Why do aspiring CRNAs change their goals?

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

It seemed like at least 50% of my nursing school had CRNA in mind for their career goal. Even many of the new grads at my current position seem to hold true to this. Experienced nurses can attest to this I'm sure. Obviously not everybody who wants this career ends up there. My question is why? Anybody out there who changed career goals willing to share?

I have listened to the experiences of my seasoned mentors who cited life circumstances, pre-requisites, and the tough job market as some reasons.

Thanks for sharing!

Disclaimer: I would have posted this in pre-CRNA, SRNA, or CRNA forum, but didn't expect there to be too many people with the stories I'm seeking.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

What stories are you looking for, exactly?

You're probably not likely to find too many CRNAs lurking on this forum. Even less likely to find wanted-to-be-CRNAs.

I, literally, cannot think of another reason that wasn't covered by the people that you asked IRL. Pretty much covers the gamut of general reasons for every life change, taken or not.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I know people who had originally thought they wanted to be CRNA's because of the money and because it was "kind'a like being a physician." Family and friends supported them in the CRNA plan because it sounded prestigious and lucrative. But as those students/new grads got a little experience, they realized that the work of a CRNA was not the work they wanted to do for the rest of their lives ... that they didn't like the hard science courses as much as they thought they would ... that they didn't want to make the big investment ... etc. Their reasons for wanting it to begin with were not the "right" ones to make the investment worthwhile.

I speak with a lot of students about their potential nursing careers and I am usually struck by how little they know of the many nursing career options. In many cases, they say they want to be CRNA's because CRNA, NP, Midwife, Administrator, and Teacher are the only roles they have heard of beyond the basic entry-level staff nurse positions.

And their undergraduate faculties know very little about other possibilities either -- they are more interested in recruiting the students into their particular graduate level tracks that helping the student find the best fit for their interests and talents. Many faculty members know only the few career paths that their school teaches as separate graduate tracks.

After the students graduate, they start interacting with nurses in all kinds of roles that they learned little or nothing about in school. As their view of the professional opportunities broaden, they see some things that they find more attractive than CRNA.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

At one time I thought I wanted to do it. Then I kept having babies. I'm doing an RN-BSN completion right now and work part-time, and some days I feel completely overwhelmed...and I don't study a fraction of what I did for my ADN program. Anesthesia school seems like a full-time job. Plus I really like being a bedside ICU nurse, and I don't want to be out of the ICU except when someone needs to be intubated.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I talked to one of our new nurses, and she told me that the "NP-CRNA-MSN" mindset is what she was taught in nursing school by her instructors and promoted by the school.

You were expected to expected to move on from bedside positions and advance your education.

People periodically reassess what they want out of life.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I have told this story before. When I was a clinical instructor in Florence's school of nursing, probably 90% of our new students wanted to be "mother baby" or pedi nurses. Of course, if that had happened, who would be taking care of the rest of the hospital? Obviously, there aren't that many positions in those areas, so most of them ended up doing something else either because it was their only choice to do or because they fell in love with something else. Or whatever.

This is the same with the current CRNA and NP fad. Sure, great jobs, sounds sexy. Sure, they look like more fun when you're a student and all you think you know about nursing is that a lot of it looks like CNA work. But you know what? The programs are flooded with applications from people with years of critical care experience or other specialty. These new grads who think they'll be leaving their first jobs in a year to sail off on the CRNA/NP cloud will be cruelly disappointed to find out otherwise, but find out otherwise they will. Some won't be qualified, some might be later, some will be later. But they won't all be going.

And in the several years it takes them to try to become better admissions candidates, they will have the opportunity to fall in love with something else, get certified in something else, carve out a career path with more possibilities. It's good to see a goal but as you walk that path, keep your peripheral vision working too.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

A lot of people in my program want to be CRNAs, but they cannot even say anesthetist correctly.

I have toyed with the idea of pursuing the CRNA path, but then I did a rotation in the OR. I have no desire to work in the OR, plus my love for the NICU and all things baby-related has never wavered.

Life gets in the way. Many of these wannabe CRNAs end up not meeting the qualifications, they get married, have children and next thing they know, they are approaching retirement age when it is financially infeasible to attend CRNA school. Plus, CRNA school does not allow much time for a full or part-time job.

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

I appreciate every response so far. The point of this thread is for me to get an idea of why people choose not to go the CRNA route after getting some nursing experience after school. Hopefully some AN members and seasoned nurses can give me some clairvoyance. Knowing why people chose NOT TO do something can be as useful as why they chose TO do something.

I must agree that the mentality of today's nursing schools seems to encourage further education. Of course they want us to further our education - it just so happens that the people who sign their pay check (the university) happen to have such a program. I realize that new graduates often have no idea what they want out of the gate. Maybe I am one. I realize that certain career goals require years of thoughtful planning. CRNA is definitely one of these. I also realize that talking about wanting to be a CRNA in front of an experienced nurse is taboo, so I approach (with great caution) situations where I'm asked about my career goals. Usually I just say "I want to go to graduate school after I learn to be a nurse" or "I eventually want to expand my education" or something generic like that. To these statements I have been told (by nurses with greater experience than myself) to go back to school as soon as possible.

For the most part these people have gotten married, moved into their own homes, and some have even had children. I understand that these can put on pretty heavy pressure as far as finances and time obligations go. Anesthesia school is full time and pretty expensive. For somebody who also has the above goals in mind, it would make sense to go back to school sooner rather than later, right? Before families and mortgages. Yet many say this isn't the best idea for anesthesia school. Herein lies my vexation.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I knew a great therapist once who said, "The time to do something is when you can't NOT do it anymore." I found that helpful in many situations. :)

[Dranger]

As we have talked before, advance practice (MD/DO, PA. CRNA etc) has always been in my mind simply because of the responsibility, money, challenge and the fact that I can not handle being a floor nurse for the rest of my life. No way in hell. As a young, single guy with a decent cash flow and no aspirations for a family any time soon I am in a better position than most who were in my nursing class. Lots of the girls were already married, engaged, wanted kids sooner rather than later or had other obligations. As GrnTea said, stuff always comes up to divert our ideas/goals.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Obviously not everybody who wants this career ends up there. My question is why? Anybody out there who changed career goals willing to share?

I'm going to be straightforward and say that not everyone has the academic fortitude and capability for abstract thought that CRNAs must have. While many people want to be CRNAs, not everyone can realistically handle the schooling to become one.

I'm not being a negative Debbie Downer. I'm being realistic and saying that just because somebody wants something, it doesn't necessarily mean he's going to achieve it.

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

Every GrnTea post seems to warm my heart, so thank you again :)

Dranger, yes. You prove again that we are pretty similar individuals!

TheCommuter brings up a previously unmentioned point, academic fortitude. Thank you. As someone with a less than ideal GPA for anesthesia school this rings especially true for me. Some of those pre-med sciences mixed with a 19-year-old mindset did me dirty. I'm actually in the process of GPA-boosting while taking classes on a part time basis. I have researched mediocre GPA success stories and it does seem possible for some even with lesser credentials than my own.

Not to sound like a product used for feminine hygiene, I used the word "adrenergic agonist" the other day after a coworker's patient was started on levophed. Eyebrows were raised. I felt very silly.