Question for CRNAs and SRNAs

szoozoo · May 4, 2003

Angela! I was a nurse in Russia and when I came to the US I decided to go to school for the same... After being in shcool for 2 and a half years I started my clinical and dropped out in 3 month. The reason- what you just described above. The image of being "stupid" reminded me of a previous job in Moscow. I am in school now again just because my friend convinced me that I could be a nurse-manager or something else ( meaning graduate degree). Just by accident I discovered a Nurse- Anesthetist proffesion. I used to think that it has to be done by doctors only...So, I am here with you on your opinion!

jewelcutt · May 11, 2003

Being a nurse for about a year now, I find it very rewarding when I made a huge impact on saving someone's life. When I pull a critical care patient out of a critical situation, when the family is overwhelmed with all the lines, beeps, machines and awed by the fact that I know how to control them, when a vented pt. smiles at me for giving them pain medicine, when a husband hugs me the first time his wife smiles at him after a stroke, when an attending listens to my clinical assessment and suggestions, when an attending listens to my suggestion to tube a patient over the residents, when I have a cvsurg patient up in the chair for the first time, and lastly when I recieve a huge thankyou basket from a grieving family.

The things I hate about ICU nursing: THE MATRIX, calling a cvsurgeon in the middle of the night and getting screamed at for something that is not my fault, having the attending tell us we are not allowed to draw non-ordered labs(ha), being required to take annual blood glucose testing when doctor's only have to take ACLS once because heaven forbid we don't get a blood sugar right, missing my breakfast and lunch and not beign allowed to have a glass of water at the desk, having a family member tell me I am doing nothing, giving suppositories, punching into a clock and gettign warnings if we forget our badges or punch out accidentally 1 minute early, lining up like factory workers to punch out, making up weekends for calling in sick on one, being the one group that gets crapped on when docs have no one else ot blame.

I love my job as an ICU nurse, I love the acuity and responsibility but I want more education and professionalism along with responsibility. Most of us don't want to be a CRNA just for the money like many suggest, but we want to be supported for having the desire to do so.

New CCU RN · May 12, 2003

Originally posted by EmeraldNYL
Ooooh, good question!! I'm almost finished nursing school and I enjoy clinicals so far except when patients expect you to be their waitress. I can definitely understand the frusturation that some RN's have about not being treated as college educated professionals. CCU RN, how do you feel about bedside nursing so far, you're a recent grad right?

Well, first of all I want to thank you all for your honest responses. Emerald, I was waiting to hear from others before I posted, but now that many people have, I will answer the question:

I am still an ICU nurse, not an SRNA yet, so I only have a one sided perspective it all. But here goes...

There are some things that I absolutely love about the Critical care environment....the learning, the intensity, the responsibility, the bond you gain with your patients. Number one of it all is the learning though. There is just so very much constantly going on, and esp being in a teaching institution, there is an openness to learning. I have only been an ICU nurse for a year now, but the past year I have learned more than my 17 years of schooling...

Along with the learning is bond with your patients and their families. The majority of the time working with both is a pleasure. Most families give me a hug when they leave for the night or I end my shift. It gets me teary every time to see their appreciation for my care of their loved one. There are still a few, fortunately, I can count them on one hand, that I have had difficulty with.

I also enjoy the intensity of it all. It is amazing how quickly a patient can go down the drain... it is also amazing the preminition that a nurse can have that the patient is going to go down the drain... which leads me to my dislikes. There is nothing worse than begging and pleading with an intern, then resident, finally fellow or attending when a patient looks bad and they simply wont listen. The thing I hate worse is the here well on rounds today Dr Blah wanted to do this.... no rationale, no reason, no openess for the fact that ICU patients can change their status. That is the really only thing I don't like about bedside nursing, the fact that we really have very little autonomy. I can usually discuss why it seems we need to intubate or do whatever and the majority of the time get a response. But sometimes I wish that there weren't so many fences to jump just to get your patients adequate care.

Well, there is one more thing that drives me insane, and that is the attitude of some nurses, that we are "just nurses" and need to listen and not question the doctors. Yes, a dialysis nurse once said to me in front of an entire medical team, "You need to be the nurse and follow orders and let the doctors do the thinking." Fortunately, a resident responded to her comment that I was "an excellent ICU nurse and that he appreciated and often listened to my college educated suggestions." That shut her up real quick... :chuckle

I am satisfied with my bedside position the majority of the time. I work with a great team of nurses and our manager is also awesome, always advocating for the nurses.

I want to eventually become a CRNA because of the increased autonomy, the learning, it seems so interesting, and every CRNA I talk to seems to love their work. They all seem so knowledgable. I like the idea of being able to focus on your patient's status, pain control and OR experience and call most of the shots. While the pay is great, I would do it even if the salary was the same as a bedside nurse.

MICU RN · May 12, 2003

Ditto CCURN!!!!

yoga crna · May 13, 2003

You guys are on the right track. Anesthesia is hard, but it is also fun and very satisfying. Keep learning and you will make good CRNAs.

Yoga

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · May 13, 2003

Thanks for the input everyone... I am graduating from nursing school soon, will be working in an ICU, and have my sights set on becoming a CRNA. It's good to know all the positive and negative things I have in store when I start my job in the ICU.