How many nurses say they want to be a CRNA?

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I was discussing this with a fellow allnurses.com member, and we both felt that almost everybody that is going into nursing claims they want to be a CRNA.

What has your experience been with this?

I don't know that the educational investment is inordinately short compared to other well-paying degrees. A JD is three years after a bachelor's in anything.

For one, the large majority of lawyers don't make anywhere close to what the average CRNA makes. And even if they did, how is a bachelor's + 3 years of law school a shorter path than a bachelor's + 2 years of CRNA school? A CRNA degree is great bang for the time invested. I can't really think of anything outside of medicine that's going to guarantee such a high salary.

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I can't really think of anything outside of medicine that's going to guarantee such a high salary.

I completely agree, plus in medicine there are years of residency where again the doctor is making much less money.

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A CRNA is 2-3 years after a BSN (usually) PLUS 1-2 years of critical care experience. It's less than med school - but MDAs are compensated better than CRNAs, at least where I live.

First, it is possible to become a CRNA within 5-6 years: 1year LPN, 1 year additional to become an RN (at least around here), and then 1 year Accelerated BSN and while you are actually doing your 1 year BSN you could be working ICU then apply for the CRNA program of 2-3 years which gives you ONLY an educational investment of 5-6 years after which you get an EXCELLENT paycheck. Now, let's say you took it a little slower: 4 year RN/BSN during wich you get your 1 year of ICU experience and then you enter a 2-3 year CRNA program--you still finish within 6-7 years which really is not that bad considering doctors face 8 years of schooling followed by multiple years of residency where there pay isn't that high.

Now, you say that an MDA makes much more money....well, YEAH! Have you any idea how hard it is to 1)get into medical school, and 2) get into an anesthesiology program? Both are INCREDIBLY competitive. One of my closest friends is an MDA and I've seen a lot of what it's like to not only try to get into med school but then to try to get into an MDA residency.

Also, beyond the time investment, let's just look at how hard medical school is to survive when compared to nursing school. I know nursing school is not a walk in the park, but it sure is not rocket science either--whereas med school kinda is. In regards to lawyers, like the previous poster said, an average lawyer does not receive a considerably higher salary than what a CRNA does. And again, like the previous poster said, who outside of MDs and the top 1% in certain professions really make more than the AVERAGE CRNA does?

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my rn class graduated 24 students. 5 wanted to go to crna and i was not one of them. of those 5 none work in an icu at this time. they couldnt hack it, and 1 is looking at np the others just working and trying to decide what they really want to do in the nursing profession. but i love it to death. and since working im starting my rn-bsn online and cant wait to get to the next step and start applying. didnt think i ever wanted to go back to school and here i am so eager to go back some of my friends think im sick.

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Now, you say that an MDA makes much more money....well, YEAH! Have you any idea how hard it is to 1)get into medical school, and 2) get into an anesthesiology program? Both are INCREDIBLY competitive.

I think most med schools have acceptance rates around 40-45%, but "competitive" is subjective, so that point's open to debate. But regarding matching residencies, anesthesiology is considered one of the less competitive specialties.

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I am one of those, "going through nursing school to be a CRNA," but please don't make it seem like we don't want to be nurses??!! CRNAs are nurses; they care for people and their families, will console and help patients and their families, explain procedures to patients and their families, do on-the-spot anesthesia needed for trauma in the ER, etc.

Besides just doing anesthesia, you are still a nurse first and foremost. For me, I am 35 and mother of 2, after I bust my butt for the next 5 years working part-time and going to school full-time, obtaining loans to support my family for the 28 months in an anesthesia program, the money I receive as a CRNA will not hurt, I won't lie about that, but please don't "cheapen" it, sounds like CRNAs don't want to be nurses when you put it like that, and CRNAs ARE NURSES.

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First, it is possible to become a CRNA within 5-6 years: 1year LPN, 1 year additional to become an RN (at least around here), and then 1 year accelerated BSN and while you are actually doing your 1 year BSN you could be working ICU then apply for the CRNA program of 2-3 years which gives you ONLY an educational investment of 5-6 years after which you get an EXCELLENT paycheck. Now, let's say you took it a little slower: 4 year RN/BSN during wich you get your 1 year of ICU experience and then you enter a 2-3 year CRNA program--you still finish within 6-7 years which really is not that bad considering doctors face 8 years of schooling followed by multiple years of residency where there pay isn't that high.

Now, you say that an MDA makes much more money....well, YEAH! Have you any idea how hard it is to 1)get into medical school, and 2) get into an anesthesiology program? Both are INCREDIBLY competitive. One of my closest friends is an MDA and I've seen a lot of what it's like to not only try to get into med school but then to try to get into an MDA residency.

