ever miss it?

athomas91 · Feb 7, 2006

I really don't see what's so funny about this. Do CRNAs hate complete patient care so much that they're happy to be finally relieved of this duty? Is it all about the money? I'm kind of offended by this thread.
I know plenty of nurse practitioners (not CRNAs) who do indeed miss being staff nurses sometimes. They miss the time they got to spend with the patients and their families, and having their hands and minds on only 1-2 patients per shift. Just because you get an advanced degree, does that mean that staff nursing is below you, and that your job is so much greater? Some people get into this field for the personal satisfaction of working with patients, not the money and prestige.
I'm sorry if I'm out of line. I'm just tired of seeing people go to nursing school just to be rich CRNAs. I hope if I'm ever in an ICU, I have nurses that are in it because they want to be, not because they're just fulfilling their pre-CRNA

ok... you are offended?!?! you just accused everyone that is a CRNA or SRNA of being in it for the money...and that apparently we are all snobs who think we are superior?!?!

so - you are out of line

first of all - i didn't know what a CRNA was the first 4 years I was a nurse - so I personally didn't go to nursing school to be a CRNA... secondly...do i think an advanced degree makes one "greater" - absolutely - how could add'l education not make one better at their profession.. do i think any CRNA/SRNA feels nursing staff is "below" them - how ludicrous - WE ARE NURSES TOO....

the reason i personally found it funny is because i don't know whether you have noticed it or not - but general nursing staff is overworked and underappreciated - CRNA's are not - so it is laughable to me that anyone would want to go back to that. i guess you aren't aware that CRNA's do still provide patient care...but we do - so we still get satisfaction from providing direct patient care...

sounds to me like someone just may have an issue w/ the whole field - could be wrong but... your post was insulting to the profession and individuals all around.

athomas91 · Feb 7, 2006

oh, and by the way - i was an ER nurse who will never missed being purposefully spit on, cursed at, hit, bitten, threatened, scratched, and insulted...i worked an absolutely thankless job and could never go back like an earlier poster stated - if i couldn't finish and get my CRNA i would find a completely different profession - because noone deserves the abuse that nurses endure.

macanes, BSN, MSN, DNP, CRNA · Feb 7, 2006

I really don't see what's so funny about this. Do CRNAs hate complete patient care so much that they're happy to be finally relieved of this duty? Is it all about the money? I'm kind of offended by this thread.
I know plenty of nurse practitioners (not CRNAs) who do indeed miss being staff nurses sometimes. They miss the time they got to spend with the patients and their families, and having their hands and minds on only 1-2 patients per shift. Just because you get an advanced degree, does that mean that staff nursing is below you, and that your job is so much greater? Some people get into this field for the personal satisfaction of working with patients, not the money and prestige.
I'm sorry if I'm out of line. I'm just tired of seeing people go to nursing school just to be rich CRNAs. I hope if I'm ever in an ICU, I have nurses that are in it because they want to be, not because they're just fulfilling their pre-CRNA school requirement.

Horse puckey. You've got to want it so bad it hurts, otherwise you never get through my training program (Army).

I get that "but you never get a chance to know your patients" question all the time. I get to know my patients during some of the most intense emotional moments of their lives (before and after surgery). And, I still get recognized on the street, restaurants, etc., when they want to talk, even if I don't remember them among some of the 4-5k patients I've had since I started anesthesia. Heck, back in the day in CCU, I had the same two patients for weeks, sometimes. Remember what happens when you're forced to spend time with someone you don't necessarily like? It's like a marriage!

Sorry, just kidding.

Anyway, as a CRNA I get as much or more satisfaction from my work as when I was a CCU nurse. Of course, with greater satisfaction/pay comes that higher pucker factor . . . .

