First CRNA Job - What to look for?

[kdkd25, MSN]

Looking back to when you were applying for your first CRNA job out of school, what would you look for if you could've went anywhere?

I'm graduating in a few months and nothing is tying me down to a certain location. While this is a good problem to have it makes deciding where to apply a bit challenging.

[BigPappaCRNA]

There are usually 3 criteria for any job. They are salary (and benefits and schedule and hours worked), location, and independence. Most people have to make a choice. You can usually have 2 of the 3, but it is very few and far between to be able to have all 3. You have to decide what is important to you.

[guest478081]

Life is great if you can handle living in rural America. Usually cheap homes high autonomy and more $$$&

[PresG33]

If possible, dont make the decision on where to work at your first job based on commuting time or salary.... make it based on case mix and autonomy. You will have plenty on time in your career to make location and money based decisions, but the first 2 years out of school are imperative to making you a great CRNA for the next 30 years. I took a little less money and had to drive an hour each way to my first job but it was at a major academic center where CRNAs did all types of cases. The experience I got there made it so I got comfortable going anywhere and managing sick patients.

[guest478081]

Go somewhat rural but not so rural they ship everything out. Seems to be rule of the thumb for autonomy but there are exceptions. Medium sized hosp 3-700 beds in small cities

[ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA]

On 11/2/2019 at 3:43 AM, PresG33 said:

If possible, dont make the decision on where to work at your first job based on commuting time or salary.... make it based on case mix and autonomy. You will have plenty on time in your career to make location and money based decisions, but the first 2 years out of school are imperative to making you a great CRNA for the next 30 years. I took a little less money and had to drive an hour each way to my first job but it was at a major academic center where CRNAs did all types of cases. The experience I got there made it so I got comfortable going anywhere and managing sick patients.

Was this in an ACT? Do you feel like this job prepared you for independent practice? all I keep reading online is "you should do independent practice only and blah blah blah"

I joined a similar ACT in a major academic center doing big cases and traumas (the place doesn't limit CRNAs at all with the exception of blocks), and I'm learning so much. For now, I'm very glad I chose this route with hopes to be able to handle anything thrown my way when I go independent later on. In my short time as a CRNA I've already done some VERY high acuity cases on patients with ALL of the comorbidities you could think of.

I figured later on down the line I would never say to myself, "man I regret all that big case experience at the level 1 trauma center that I got," but I come on these boards and it seems like wanting to start out in an ACT/major academic center is almost taboo. Sure, I'm not doing blocks, but I figure I could always take a block refresher course. I'll never be able to take a refresher course on doing an emergent open AAA on a crashing patient with COPD, asthma, DM, CKD going into rhabdo, PVD, and PAD on the brink of death.