ACNP or CRNA

PresG33 · Jan 29, 2018

I thought of doing ACNP before I ended up going to CRNA school. ACNP have some rough hours (whole week of nights, etc). There is also a lot of scut work for ACNPs (doing H+Ps, drawn out family meetings, etc). The NPs on my unit never left work on time and were usually pushing a computer around documenting stuff. But the biggest thing that made me want to go CRNA is that when I am in the OR, I make the plan of what to do and then put the plan into action. As a NP, if you want to give someone a vasopressor, you have to be told about the hypotension by the nurse, order the pressor in the computer, pharmacy has to approve it, the nurse has to go to the pyxis and pull it, the nurse puts it on the pump and gives it. In the OR, I see hypotension, I pick up my vasopressor, decide how much to give, and I give it. There is no one else in my decision loop to worry about and I solve the problems on my own. This compresses the "assess, intervene, reassess" loop and allows faster treatment. That being said, there are times where I am in a long case and have the patient stable that it gets a little monotonous, but I use that time to plan for a smooth emergence and get set up for my next case.

thehopefulone · Jan 30, 2018

Thank you for sharing your experience. One of my biggest frustrations now is that so many other departments effect my work flow, and that is something that wouldn't change as a np.

ARGH-N · Feb 10, 2018

PresG33 - great answer.