Z

London88 · Feb 7, 2006

I do not quite see what the original question has to do with what money a CRNA makes or whether or not a CRNA thinks ICU nursing is beneath them. I did bedside nursing for 13 years before I became a CRNA. I did not mind ICU nursing it was the families who got on my nerves for many of the reasons mentioned above. Some of the folks on this BB need to chill and stop being so judgemental of others. The " you think you're better than us because you are a CRNA" mentality gets tiresome!

athomas91 · Feb 8, 2006

amen brother!

heartICU · Feb 8, 2006

Just to clarify, I ask because I do enjoy working bedside and was wondering if any CRNA's feel the same way and if it's something that they miss. I wasn't trying to offend anyone.

I really enjoyed bedside nursing too - but after you start anesthesia school, you don't realize what you have been missing. My decision is validated every time I go back and work a PRN shift in the ICU on the weekends...I am so glad I decided to go into anesthesia. The thing that really gets me is how different the attitudes are between anesthesia and the ICU. I have found that I have much less patience/tolerance for all the bullsh*t that the ICU nurses dish out and have to deal with. Maybe it was just the unit I worked in, but I am so glad I don't have to put up with all the gossip, who gets the good assignment crap, who got their weekend off request in first, etc. Many nurses in the ICU were extremely set in the way "things should be done" - and perhaps they don't realize they are done differently in the OR. Honestly, so much time and energy was spent bitching about how crappy the job is....it's a wonder any work got done.

But aside from that, I do not miss the ICU. The main reason being, I am still doing ICU nursing, just while the patient is undergoing surgery. There is something very rewarding about anesthetizing a nervous patient, and having them wake up calm, pain-free, nausea-free....very satisfying.

And for the record, the money is nice (or will be, when I am done with school) but I truly love what I do, as do other SRNAs and CRNAs that I have met. Although we deserve every penny we make, I would do it for less - that's how much better it is than ICU nursing, at least for me.

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Feb 8, 2006

I don't miss crazy families, heavy physical labor, abusive scheduling practices and supervisors, the hospital as a whole communicating disrespect for nurses in large and small ways, dealing with idiot MDs, and having to watch my patients endure suffering because the docs are afraid of narcotics.

One of the best parts of this (CRNA) is that my whole job is to make people comfortable.

I think that the size of the patients and the doses of excrement make a big difference in quality of work life. When you have two 300+ lb patients who need total care and turning q2, and who are pooping like it's going out of style, well - I'm 5'2 and it becomes totally exhausting. Hospital can't spring for decent lift equipment so our backs take the load. In NICU, PICU and peds, the whole thing is almost a non-issue,

miloisstinky · Feb 10, 2006

Actually i do miss it sometimes. The worst is when I know nothing about this person in the ICU or ward, slam an ETT tube down the throat (per say), and leave. I feel guilty at times because im so focused on the airway...rightfully so. but tend to forget this is a "person with a family"!

And then, i establish a rapport with patients before their surgery, give them anesthesia, get them thru the surgery safely, and then visit them postoperatively....i realize then that a lot of the positive postoperative outcome comes from great nursing care. Not to sound cheezy, but competent assertive nursing care saves these patients in the end....too bad not many other people realize it!

I will be a CRNA soon, but these thoughts keep me grounded.

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2006

I miss it sometimes..... I still work part-time every now and then. I worked with a great group of people who were really fun and interesting, and there was always drama to be had, either with co-workers or patient situations. I also learned a lot. But no, I don't miss cleaning up poop, having family members or docs disrespect me, and being underpaid for my level of responsibility. I am glad I am obtaining additional knowledge and will have more autonomy as a CRNA.

sandman1914 · Feb 13, 2006

My last shift is tommorrow:roll I appreciate the experience I have gained in the ICU, but I have had my fill for code browns and won't look back. I look forward to the new challenges ahead that come with learning the practice of anesthesia. Just as there are many ways to practice nursing, there are many reasons to go into it, now you know mine. Besides that, someones reasoning for going into a particuliar field should not bother you anyway.