Another year?

midwestsrna1 · Apr 7, 2006

I had very depressing news today. At the baccalaureate level, I have a 3.8 GPA, but in my younger days, I only cared if I passed. I found out the school I want to get into requires a B in A/P classes and in chemistry. Well, I don't have that. I had a C in all of them. So, looks like I will have to take them over in order to try to get in. What a bummer.

As they should. If I were you, I would WANT to retake them to actually learn the material, not just pass. No offense, but I get so sick of all these posts...blah, blah...I REALLY WANT to go to anesthesia school but my GPA is a 1.6, my GRE is a 650, and I've been a CNA (or LPN or RN) for 2 months. You get the point. I wish some of the hopefuls would realize that GETTING into school is the easy part. Why is everyone so resistant to doing the work? Just wait, in school, nothing is easy. Take a simple concept like mask ventilation for example. When I applied to school, I had a GPA 3.85, GRE 1360, 5+ years SICU/MICU, CCRN, ACLS, PALS, code team, hospital research, multiple committees, etc. and I still feel INADEQUATE many a day in the OR (I'm 8 months into an integrated program). You are holding a patient's life in your hands and you owe it to them to be as well prepared as anyone else in that room. Would you want the anesthetist who "got lucky" getting into school taking care of you?

ICUDOUCME? · Apr 8, 2006

... Why is everyone so resistant to doing the work? Just wait, in school, nothing is easy. Take a simple concept like mask ventilation for example. When I applied to school, I had a GPA 3.85, GRE 1360, 5+ years SICU/MICU, CCRN, ACLS, PALS, code team, hospital research, multiple committees, etc. and I still feel INADEQUATE many a day in the OR (I'm 8 months into an integrated program). You are holding a patient's life in your hands and you owe it to them to be as well prepared as anyone else in that room. Would you want the anesthetist who "got lucky" getting into school taking care of you?

midwestsrna,

I love this. You are absolutely right to reply in this manner. We hopefuls need to hear the straight sh*t and I appreciate your candor. I am not afraid of hard work. I got great grades in college and did well on the GRE. However, I don't have the years of experience you have. I have two years ICU experience.

I do feel inadequate some days but if I wait to feel comfortable, I'll be too old to go to CRNA school. I feel like this is my window of opportunity while my kids are out of the house but not married yet. I can leave the area for a few years and not miss grandbabies.

I plan on CRNA school being the hardest thing I've ever done academically and emotionally. I've been working toward this goal for five years now. I must do it and I must do it as soon as possible.

Thanks again for the reality check.

midwestsrna1 · Apr 8, 2006

ICUDOUCME?,

People like you are not the ones who need the reality check. You'll have a least 3 years ICU by the time you are able to start school. Somewhere I read that 3-5 years ICU is the optimal for anesthesia school and I totally agree. After 5 years, the learning curve is quite flat and boredom/burn-out sets in. I felt this way after about 3 years which really motivated me to work toward getting into school. There will always be jokers who claim to have mastered the ICU after 1 year but there is no way they have seen enough to even know if this claim is true. I don't care what ICU/level 1/inner city/teaching hospital... or how many balloon pumps they cared for on one shift. All that matters at the end of the day in anesthesia is YOUR ability to keep YOUR patient safe. Remember that high acuity can also be the result of poor patient management (i.e. failure to head off disaster, nosocomial infections leading to sepsis, etc.) so don't let other people on this BB psych you out. You'll be fine.

ICUDOUCME? · Apr 8, 2006

midwestsrna,

Thank you for that. I think that it's not what you know already but your ability and willingness to learn that matters. For instance, the thought of managing a balloon pump really intimidated me at first. And although I haven't yet become certified to do that, I am not afraid to learn it anymore. I figure you need to become familiar with any new thing and then it is not scary anymore. This is a huge shift in my thinking from just a year ago.

I agree that another big factor is burn-out. I have run into ICU nurses who have been doing it for years and feel like they "have a handle" on the whole thing. I think this is a form of burn-out because it's too hard to keep up with all the evidence out there. It's hard to keep a fresh outlook on every-day situations.

I saw an incident at work that really brought one of these veteran nurses to her knees. Someone in cath lab had hung saline in an IV pump and marked it "heparin". Then they hung the Heparin free flow and brought the patient to our unit. This nurse didn't notice the error until much later in the shift. By then, the patient's pressure was dropping from a retroperitoneal bleed.

I think this can happen to anyone. It just illustrates that errors occur and that we need to be constantly thinking about what we are missing. This outlook is easy to keep alive as a new nurse but very difficult if you are burned out.

In anesthesia, I would think that a fresh approach to every case is a must. And in school, I'm sure that this approach is second nature.

piper_for_hire · Apr 9, 2006

Ah, such wonderful words of encouragement. Floridanurse - don't listen to the flamers. It sucks that you have to undo what happened in the past. Just retake the classes, kick butt and move on. Good luck!

midwestsrna1 · Apr 9, 2006

Ah, such wonderful words of encouragement. Floridanurse - don't listen to the flamers. It sucks that you have to undo what happened in the past. Just retake the classes, kick butt and move on. Good luck!

I hope I'm never laying on the table, looking up at someone who embraces mediocrity in such a way.

midwestsrna1 · Apr 9, 2006

Ah, such wonderful words of encouragement. Floridanurse - don't listen to the flamers. It sucks that you have to undo what happened in the past. Just retake the classes, kick butt and move on. Good luck!

Why "does it suck to have to undo what happened in the past?" I'm being serious here, not trying to be obnoxious (though I'm sure it is coming off that way). Multiple C's in basic courses show inadequate mastery of material that is necessary for anesthesia school. I would have never even thought of applying in that situation, even if the school allowed it. The application process is lengthy, not to mention expensive, so you are wasting your time to apply with those sort of grades. Take the classes over, study hard, get an A, and then show your potential. If someone really wants to be a nurse anesthetist, they will do what ever it takes to get into school - not be deterred by a few entry level courses.

Are you an SRNA/CRNA? If you are, you should understand what I'm talking about.

jenniek · Apr 10, 2006

There will always be jokers who claim to have mastered the ICU after 1 year

So does this mean they no longer feel like crapping their pants when there is a crisis situation? One year, my foot......

rayman · Apr 10, 2006

There is truth in EVERYBODY'S posts, but midwestern summed it up best at the end. If you REALLY want to be a crna then you will do whatever it takes to get there. I have been busting my ass and jumping through so many hoops the last year and a half so that I can start na school in January that I quit counting the hoops. Just numb to them now. If you get started now, by the time you jump through the hoops of gre, lor's, app's then you'll be almost finished by the time interviews come around and they will be able to tell you are serious. A couple of a/p and chemistry...tain't that bad....if you really want to be a crna.

Focker, CRNA · Apr 10, 2006

Midwestern, I agree with a lot of the things that you said... the sentiment that to become a CRNA, a person that really wants it will do whatever it takes... I also agree that I wouldn't want the person, that got "lucky" to be accepted, doing my anesthesia. But I think you are being a little harsh to the OP. I didn't see anywhere in the post where she said, "oh well, guess I'll apply to a different school that doesn't require high grades". She just wanted to come to a place where she thought people might empathize with her, I don't see why she needs to get jumped on.

What it comes down to...

A couple of a/p and chemistry...tain't that bad....if you really want to be a crna.

Floridanurse, I wonder if you could take a graduate level physiology course that may make up for the long ago C and also lighten your load when you get into CRNA school. Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone?