share, working and taking care of our baby.....that more than anything else has probably been the biggest help

I have to say that your situation definitely sounds more difficult than mine, with 2 (young!) kids that you're having to deal with by yourself, on top of everything else. I don't know if you're a single parent or not, but having that added really can make the stress mount quickly.

Specializes in ICU, PACU, cath lab, ER.

i'm reading some of these posts, and i am really impressed!

i am almost done with my first semester of anesthesia school, and it is sooooo incredibly hard!

i have a few bachelors degrees, and 4.0 in all, so i thought "grad school will be do-able"--but i have had to give that up! getting bs is suddenly ok. i study 60-80 hours a week, and have no social life. so squeaking by is seemingly ok now...... i am in a front-loaded didactic program, so i am in class all the time, study and write papers when i am not in class. the seniors tell me it is easier once clinicals start, so there is an end in sight!!!

i am fortunate to have a very supportive spouse, and a teenager who wants nothing to do with his "uncool" parents. i can't possibly imagine trying to be in school with young kids or infants. there are some in my program that do have young children, but i think they are suffering, studying all the time and neglecting the family.

maybe some programs are a little more lax (sarcolemma, consider yourself fortunate! i am extremely envious!!!!)

but i am just amazed at how humbled i have been throughout this semester. once i got accepted, i read all the posts on here about srnas--and i thought i was ready.

but i wasn't.

everyone told me it is hard, and one of the worst experiences ever..... but until one goes through it, it is inconceivable. i thought i was prepared, but i wasn't.

it is like childbirth--you have 9 months to prepare, but the reality and 2am feedings are a shocker, and you really aren't "prepared."

i do not regret going into the program. it is so interesting, and i really, really don't want to go back to wiping poopy butts in the icu.

but make no mistake, anesthesia school is really hard work.

and as to earlier posts, working while going to anesthesia school is pretty impossible. there just aren't enough hours in the day.

and again, i am so thankful to have a supportive husband that does laundry and is understanding when i get up at 0230 to study.

good luck to all my fellow students!;)

hi Diva Princess, I am starting CRNA program in Aug 09. I have been thinking the same way after reading all the SRNA posts that I am ready but reading your post suddenly make me realized that I guess its hard to prepare for anesthesia school. Like you said " until one goes through it, it is inconceivable. Just curious which program are you in? Love to hear more about your experience and let us know if starting clinicals makes life little easier. Thanks

Specializes in med/surg.

sarcolemma...where are you going to crna school, if you don't mind sharing?

Specializes in ICU, MICU, SICU+openheart.

wow, after reading these who would want to do this? it's scaring me and i am done with my first year.

my program is 28 mos like most. we started clinicals with class after an 8wk crash course. our first year schedule goes like this:

mon- group a (half the class) clinical from 0600- 1200 while group b sleeps in or goes to lab on their off morning . 1300 the whole class meets for class till 1800.

tue- group b (the other half of class) clinical from 0600-1200 while group a studies/sleeps in/recovers/catches up/etc. 1300-2000 class for everyone.

wed- group a clinical 0600-1200 then class for all 1300-1900

thur- group b clinical 0600-1200 then class for all1300- 1900

fri- group a clinical 0600-1500, group b off for three day weekend/ no classes on fri.:yeah:

the following week group b has clinical m_w_f while group a has clinical t_th. classes are always from 1300-whenever 5_6_7_or_8pm. and everyday there is a quiz or test for each class! every 2wks i get a 3 day weekend to study "some" and spend with my family.

my wife feels like a single mom of 4 kids from ages 9_7_6_4 currently. i get shafted if i study too much so i first spend some time with her then study when she goes to bed at 12am. i get to sleep in just about every other day. i don't study as much as my classmates though. i still have around a 3.7 or something like that. who cares, this is a terminal degree:yeah: we get grades for some easier courses and clinical which help my overall gpa.

next month i will start my senior rotations and will be done with classes:bugeyes:. my schedule will vary at each hospital but basically i will be at the hospital from 0600-0630 and leave when they say i can. do not ever ask to go home early or you will raise some flags!! go and be useful to the site. some sites let us run our own rooms. that means an mda or crna will be with us on induction and emergence only. the rest is up to us to handle unless we call for help or get into trouble.

some of our junior rotations give us autonomy too but only a couple sites. we also pull call in addition to the classes at 3 of the sites. some people told me the classes would get easier later in the year but actually, we just got use to the daily beatings of class and testing. you will adapt. i waited soooo long to go to school and now i am just glad to be here. good times!

for those of you with families- i don't know how to let your loved ones mentally prepare. my wife is a nurse and i expected her to be fully supportive (as she is kinda) but she has emotions like all women and has a hard time dealing with not working to take care of the kids and being 400 miles away from home.

just make sure, no matter how hard it is, to put aside one day at least for your family. good luck everyone. we can do this.

Specializes in Anesthesia.

I remember reading/posting in this thread almost 2 years ago now, before i had even applied to anesthesia school. and all the things people were saying scared the living daylights out of me! made me doubt myself and my ability to do this!

now...i can ONLY speak for myself (i am 26, single/unmarried, no kids, no morgage or car payment)...but what i want to tell anyone who is considering anesthesia school and reading this to get some insight into what your life would be like....TAKE ALL OF THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. i promise you, YOU CAN DO THIS. all these people who are making this out to be like a nazi concentration camp, its NOT (again im sure its a lot harder if you're married and have kids but its still doable!!). you go into this KNOWING its not going to be a piece of cake. if it were, everyone would do it. so yes, its a lot of work and takes time and effort and sacrifices....but its all SO WORTH IT if this is what you're passionate about!! end rant.

that being said...i am starting my 3rd semester next week. i am in a 30 month program and have done about 7 months so far. i started in january with didactic and then start clinical the end of march. here is a typical schedule for me.

Monday - up by 5am, in the OR by 6am (i walk, only a few blocks away) the first semester was pretty easy compared to the second. second semester i was studying 2-4 hours almost everyday after class/clinical. but you get used to it and its no big deal. relax, you still have time to eat, pee, sleep, have sex :p

Tuesday - clinical again. 6-3 but they usually let us out between 2-230 depending on the cases

Wednesday - class 830-noon. then study for a few hours.

Thursday - lab 830-noon

Friday - class 8-1130

im still per diem at work. i work about 2-3 days a month. a few people in my class still do 3 days (i think they do it on weekend nights or something). ive had time to hang with my friends, go on trips, etc. you just have to buckle down certain weeks when you have exams. typically ive had about one big exam each week. certain topics require more studying than others, as you know. i wouldnt say im a 4.0 student. my undergrad GPA was 3.5. so far ive managed straight A's my first and second semesters and ive excelled in the clinical area. im LOVING it and never regret my decision.

again i just want to say...this thread scared the crap out of me. but now im living it and its so doable. so GO FOR IT!! you wont regret it! put your fears aside...i was worried about money, not having enough experience (i had 4 years nursing experience, only 1.5 unit experience). but it has all worked out!! :):)

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