Do you regret it?

[DaughteroftheKing]

i should hopefully be starting an accelerated adn class in october, and continuing on to my bsn immediately following. i hope to work one year in l&d, because right now thats what i really want to do, but we'll see once i start my clinicals, and following, a year or two in an intensive care unit and possibly apply for crna school.

i am 22 now, and i calculated that by the time i am done with crna school, if all goes as planned, which rarely happens, i would be about 32 when i graduate.. someone once told me "well youll be 32 anyways, why not be a crna".

from what i hear in these threads, nursing school, in general is alllll you do while youre in school- you have no life outside of it.. ive been working in a nursing home as a cna to get some experience, and ive seen alot of people die- and death has just in general become more real to me & ive come to realize how short life is-

so my question is, do you all regret your many years of education? i feel like i would be dedicating the next 10 years solely on my education & i just think... that's like... 1/8th possibly of my life... is it worth it?

also, as a crna, what exactly are your job duties? is it constant epidurals or anesthetics & nothing in between? do you truly enjoy your job? and is it better that being a floor nurse?

any and all info above & beyond that would be awesome!

thanks :)

[ICUnursetoCRNA]

Since you really want to do L & D, have you looked at being a nurse midwife? They are on the same level as a CRNA, just on a different end LOL. There are so many options out there. Anesthesia isn't for everyone, but if its what you love, then yes its worth it. I work with many nurses who have no desire to do anesthesia. Keep an open mind about what you want. I went to school to be a L&D nurse, and almost passed out in that rotation. I found my nitch in Trauma. You'll find yours too! Good luck in nursing school!

[gaspasser10]

I do not regret any of my decisions I have made with my nursing career. I'm 27 years old and have been going to school since I've been out of high school. I took my prereqs, became an LVN, then immediately started an ADN program. I just finished my BSN program last year while working in the ICU. I will be starting CRNA school in the fall so I'll be a CRNA by the time I'm 30.

Nursing school was hard, I'm not going to lie to you and you will be spending more time studying than you have ever. But, you have to schedule some leisure time in between. Me and my nursing buddies had this thing that we always went to a bar right after an exam. By the end of our program, the whole bar knew us and was proud to be serving the future nurses of America!!

[KsMICT]

I am 22 now, and I calculated that by the time I am done with CRNA school, if all goes as planned, which rarely happens, I would be about 32 when I graduate.. Someone once told me "Well youll be 32 anyways, why not be a CRNA".

The fact that you are 22 and have an idea what you want to do with your life- and can stand the sight of blood- is a godsend. Trust me. When I was 22 I had a vague idea but was, in general, quite lost (as are most 22 year olds). I am 31 now and in the 3rd month of a BSN program with CRNA dreams. I've worked as a paramedic but my new goals give me a totally new reason to stay motivated. One thing I've discovered, though, while working in health care is that it's a meaningful line of work. It's not easy. It can be stressful, humbling and exhausting. But it's a better than what a lot of other people have to do for a living.