Just finished my first semester. Ask me anything.

Nursing Students SRNA

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Wow...I can't believe it's only been been 3 1/2 months! It feels like it's been at least a year. But finally, a few hours ago today, I took my last final and finished my first semester of CRNA school!

I figured this would be a good time to answer questions anyone may have about transitioning into a CRNA program.

I'm in a front-loaded program, so I can't really help out with any questions regarding clinicals, but if you have questions about didactics and transitioning into school, I'll take a crack at it!

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
@MeTheRN, great thread! I found the thread in its entirety to be extremely useful! I am currently employed at Duke Uni on the Cardio-Thoracic Surgical ICU (I know it's a mouthful), and I'm approaching 6 months. I was an LPN in the US Army for about 5 years an was deployed with a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) and that's where I knew I wanted to be a CRNA. I met so many intriguing individuals who were CRNAs and let me pick their brains on numerous occasions.

I graduated in Dec 2011 with a 3.7 GPA /3.8 Nursing, and was the class representative for my class and also the representative for our college of nursing for the university (nerd..? Maybe, but I believe extra curricular activity is never frowned upon).

I took the job at Duke with a 2 yr commitment because I felt two years on the CTICU and the experience with vasoactive gtts, intubated pts, sedated pts (TOF), and the acuity of the population would prepare me for school. I will be taking the CCRN as soon as possible and had a question or two to ask.

How did you/ how long did you study for GRE? I just started and have a projected dye but wanted to make sure? Also what would you recommend to study from? Also I felt I could use a re-fresher in chemistry. What type of chemistry would you feel is suitable? I felt this would also show the schools I apply to dedication to knowing the material. I Aced all my A&P classes/labs and micro.

Thank you again do much for taking the time to help so many of us with our questions and congrats on your current success in your classes! Hope to hear back soon.

Dez

Yay for a much needed reprieve from class this week! Time to catch up on this thread...

Great academic/nursing pedigree (I used the term positively!), to answer your specific questions:

I studied for the GRE's for about 4-6 weeks. I despise studying for standardized tests, so I knew I had to hit it fast and furious and then take the test quickly. I loved the Princeton Review because it focused less on content and more on how to figuring out the correct answer. That's definitely what I needed some help with. We've all gone to college, we've all passed 8th grade math...mostly we just need something to clear out the cobwebs. Princeton did a great job doing that for me! The Barron's book of vocabulary for the GRE is great if you learn all of the words in the Princeton Review book. If you're looking to get into chemistry, I definitely recommend something like biochemistry or organic chemistry. There is a lot of biochemistry in pharmacology when talking about drugs that are lipophilic versus hydrophobic and what-not, so it's really helpful to be able to look at a chemical structure and be able to deduce some of its properties. I heard the boards are going to have some more chemical structures thrown in there too, so it doesn't hurt to be better prepared. I wouldn't recommend taking the class unless you can seriously devote the time to it though. CRNA schools are not going to be impressed that you just enrolled in organic chemistry, put in the work and get a decent grade. Most schools need your science classes to be no older than 5 years, so only take them when you plan on applying within the next 5 years. I'm glad the thread is helpful!

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
Can u tell me how was physics and chemistry? Are the test in crna school multiple choice or free response?

The tests in my class were all multiple choice. Thankfully we had "workbooks" that closely resembled the types of questions that would be asked on the exam, so we had a lot of practice by the time rolled around. Much to my dismay, there were lots of words and definitions thrown into the tests too! I'm cool with straight up math or words, but for some reason when those are mixed, I have a stroke. So it was frustrating having to answer questions with dimensional analyses and then having to correctly verbalize adiabatic cooling and the Venturi principle...fun times :uhoh3:

I just accepted the offer letter to start February 2013! They actually were curious if I'd want to start this October but because I've planned too many things this Fall I had to wait till February. I live in St. Petersburg and will be commuting from the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Anyone else going to be making this trip? If so e-mail me at [email protected] and hopefully we can attempt to car pool. Also, to MeTheRN what have your teachers/school admin people been saying about this lawsuit that is all over the web? I was very impressed during the orientation before the interview but this does seem a little concerning?

Thanks,

Roush57

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.

Congratulations! I remember how exciting it was to get that letter. I was in your exact same position last year. I applied for February 2012 but they asked if I'd be interested in starting October 2011. Since I was single and living on my own, I decided to start earlier and finish up a few months earlier. It was enough time to give my unit 6-7 weeks notice, so I felt good about my decision all around. I'm glad I did because I made some awesome friends in this class, no doubt you will too. There are two people in my class that make a similar commute. Mostly classes are 2-3 days a week and you can do all the observation days up in your area, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just make a friend so you can crash there the night before classes.

