Are You Satisfied with Your Career Choice?

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Hello Everyone,

I'm a senior in high school and was accepted to a four year nursing program. I'm planning to be either a CRNA or a nurse practitioner. Do you think there will continue to be a high demand for CRNA's in the future? Are you happy with your job as a CRNA?

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU, s/p Open Heart surgery.

i've been an RN for a few years now and am working on an open heart surgery unit and i love it. i don't see myself being a nurse forever though. i'm currently getting ready to start prereqs for MD school.

i've noticed that many nurses in their 20s have plans for 'bigger and better things,' ARNP, CRNA, PA, etc.

from what i've been told about the situation in my hospital, they aren't hiring as many anesthesiologists in favor of CRNAs. i do'nt know if this will be the case in about 6 yrs when you'd be done with CRNA school though. good luck :)

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Why don't you work on getting your BSN first? Once you go through nursing school and spend a few years practicing as a nurse, you'll get a much better grasp on which areas are in demand and which areas fit your interests best. You'll need at least 1 year ICU experience before you can go to CRNA school anyway.

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Specializes in criticalcare, nursing administration.

Agree with foreverlaur above. As a former nursing instructor, I had many students who had 'clear' career goals when they started, only to 'fall in love' with a practice area they had never considered. CRNA pay is good, but insurance premiums are high. Do you like to interact with people ? If so, CRNA may not be for you, because patient interaction is limited in this specialty. Also, you may not get the types of cases you like, as anesthesiologists often have preferences. In addition, many agencies require on-call time for emergencies. do you want to spend some of your nights in the hospital??

Still think it's for you? Then a BSN is in order, as well as time in an ICU as an RN. While you're doing your ICU time, try to arrance job-shadowing a CRNA in your facility before applying to school.

Good luck with whatever you choose !! One of the reasons nursing is a great career is that there ARE so many choices and career paths to take :hrnsmlys:

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Do you regret not becoming an anesthesiologist?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Do you regret not becoming an anesthesiologist?

I love being a CRNA/nurse anesthetist. RNs become CRNAs, and physicians become anesthesiologists.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Do you regret not becoming an anesthesiologist?

Sorry, I misread your question. No, I don't miss becoming an anesthesiologist. I can do the everything concerning anesthesia that an anesthesiologist can do. The only thing as a CRNA that limit us is practice setting. I am military so CRNAs practice independently, and we use a consultant system(we consult an MDA for certain cases but we are not required to follow their anesthetic plan if we disagree).

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