CRNA vs FNP

[bbop85]

hello! i am a cs/tele imc rn and am planning on going back to get my masters. i just can't decide between a cardiac focused fnp or crna. i like different aspects of each profession, but i had a few questions for any crnas out there.

1) do you miss the patient interaction? i know that you interact with patients pre and post op, and that you play a huge role in consoling patients who are scared of surgery/anesthesia...but obviously for the most of the part, your time with the patient is when they are sedated. also, unlike an fnp, there usually isn't an extended patient relationship (like annual check ups). do you like that?

2) is it overwhelmingly stressful? i'm on an imc, so i know what it is to have my patient crashing (don't we all!?!?). is your job at that stress level every day? is the stress decreased because you have 1 patient (who, obviously, you're doing a whole lot more for!)? i understand that crna school is overwhelming, but i want to know about your day to day job. do you feel overworked and underpaid (as many nurses do...)?

3) when a patient is under anesthesia during a long procedure, do you get bored? i worked in the or for a summer and spent some time with the anesthesiologists, and some of them would bring books, magazines and music to keep them occupied during the surgery. is this a relaxing time (as opposed to my question about stress), or is it boring? do you still find your job interesting/engaging during this time? or do you feel like the job is very stressful (during intubation/extubation time) and then potentially boring (during the surgery). i'm sorry for my ignorance on this issue, and i know the answer will depend on your personality and experience, but i appreciate your opinion!

i really like the thought of being a crna but am afraid i will miss the long term patient relationship and patient education that i could have as a fnp working in a chf clinic. at the same time, i feel like being a crna would be better for my lifestyle so i could have a more regular schedule without my patients paging me when i'm trying to have dinner with my family or get my kids into bed.

any advice would be helpful and i thank you in advance!

[stanman1968]

1. No I do not.

2. No I do not find it stressful, I find it the most satisfying postion I have ever had.

3. Not really

[bishmilla]

I agree with the above. I think some clarification is in order on at LEAST the first question regarding patient contact. Your people skills have to be excellent, beyond even those of the average ICU nurse. YOU are going to create a trusting relationship with a person you have never met before in a matter of minutes ( pre-op) and you are going to have to convince them you are a competent practitioner who will have their life in your hands even more so than the surgeons. ( Old saying in anesthesia \" There may be minor surgeries.. but there is no such thing as minor ANESTHESIA.\") There will be times when you will be giving \" Verbal sedation\" in cases where pharmacological sedation cannot be used. IE deep brain stimulator placement, 7th cranial nerve radioablation and even an awake craniotomy. in the latter you will be talking to that patient for a couple of hours while the top of his or her head is off and their brain is exposed. Please do not take this the wrong way. But it sounds like you would be better served by going the NP route. The career selection is usually NOT NP or CRNA.. it is usually CRNA or nothing,,, you have to WANT to do this. Consider this.... I have had countless students who were NPs and went back to school to be a CRNA.. in all my years of doing this, I have never seen a CRNA becomes an NP.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I agree with the above. I think some clarification is in order on at LEAST the first question regarding patient contact. Your people skills have to be excellent, beyond even those of the average ICU nurse. YOU are going to create a trusting relationship with a person you have never met before in a matter of minutes ( pre-op) and you are going to have to convince them you are a competent practitioner who will have their life in your hands even more so than the surgeons. ( Old saying in anesthesia \" There may be minor surgeries.. but there is no such thing as minor ANESTHESIA.\") There will be times when you will be giving \" Verbal sedation\" in cases where pharmacological sedation cannot be used. IE deep brain stimulator placement, 7th cranial nerve radioablation and even an awake craniotomy. in the latter you will be talking to that patient for a couple of hours while the top of his or her head is off and their brain is exposed. Please do not take this the wrong way. But it sounds like you would be better served by going the NP route. The career selection is usually NOT NP or CRNA.. it is usually CRNA or nothing,,, you have to WANT to do this. Consider this.... I have had countless students who were NPs and went back to school to be a CRNA.. in all my years of doing this, I have never seen a CRNA becomes an NP.

Bismilla,

Just a question are you a CRNA? I am assuming from your posts that you are either a CRNA or MDA, but you can never be sure on here.

[bishmilla]

I am a CRNA... is there something I posted that would lead you to believe I am an MD? If so please point it out and I will stop doing it . Do you disagree with something I said?

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I am a CRNA... is there something I posted that would lead you to believe I am an MD? If so please point it out and I will stop doing it . Do you disagree with something I said?

No not at all...please don't take it the wrong way, but there is one notorious person on here that doesn't like to provide their educational background (yet they want to act like they know everything about CRNAs).

We have had several MDA instructors in my program so I wasn't absolutely for sure that you were a CRNA when you mentioned nurse anesthesia students.

[zrmorgan]

crna...okay has to be five charecters or it won't let me post