CRNA's: Do you ever get nervous about what you do?

[Annabelle57]

i hope my question doesn't sound too ignorant - i'm just about to enter nursing school, and i'm exploring the possibility of becoming a crna one day. my question is: do you ever feel nervous or "over-pressured" to do your job correctly? even now, i can see how very essential and inherently dangerous a lot of your procedures are... and after reading about a few bad cases (like the 78-year old mda who didn't secure a tube and caused brain damage to a patient), does it ever worry you? or does your schooling prepare you backwards and forwards for pretty much every possible situation?

my general impression from reading posts on these threads is that crna's are well-trained and well-prepared for most any situation, and the likelihood of freezing up or screwing up during a critical moment is slim. just wanted to hear some feedback on this - thanks!

[CRNA70]

Hi. There should be a comfortable level of "nervous" whenever you are training. This is natural and demonstrates your ability to recognize your limitations. Acting bold or all-knowing when you're not is dangerous to patients' lives. With continued training and experience in nursing and nurse anesthesia, things get easier. However, you can never take what you are doing for granted==even the most routine anesthetic can quickly turn into a disaster with lack of vigilance. Hope that helps.