Where did your desire to become CRNA start?

lunarjuice · Aug 15, 2011

I took a health occupations class as a sophomore in high school. That's where I learned about anesthesia. It sounded so cool... so that's what I set out to do. Went to nursing school a year after I graduated high school, and graduated with my BSN 3.5 years later. Worked for 9 years in the ICU/CCU/SICU/MICU/trauma/neuro ICU's and was a flight nurse for 2 years (a lot of those simultaneously) before I decided that I wasn't getting any younger and I'd better make this goal of mine happen. I went back to school in 2008, and graduated in 2010. I'd never do it again, but it's the best decision I've ever made!! :)

zoidberg, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2012

Thanks, I thought I had all the acronyms down at this point!

get used to acronyms!

FNPdude74 · Jan 21, 2012

I thought being a FNP was prestigious before I started the FNP program. Now I'm practicing as a FNP and it's not as prestigious as some may think at work, but it sounds prestigious when you tell someone outside the clinic, "I'm a nurse practitioner". They're like, "whooooo....you practice under a doctor right?" Then I just keep my cool and give them the spiel of how we function. I'm sort of interested in going to the CRNA route and don't care about prestige in healthcare anymore. I just want to practice aprning and bring home a comfortable paycheck.

Dlam88 · Jan 30, 2012

When I considered CRNA as a profession, I was probably 22 years old and in the middle of a Healthcare Management bachelors degree. I only had about a year and a 1/2 left, so I decided to finish and apply to an accelerated 2nd degree nursing program. I graduated this December and applied to nursing school in January. I was accepted and start next month. CRNA school is still a long way down the road, but I know it is what I want to do. I did an internship and shadowed a CRNA last fall and I really enjoyed it. Good luck to you, and if you havent already, I would suggest that you shadow a CRNA to get a better perspective of the field that interests you (Anesthesia).

Hello how did get the internship to shadow a CRNA?

J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Feb 4, 2012

Why do you say being a CRNA is not prestigious?? Having worked with CRNA's and seeing their job up close I find it to be very prestigious! They play a VERY important role in the OR. They may not be an MD, but an MD can't do what they do. They have autonomy and are viewed as a valuable member of the OR team. Not to mention they get paid pretty damn well for being a nurse!

allnurses Guide · Feb 4, 2012

Why do you say being a CRNA is not prestigious?? Having worked with CRNA's and seeing their job up close I find it to be very prestigious! They play a VERY important role in the OR. They may not be an MD, but an MD can't do what they do. They have autonomy and are viewed as a valuable member of the OR team. Not to mention they get paid pretty damn well for being a nurse!

Being woke up in the middle of the night to do appys, epidurals, IV starts, dealing with arrogant and/or incompetent surgeons, being cussed at by laboring moms or other patients, and dealing with politics on a scale that is hard to imagine before becoming a CRNA takes a lot of the prestige right out of being a CRNA at least for me it does. Not to mention that the OR loves to blame anesthesia any time there is a delay even when it usually has nothing to do with anesthesia.

I actually took a 7 yr pay cut to become a CRNA in the USAF. It is good thing I love doing anesthesia.

J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Feb 4, 2012

HAHAHA I am sorry to laugh but for being a well educated person you have kind of missed a main point. All of what you just said is HEALTH CARE!! Do you think MD's don't deal with that? Or nurses? Or social workers? Or CNA's/tech? Everybody who works in healthcare gets to deal with this **** at one point or another. The other day I watched a patient of mine scream, swear, and throw things at the doctor (she had of course already done this to me.) She happened to leave AMA all because the doctor wouldn't give her 40mg of lortab, which was apparently her "usual dosage." ha, obviously she was a drug addict. (I work in a very rural hospital and she is a frequent fly, everybody knows her and her habits) Anyways my point is that this is what you signed up for when you became a healthcare professional. One the bright side at least you aren't wiping peoples butts anymore, which is something I do every day as an RN, and I still consider my job prestigious. If you still think you are dealing with things you shouldn't, because I agree there are quite a few intolerable people out there, MD's, patients, unit directors, you name it. Maybe you should consider working in a different hospital. Not everywhere is like that.

allnurses Guide · Feb 4, 2012

HAHAHA I am sorry to laugh but for being a well educated person you have kind of missed a main point. All of what you just said is HEALTH CARE!! Do you think MD's don't deal with that? Or nurses? Or social workers? Or CNA's/tech? Everybody who works in healthcare gets to deal with this **** at one point or another. The other day I watched a patient of mine scream, swear, and throw things at the doctor (she had of course already done this to me.) She happened to leave AMA all because the doctor wouldn't give her 40mg of lortab, which was apparently her "usual dosage." ha, obviously she was a drug addict. (I work in a very rural hospital and she is a frequent fly, everybody knows her and her habits) Anyways my point is that this is what you signed up for when you became a healthcare professional. One the bright side at least you aren't wiping peoples butts anymore, which is something I do every day as an RN, and I still consider my job prestigious. If you still think you are dealing with things you shouldn't, because I agree there are quite a few intolerable people out there, MD's, patients, unit directors, you name it. Maybe you should consider working in a different hospital. Not everywhere is like that.

I understand both sides of the coin. I started out as CNA many years ago, and looking at my job from that point of view it does look prestigious. To me and other CRNAs no this job doesn't seem that prestigious. We will always be considered second class citizens by most Docs/MDAs. Become a CRNA then we will see if you think this job is still prestigious.

J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Feb 4, 2012

:) Thanks for the advice. I hope this isn't the case for me. Just an idea for you, I shadowed a CRNA who owned his own practice and contracted himself out to work under pediatric dentists and oral surgeon's, he was well respected by the Doc's, probably because they were grateful to have a CRNA instead of an Anesthesiologist since it saves them tons of money! Since the Doc's own there own practices and all. He loved his job and really enjoyed his colleagues and patients. He'd done the hospital thing for a few years and left for some of the reasons you listed. This was probably my best CRNA shadowed experience. I would love his job!