Regarding the lawsuit, obviously the school can't discuss too much with us. Faculty are pretty upset that former students would file a lawsuit against the school. You can see it in their faces, it feels like a betrayal. They have asked us all to be very upfront and forthcoming with any shady information, such as falsifying cases and things of that matter. They alleviated our worries by assuring us that the school cannot be shut down in any way, shape, or form. Mostly Collier Anesthesia would be implicated by the lawsuit if it is ruled in favor of the students. They'd either have to hire more anesthesia personnel or compensate the clinical students. I like to see the silver lining in things though, hopefully this will improve the clinical aspect of Wolford by bringing some unpleasant things to light. Most of Wolford's criticism has to do with the clinical area, not the didactic. So this is a good opportunity for the school to expose and fix any flaws and make it better for everyone all around.

Welcome aboard

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.

Please see comment below

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
it's been difficult finding a post addressing this very question: how good is a particular icu? i know it's preferable to work in the nastiest, biggest, baddest icu available, but i would rather not live in downtown chicago, but put equal weight on living somewhere i really enjoy, close to outdoor activities without commuting an hour to go mountain biking and hunting. anyway, all comments and thoughts welcome!!

i'm sorry, not sure how i missed your question. hopefully you still read this thread and you will see my answer. as long as you are knowledgable and have experience with ventilated patients and vasoactive gtts, you should be good. some of the schools i applied to asked a lot of pathophysiology questions, and thankfully nursing school was only a year ago so i could answer them intelligently. mostly they ask about things you should know, like your area of expertise. i got lots of neuro questions because i work on a neuro floor. most of our students came from level-1 trauma centers, but we have a lot that came from community hospitals too.

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
Why federal loans? People keep telling me that, but the federal loans I found all have interest rates around 6-7% and 10-15 year repayment terms. I did a private student loan from a credit union and pay 5% with a 30 year repayment term. I will pay it off sooner, but it's nice to know I can drop down to a super low monthly payment if necessary. Is there some other reason to pick federal loans?

Technically a private student loan can reset its interest rate for a variety of reasons (e.g., market conditions, your payment history, etc). Federal student loans are guaranteed at a set interest rate, can be differed while you're in school, and used to be subsidized (but that went away this year :banghead:). If you feel comfortable getting your loans through a trusted facility, you can. I just felt better getting a Stafford and Graduate plus loan from the government.

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
How much do you need to remember from your prerequisites from nursing school? I am starting CRNA school in about a month and am worried that I won't rmember enough from my previous chemistry and nursing courses (from 8 years ago). Do they expect you to just know things before starting school?

You need to know your A&P very well. Definitely brush up on some organic chemistry, know the difference between an ester and an amide. I would review cellular biology (depolarization, repolarization, etc). You'll need some stats for the research class too. I mostly just brushed up as I learned and studied for class.

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
I'm getting ready to start my BSN is August but I already have a goal se to become a CRNA so I want to make sure I do anything that will help me reach that goal. Can anyone give me any advice or tell me of their experiences? Feel free to private message me and anything would be appreciated. Thanks :)

Pay very close attention when you learn about the autonomic nervous system, we use it all the time to manage BP and perfusion. Pay attention to respiratory physiology (FRC, V/Q, etc). Learn to be a good nurse and find a great place to learn about ventilators and vasoactive gtts. Enjoy the journey, nursing is awesome.

Thanks for the quick reply! I hope that my classes are back to back dates so I don't have to make several trips a week. Also, is the student insurance a joke? Does it cover much of anything and what about dental or vision? In addition, I just purchased a new MacBook for class but I seen on Wolford's website that they reccomend an Ipad, I have an Iphone and was wondering if all the material and class stuff was accessible on the Ipad?

Thanks,

roush57

Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.

The classes will be back to back. Most students use laptops because it's easier to take notes and write papers on than compared to an iPad. The health insurance is pretty weak but we just got an email today saying the coverage has been pumped up due to the affordable healthcare act. I still think its wicked expensive, but it provides a lot more coverage now. No dental or vision though. Take advantage of your benefits before quiting!

Specializes in ICU.

I just got the info yesterday. For fall classes are Mon from 8-2 (or maybe it was 230). And tues from 8-6 (!! Long day). You have to buy the books through the school as a package which i don't like..$1800 for that.

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