UMD's CRNA School w. minimum critical care req.?

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melloyello

4 Posts

Specializes in ICU, cardiac, SICU.

Nothing will ever replace the natural intuition of knowing when something is "not right" with your patient than EXPERIENCE! It is experience working several years with critically ill, unstable patients that gives you this intuitive knowing and ability to intervene in the appropriate manner when it is necessary.

You absolutely cannot "learn" this type of skill with 1-2 years experience. At least 4 years in an intensive care environment would be ideal to even begin thinking about applying to nurse anesthesia programs.

I certainly would not want someone with 1-2 years nursing experience providing my anesthesia, versus someone with >4 years....the amount of information, confidence, and intuition that you learn in those additional ICU years is PRICELESS!

jenrn2008

226 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

well keep waiting then. I am applying to anesthesia school now... see ya on the other side.

Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, OR, Med-Surg.

It's funny to hear how so many civilian nurses say you need 5-10 years of ICU experience when in the military, we accept OR, ICU, ER, and PACU nurses. When I was stationed in Germany, over 60% of our CRNA staff were prior OR nurses without any previous ICU training and did just as well as the ICU trained nurses. The school teaches you everything you need to know from the basics of drug calculations to hemodynamic monitoring. Many of my CRNA friends were telling me that the ICU training only came in handy towards the last semester of the program when students were doing cardiac anesthesia and hemodynamic monitoring. Even though ICU nurses know about the effects of various vasoactive medications, most ICU nurses do not know specifically which receptor sites these medications work on, which is provided in anesthesia school. As an experienced OR nurse, having civilian and military OR experience, it is very rare to see CRNA's doing cardiac anesthesia. It's mainly the anesthesiologists. I have worked in level I trauma facilities and many CRNA's are not able to even put in Swanz and Central Lines because they get so used to the surgeon or anesthesiologist putting it in for them.

From many of the postings, it seems everybody says you need all these years of ICU experience and I see my fellow CRNA's in the military with ER and OR experience successfully completed CRNA school and are down-range in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the most austere environments putting in central lines, Swanz, and the whole nine yards by themselves. I have a lot of respect for CRNA's that are successful in CRNA and can hold their own. Some people may need 5-10 years experience to feel comfortable in a job, but the main thing is that we are all different. What may require a longer time for one person may not be the same requirement for the next person.

I just wanted to add my two cents.

:)

Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, OR, Med-Surg.

I agree with you. ICU and CRNA are two totally different types of nursing. If students were not doing well with the 1 year experience, then the AANA would have revised their requirement for admission to anesthesia school. Anesthesia school teaches you everything you need to know. I look at it as just another type of internship but more rigorous and demanding of your time and energy. People know what their dreams are and there is nothing wrong about going for it.

mgh000

13 Posts

First of all it does not take 5 years to gain enough experience for CRNA school. I would recommend any and all new grads trying to get into an ICU to absolutely not settle for Med-Surg unless of course you have to for financial means. I work and run charge with nurses and that have been working for over 15yrs and they come to me asking me questions at times, and only I've been a nurse for almost 2yrs. I will admit it is hard but its not rocket science. This whole "intuition" thing that you speak of does not take 10+ yrs to get, you know when your patients going to crump. I have a lot of friends that got in to CRNA school with 1-2yrs experience and are working in the field and love it. It is usually the older generation that tends to tell the younger nurses that they "can't handle it" straight out of nursing school, which honestly depending on the nurse it is completely do-able.

LNeonurse

30 Posts

well keep waiting then. I am applying to anesthesia school now... see ya on the other side.

LOL!! I almost fell out of my chair!! I couldn't agree more. :)

krisjazzer13

69 Posts

Specializes in CRNA.

As an SRNA, I personally think that one year is not enough, but 2-4 years is pretty good for clinical preparation...some of my classmates with less than 2 years experience have struggled with some clinical aspects including IV starts, as they just didn't have enough time to really get proficient before school started! Don't let people tell you that you need many years of ICU experience...anesthesia is a completely different animal. My father became a CRNA back in the 70s when all you needed to do was graduate nursing school and no experience was required..and he did just fine for all these years and is still working full time. Best of luck to all of you future SRNAs!!

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