Getting started early..

Any idea's on getting started early? I am taking a chem class and plan to keep reviewing the material and taking another class this summer. Also, getting some note from classes I will be taking this fall. Anybody out there have any other idea's? Am I stressing and heading for over-kill or on the right track? I just thought if I could spend some time on my days off looking over the material it may help in the long run.....

(I'm not sure I know what you are talking about)

If you are referring to doing a little studying before you start CRNA school my advice is to enjoy the free time you have left. Trust me, you will have plenty to do when the time comes. I don't think there would be any benefit in any reading ahead of time.

Sprout

i took one class per semester the yr and a half prior to starting my program...and i am glad i did - it means that for a few semesters interspersed through the program i have one less class to worry about!! and one class at a time isn't that bad (a few of mine were on-line stuff...)

good luck...

i would suggest that if you were going to do anything early, study top shelf druges. ie drugs found on the anesthesia cart. mech of action, dose, class, receptor sites and how they affect the ANS. it will not only help as a srna but also your bedside nursing. dont worry about paralytics, volatile agents etc. you'll get that in school. otherwise, relax have fun or even take a vacation. i really wish i had taken a 2 weeker before school.

d

gaspassah ... would you mind listing those "top shelf" drugs for those of us who don't work in the OR yet? Thanks in advance!

versatile kat... here are some that are in our drug carts...(non-anesthetics)

glycopyrolate, atropine, ephedrine, neosynephrine, neostigmine, physostigmine, esmolol, labetolol, dexamethasone, reglan, zofran, lasix, ...

i'll add a few more

hydralazine

aminophylline

metoprolol

ca chloride ca gluconate

pitocin

digoxin

nitroglycerine

nitroprusside

norepinephrine

Thank you both for the drugs ... we have access on our unit to a "micromedex" that the pharmacists use for drug info (undeniably better than the PDR) so I'll be adding those drugs to my list of downloads.

Kat,

Go ahead and invest in Stoelting's Pharmacology and Physiology in Anesthetic Practice. You'll need it (or something like it) to get an anesthesia perspective on drugs. It's also a fantastic book for certifying exam prep.