Also, beyond the time investment, let's just look at how hard medical school is to survive when compared to nursing school. I know nursing school is not a walk in the park, but it sure is not rocket science either--whereas med school kinda is. In regards to lawyers, like the previous poster said, an average lawyer does not receive a considerably higher salary than what a CRNA does. And again, like the previous poster said, who outside of MDs and the top 1% in certain professions really make more than the AVERAGE CRNA does?

CherrySky: I am just curious where all of your wisdom regarding this topic is coming from? Are you an SRNA? Excuse me but med school is not like rocket science!! Any CRNA could do just fine in medical school, they just did not take that route for one reason or the other!! Number 1: CRNA school is more difficult to get into than medical school!! Also, in another quote of yours in this forum you state that RN's actually do work harder than CRNA's do...Do you have first hand exprience of this?? Have you even graduated from nursing school as of yet?? Clarify for me, b/c I am not sure of the point of your quotes: Are you saying that a nurse anesthetist's EXCELLENT salary is too high?

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But regarding matching residencies, anesthesiology is considered one of the less competitive specialties.

Lol, Umm....I'm not sure where you're getting that, what you're saying is 100% wrong. Anesthesiology one of the MOST competitive specialties to get into.

Never have I come across any data, or even an opinion piece, that suggests anesthesiology is one of the "less competitive specialties".

Here are a few links to information (from universities, scholarly papers, interviews, etc.) that you can check out to see why and how anesthesiology programs are competitive.

http://www.medschoolready.com/app/specialtychoice.asp

http://www.asaabstracts.com/strands/asaabstracts/abstract.htm;jsessionid=48DAEC96C90B841906D97A46814AD84C?year=2006&index=12&absnum=1381

http://www.mayo.edu/msgme/anesres-rch-faq.html

http://www.physicianscholar.org/print/id/708083

http://www.co-anesthesiology.com/pt/re/coanes/abstract.00001503-200302000-00001.htm;jsessionid=LJNG1dLTGkQr12WXLQ2XDpJ7SgkmSvwGy0PxsJrX4JWNqP1ZMRnB!523807009!181195628!8091!-1

(you can track down the actual article for the previous URL)

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/7475.html#Anesthesiology

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I am one of those, "going through nursing school to be a CRNA,"

I know a lot of people will give others flack for saying that but I really don't understand what's wrong with that statement. Giving someone flack for wanting to become an RN "only" so they could become a CRNA is like giving someone flack for someone "only" wanting to get an undergraduate degree in political science so they could go on to law school. In fact, not only would the political science major NOT get flack, they would get encouragement for seeking graduate-level education and wanting to continue their education. No one would say that he's only doing it for the money (which seems to be the response future CRNAs get), people would praise him for having such a great goal. I just don't see what's wrong with clearly stating that someone wants to become an RN because what they really want to do is go on to become a CRNA. I think it's great to have that goal and work towards it.

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CherrySky: I am just curious where all of your wisdom regarding this topic is coming from? Are you an SRNA? Excuse me but med school is not like rocket science!! Any CRNA could do just fine in medical school, they just did not take that route for one reason or the other!! Number 1: CRNA school is more difficult to get into than medical school!! Also, in another quote of yours in this forum you state that RN's actually do work harder than CRNA's do...Do you have first hand exprience of this?? Have you even graduated from nursing school as of yet?? Clarify for me, b/c I am not sure of the point of your quotes: Are you saying that a nurse anesthetist's EXCELLENT salary is too high?

When I said "nursing school" here, sorry I wasn't very specific. I really meant RN school. I did not to think to clarify between RN school and CRNA school which I realize was a mistake considering they're really both "nursing school". So, would you not agree that a student in basic nursing school would not necessarily do well in medical school? Although I agree with you that a person in CRNA school would probably do just as well in med school--I've looked at pre-requisies for CRNA school and some programs actually have similar requirements to med school (organic chemistry, physics, etc).

As far as saying in another post that "RNs work harder than CRNAs" I think once again you are taking my words out of context. What I meant is that RNs work harder as in there is more physical labor, running around trying to take care of so many patients, etc. I certainly know that CRNAs work very hard all day (they didn't get an advanced degree to do nothing!) but they are not cleaning patients, have all that physical labor, etc. It is a different kind of work. Just like a lawyer and a factory worker both work hard but it is not necessarily the same type of "hard work". (By the way, before anyone flames me, I am not using as a direct analogy here--I am not corresponding CRNAs to lawyers and RNs to factory works. It was just a clear example I could think of.)

