SRNA for a day entry for 10/15/02

Specialties CRNA

Published

Craig: (aka) nilepoc, Srna for a day.

Just read your entry for 10/15/02 and agree with you 100%. Although I am not in crna school yet, I have done all my nurs. edu. AD and BSN at a health science center that also has a medical school and have already come to some of the same conclusions you did in your post. As a matter of fact, I have a good friend who was a RN for about a year and is now in her first year of med school and has stated that nursing school in general puts you through more stress and BS than med. school. And she is referring to a BSN program not a CRNA program. That is why I get so upset too when people refer to nursing training as watered down and for people who couldn't get in med school. Nursing training at the under grad. and grad level is hard!!!

I too got into nursing with the long term goal of becoming a CRNA. But I do tell people who are undecided about whether to become a CRNA or pursue medicine, that if I had to do again, knowing now what I know about the BS associated with nursing school and at the bedside, I would have tried the MD rout. It is a very long road but seems to have less BS and much more respect and compensation. For anyone who would like to figure out where I am going with post please read the SRNA for a day entry for 10/15/02. Especially if you are thinking about nursing vs. medicine for a career choice.

what did your friend have to do to get into med school? I was originally a science major and have most of the credits.

where is this posting....interested in reading it esp b/c i am right now contemplating md vs crna route..... thanks

ps wondering also the route your friend took to go from rn to md...have heard...never seen stats though that rn's application to md school usually has low acceptance rates..... right now i am taking core sciences needed and plan on possibly doing a post bacc program b/c i figure the hard core sciences is where i need to boost myself...any other suggestions

My friend grad. in 2000 with her BSN and then took the required prereq.s mainly gen chem 8hrs, organ chem 8 hrs and physics 8 hrs also you need 8 hrs of gen bio this appears to be the min. requirement throughout the US for prereq.s; she took a study course for the MCAT, and I think she got a 28 which is not stellar but competive for most state schools. She got in on her first time applying to her state school, LSUHSC. She has mentioned that so for medical school has not been really that overwhelming and feels that the time management she learned in nursing school has helped her. She also felt that those prereq.s were not that bad either. She is still trying to encourage me to go the MD route, but I am now getting ready to put in an application for anesth. school which would start in the fall 2003. And I have not taken organ. or physics so it would be at least 2 more years before I could start, so it is more practical for me to pursue the crna route, not to mention that I am 36 and have two small children. My friend is only 24 and single. she has also mentioned that this is the best decision she has ever made and if your on the fence about RNvs.MD route that you probably will never be happy being the nurse. I can definetly agree with that since I have been a RN for 4 1/2 years and realized from the beginning that bedside nursing was the wrong choice for me. I am hoping that I will enjoy the role of CRNA if it is meant for me to become one.

Thanks for the post. After reading nipeloc's srna a for a day I can totally agree with what you have said about it. There is no need for this lack of regard.

I have personally been contemplating the MD vs CRNA route since half way through my nursing school (went straight for BSN). I knew bedside nursing wasn't my calling but wanted to try it out.....well after 6 months of being an RN, it is clear to me that I need the autonomy. I'm in a large CCU with alot of autonomy an while I love the unit, I am far from loving the job.

I am fortunate enough to be 22 and single so alot of my options are still open. I am currently taking Gen Chem and getting an A. I took Bio in college (B plus) and so I have Orgo which I was going to take this summer, and then Physics. I was thinking of taking a post bacc program just to make myself stronger in the science background while I took Physics and then applying... I know its a long road ahead for me, but its something I am ready to do.

I can agree/relate with your comments that your friend made!!! Wishing you luck in your apps!!!!

New ccurn:

Go for it. As I stated before I came to that same realization while in nursing school too. And it has not changed one bit in the 4 1/2 years at the bedside. I too work in a MICU and enjoy about as much autonomy as you can have as a RN because it is part of major teaching hospital. The residents really listen to what I have to say and I feel I make a difference in patient's medical management. However, it just makes me want more autonomy. I love learning and just relate much more so with the medicine aspects of healthcare than nursing. Don't get me wrong I have the greatest respect for good RN's; they are the backbone and work hoorifice of the hospital, I just feel like I am ready to go to the next level. Don't stop you are young and can use your nursing background to make you a better CRNA or MD. Although if I was your age I would go for the MD you will have many more options as far as what you want to specialize in and you will not have to answerr to no one once you complete your res. training. Whether we like it or not doctors are in charge of healthcare in our system so why not be the one writing the orders instead of following them.

months if not years of 100+ hour weeks at many institutions. Even if I wasn't 32 and didn't have a family that fact alone would give me pause. In addition, although MD's and MDA's may make more money they often don't get compensated for "overtime" in the same way. I personally think that the CRNA route is more conducive to someone who places a high value on family life.

new ccu rn - just a little advice:

Don't take your organic over the summer if you can help it. Organic holds lots of memorization and concept building, and it is very tough in a compressed state (6weeks; 13 for two semesters). Do the physics during the summer, and save the organic for a regular semester if you can.......

Roland brings up some good points about quality of life. But if you are 22 with no family oblications you should consider all options.

6-7 years of nursing school plus at least one year of critical care. And remember until you get to anesth. school, nursing training pretty much blows and that includes being an ICU nurse. To become a physician it will take any where from a min. of 11 years are greater to complete their training. Also, there are residency programs that are not 100plus hours, and have a decent quality of life. I know this since I work in a major teaching hospital. In general though, you will probably work more hours as a MD than CRNA once you are out practicing. And I think for an established RN that the CRNA route is your most practical and is a very good job. Many of my resident friends have stated if they were in my shoes 36yr.s and already a RN for 4 years that they would go the crna route and that is what I am currently doing. However, since ccu rn is only 22 I think he/she should look at the MD route too. And I have met some crna's that now wish they would have went to med school when they had a chance to go back to school. I have yet to meet any MD.'s who were prior nurses state that they wish they would have stayed in nursing at any level.

and are not hoping to place great emphasis on having kids then the MD route definitely makes the most sense for many people. Just do the math on salary. That $250,000 plus a year that is the norm for MDA's starts adding up real quickly and soon pays for the extra years of hard labor. Heck, if you're frugal there is no reason you shouldn't be able to at least "semi retire" by your mid forties. Not to many "jobs" can hold such a prospect out as a realistic possibility.

I appreciate all your responses....and agree with much of what you have said. Perhaps some residencies require 100 plus hrs a week, but where I am (also a large teaching hospital), they are putting in more like 60 maybe 70. As an RN, I am doing about 50 a week and feel like I have enough time off so it is definitely doable. (At least in my opinion).

As far as the MD vs CRNA route battle for me, I am leaning more towards the MD route. While CRNA sounds like a very challanging and rewarding way to go, I would be doing it for the autonomy not the field of anesthesia. Right now I am still not too sure what area/speciality I am interested in. I originally went for CCU as a nurse b/c of the challange of it.

While it is a long road I am deciding to take, I don't think the feeling is gonna go away. Alot of RN's I know love being a nurse. I am jealous of how content they are.... but as all of you know, you want something more!!!! I wish you all the best of luck in your studies/application processes.

As far as family is concerned, while I just got engaged (last Sunday...yay!!!), we are far from ready for the kids....definitely one day but not yet by any means.

Again I wish you all luck in your stages of becoming a CRNA, who knows by the time I get out of school there may be all CRNA ORs and no MDAs left!!!!!

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