This includes planning on working in the ICU for the minimum amount of time required by your school's program.
Did this 'focus' seem to help you through your BSN program? Do you feel it hindered you in any way?
It seems to most on this board that the CRNA was a natural progression, not necessarily the goal from the beginning. From the posts that I have read, the only exceptions seem to be those who are 'older career changers' like myself.
And on a side note...did any of you CRNAs take advanced Anatomy classes that focused on Neuroanatomy prior to your CRNA program? If so, do you feel you benefited from doing so?
In regards to dip/vented comments: Personally, I never gave myself that much credit for the outcomes of my patients.
I didn't mean to make it sound like I was taking all the credit or that I was being smug. That's not me at all. Teamwork is very important, and I certainly rely on doctors, RT's, and aids just as much as they rely on me. It's just that when you spend so much time with a patient you can't help but personally get involved, and with nurses eating their young the way they do, some times it helps to reflect back and see all the good things you've done. Granted, it's a teamwork effort, so seeing the work you do as bedside nurse becomes a bit nebulous at times. That's one of the reasons why I think CRNA is such a good field. Teamwork is more a division of labor in the OR. The surgeon does his thing, the CRNA does his/her thing, and the nurses and other healthcare professionals do their own thing, so in this respect being a CRNA has more tangible intangible rewards, if that makes any sense.
"Did you go directly into CC? I had a BSN nurse friend tell me I should spend 2 years in med-surg before going into CC. Probably decent advice."
Yes directly into CC. If they (the ICU you apply to) have a good preceptor program, skip the med-surg, unless you dont mind waiting longer to go to anesthesia school. We are now fortunate as nurses in lieu of the shortage, to choose any specialty we want as a new grad.
"Knowing how your nursing instructors feel about basic care, would you do things differently if you had it to do over? What's your take on their advice"
You will learn your basic care by the time you are done in nursing school...which 90% is common sense: how would you like to be treated? The only thing I would have done differently is blend in, keep my mouth shut, and accept everything my nursing instructors told me. If I knew they were wrong, I would still keep my mouth shut.
Yes, there's a large hospital here that has a good preceptor program for cc. They put you with an experienced cc nurse for one year before they turn you loose. The same friend that recommended the two years of med-surg first said it's an excellent program.
If you assist the more experienced cc nurse for one year, wouldn't that make it difficult to fulfill the one year cc experience in just one year? I wonder if the admissions committee at the crna school would look favorably on that. Or would they want more than one year? Also, if they invest in you with a preceptorship, would they frown on you wanting to apply to crna school after one year, just when they're ready to let you work independently?
Diprivan/Vented
83 Posts
I didn't mean to make it sound like I was taking all the credit or that I was being smug. That's not me at all. Teamwork is very important, and I certainly rely on doctors, RT's, and aids just as much as they rely on me. It's just that when you spend so much time with a patient you can't help but personally get involved, and with nurses eating their young the way they do, some times it helps to reflect back and see all the good things you've done. Granted, it's a teamwork effort, so seeing the work you do as bedside nurse becomes a bit nebulous at times. That's one of the reasons why I think CRNA is such a good field. Teamwork is more a division of labor in the OR. The surgeon does his thing, the CRNA does his/her thing, and the nurses and other healthcare professionals do their own thing, so in this respect being a CRNA has more tangible intangible rewards, if that makes any sense.