As far as all of your questioning me regarding whether or not I am a CRNA and what experience I have, well if you have read my posts (which you clearly indicate with your testy questioning of the "hard work" statement) then I think it is pretty clear what my status is. Also, you ask if I think if a CRNAs salary is too high. LOL are you crazy? Again, if you have REALLy read my posts instead of picking just one random one then you would see that I am in SUPPORT of CRNAs. I do not think their excellent salary is too high, I think it's FANTASTIC. Lol I am really not sure what problem you have with me, considering everything I've said pretty much seems to be in agreement with what you have said.

Also, one last thing...I am not understanding such tension towards me as I have done nothing but be supportive of CRNAs. I don't think I've ever said anything harsh about them on this forum so I am not really understanding why you got so testy all of a sudden, as if I was being critical of CRNAs.

Or maybe you need to take a minute to digest what you read before you get all crazy because I think anyone who has read my posts would agree that I am in favor of CRNAs.

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Lol, Umm....I'm not sure where you're getting that, what you're saying is 100% wrong. Anesthesiology one of the MOST competitive specialties to get into.

Never have I come across any data, or even an opinion piece, that suggests anesthesiology is one of the "less competitive specialties".

Well, let me be the one to educate you then. ;)

None of those links you posted has any numbers or useful information to draw any conclusions except the Anesthesiology Residency Matches 2006 article from the asaabstracts site, which you misinterpreted. The conclusion of the study was that anesthesiology was growing more competitive, not that it is highly competitive. Anesthesiology is still one of the easiest specialties to match.

As the article says, the majority of medical students that matched anesthesiology residencies in 2006 (51%) graduated in the bottom 1/3 of their class. Only 7.7% of anesthesiology matches were in the top 1/3 of their class. Also, the average USMLE score for matching MD's was 201, quite a bit below the national average of testers, which usually falls around 216-220.

Another way to gauge competitiveness is to look at the number of positions available and the percentage of U.S. seniors who match in anesthesiology. In 2007, 95% of U.S. seniors matched. There are only a few residencies less competitive (and only slightly less competitive at that).

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When I said "nursing school" here, sorry I wasn't very specific. I really meant RN school. I did not to think to clarify between RN school and CRNA school which I realize was a mistake considering they're really both "nursing school". So, would you not agree that a student in basic nursing school would not necessarily do well in medical school? Although I agree with you that a person in CRNA school would probably do just as well in med school--I've looked at pre-requisies for CRNA school and some programs actually have similar requirements to med school (organic chemistry, physics, etc).

As far as saying in another post that "RNs work harder than CRNAs" I think once again you are taking my words out of context. What I meant is that RNs work harder as in there is more physical labor, running around trying to take care of so many patients, etc. I certainly know that CRNAs work very hard all day (they didn't get an advanced degree to do nothing!) but they are not cleaning patients, have all that physical labor, etc. It is a different kind of work. Just like a lawyer and a factory worker both work hard but it is not necessarily the same type of "hard work". (By the way, before anyone flames me, I am not using as a direct analogy here--I am not corresponding CRNAs to lawyers and RNs to factory works. It was just a clear example I could think of.)

As far as all of your questioning me regarding whether or not I am a CRNA and what experience I have, well if you have read my posts (which you clearly indicate with your testy questioning of the "hard work" statement) then I think it is pretty clear what my status is. Also, you ask if I think if a CRNAs salary is too high. LOL are you crazy? Again, if you have REALLy read my posts instead of picking just one random one then you would see that I am in SUPPORT of CRNAs. I do not think their excellent salary is too high, I think it's FANTASTIC. Lol I am really not sure what problem you have with me, considering everything I've said pretty much seems to be in agreement with what you have said.

Also, one last thing...I am not understanding such tension towards me as I have done nothing but be supportive of CRNAs. I don't think I've ever said anything harsh about them on this forum so I am not really understanding why you got so testy all of a sudden, as if I was being critical of CRNAs.

Or maybe you need to take a minute to digest what you read before you get all crazy because I think anyone who has read my posts would agree that I am in favor of CRNAs.

So, you still didn't answer my question: what exactly is your involvement in the field of nursing? My problem with you is your overly confident statements regarding crna's, anesthesiologist, etc. Moreover, that is my complaint about the direction of this forum as a whole!! There are posters such as yourself who think they are quite knowledgeable on the subject, and posting their opinion on this forum where folks are trying to get some honest answers regarding this field!! Believe me I have digested some of the recent posts on this forum: They consist of adn-crna, how to go to school without having to do gre's, etc...........I find it pathetic that people are trying to worm their way into school with the least bit of effort.........Finally, I find that there tends to be more posts disregarding the education of CRNA's than there are in support of them......... Not necessarily a rant towards you, just my personal opinion of the decreasing quality of this forum!!

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