I'm in... with one year experience

Nursing Students SRNA

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I know there has been some speculation on this board in the past about if a nurse with the bare minimum experience should (or could) go to CRNA school. Well, I just got accepted.

I graduated in July 07 with my BSN. I was in a non-health care field prior to my BSN. I immediately went to work at a large teaching hospital in a med surg ICU. I worked very hard to learn everything I could, and I feel like I am currently a very competent ICU nurse.

I have been accepted to my program of choice for fall 08, when I will have one year experience as a nurse.

Understand I am not trying to shortcut anything. I worked very hard on my school studies and my clinical experience to be well prepared. I scored very well on the GRE. I shadowed a CRNA for ~ 40 hours. I have a 3.7~3.8 GPA. I spent my own time understanding the hemodynamics of the cardiopulmonary system, the MOA/effects of different vasopressors. I work with (and understand) vents, settings, therapies.

This route is not for everybody, but I am proof that you can do it. And I feel like I am very well prepared for the program. I just want other potential candidates to know that it can be done.

Specializes in srna.

i would still like to know what school you were accepted into. most people accepted into a crna school post it on thier first post with pride.

again congrates on the acceptance, but the low experience factor is out of the ordinary. as a ccu supervisor, i would be concerned if a nurse with only 6 months experience told me he/she new as much as seasoned ccu nurse.

i think i had rather have a seasoned ccu nurse working on my family member rather than a Bold new ccu nurse. just my opinion

Specializes in Neuro ICU.

Congratulations Gump!!!! I think you will do great! I only have two years ICU experience and I will start school this fall.

Manavi,

I don't want to get anything started, but some schools do have students on the admission comittee and it just so happens that Hold'em was at my interview :)

Specializes in Neuro ICU.

Gump,

Congratulations on your acceptance!!! The committee must have felt you had what they were looking for in order to let you in. I am sure you will do fine. I only have two years experience and I will be starting school this fall also.

Specializes in ICU-CVICU.

Gump,

Congratulations to you!

I've been following this thread and just thought I would let you know that while not everyone believes 1 year is enough, I believe the debate is legititmate. This issue should be debated, discussed, and held up to public scrutiny if anyone believes it poses a hazard.

However, you are in no way obligated to reveal information about yourself or your school. None of that is germaine to this discussion, and frankly if I were you, I would continue to ignore the requests, and remain on the high road.

May

Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency.
i would still like to know what school you were accepted into. most people accepted into a crna school post it on thier first post with pride.

This information would be invaluable for those applicants aspiring to go to anesthesia school with only one year of experience(or in your case, 9 months).

i think i had rather have a seasoned ccu nurse working on my family member rather than a Bold new ccu nurse. just my opinion

My two sisters and I are all critical care nurses. When my youngest sister gave birth prematurely to twins (34 weeks) there was an occasion where a fairly new nurse was assigned to care for the twins. Long story short, that nurse lacked the experience or ability to provide the level of care that we expected for the intubated twin. We had her banned from caring for the babies. I won't go into the staffing nightmare that resulted for the manager of L&D. The educated public generally will not accept an inexperienced nurse caring for their critically ill loved one if they pick up on that nurse's weaknesses...they are very perceptive and will not hesitate to ask for someone with more experience.

IMHO, bold new grads present bigger problems than those willing to admit that they don't know it all.

IMHO, bold new grads present bigger problems than those willing to admit that they don't know it all.

Wise words... :up:

Specializes in PostOp/Trauma, OR,ICU...Pre-SRNA.
this information would be invaluable for those applicants aspiring to go to anesthesia school with only one year of experience(or in your case, 9 months).

my two sisters and i are all critical care nurses. when my youngest sister gave birth prematurely to twins (34 weeks) there was an occasion where a fairly new nurse was assigned to care for the twins. long story short, that nurse lacked the experience or ability to provide the level of care that we expected for the intubated twin. we had her banned from caring for the babies. i won't go into the staffing nightmare that resulted for the manager of l&d. the educated public generally will not accept an inexperienced nurse caring for their critically ill loved one if they pick up on that nurse's weaknesses...they are very perceptive and will not hesitate to ask for someone with more experience.

imho, bold new grads present bigger problems than those willing to admit that they don't know it all.

no one was born a nurse. we all were new at one point. i will tell you that even though i am fairly new to the icu, i feel i have acquired a lot more knowledge than some of the nurses that have been there for years. one cannot easily dismiss determination and the inner drive to be your best and do your best. i read up on anything new that i come across on a daily basis. i ask questions of the pharmacist, the dietitians, mdas, nps etc. i have about 6 binders that list "things to know". i am willing to bet that in the short time that i have spent in our icu, i know more than 1/2 of the nurses there. don't get me wrong; there is a lot i don't know ..... but there is a saying :::::::::::he who knows not and knows he knows not, he is a child teach him::::::::::::: that's why we all start off in the same class when we attend crna school. we are there to be taught. lighten up on the inexperience-bashing folks. no wonder we are accused of eating our young. try to remember that there are some nurses who fall outside the typical learning curve.

i would still like to know what school you were accepted into. most people accepted into a crna school post it on thier first post with pride.

again congrates on the acceptance, but the low experience factor is out of the ordinary. as a ccu supervisor, i would be concerned if a nurse with only 6 months experience told me he/she new as much as seasoned ccu nurse.

i think i had rather have a seasoned ccu nurse working on my family member rather than a Bold new ccu nurse. just my opinion

First, I would like to keep my identity private. This may seem silly, but it is the only way I feel like I can post my honest opinions here. Otherwise, I may run into some close minded people (out in the real world). Therefore I will not post where I am going to CRNA school.

Second, I never stated I knew as much as a seasoned ICU nurse. I am still always asking questions. What I did state is that I a very competent ICU nurse. I am a much better nurse than some "seasoned" nurses, but I understand I am still learning.

Third, as a general rule, I also would want a seasoned nurse caring for my family. However that is again a generalization. "Most" new nurses are not as competent as seasoned ones. Some are. Some are more competent that seasoned ones. And if I were given the chance to interview the nurse providing care to my family, the years of experience they have would quickly fall on my priority list. Are they competent. Are they intelligent. The measure of the quality of the nurse is not directly tied to the years of experience. Trust me. We have all seen veteran nurses that we wouldn't let take care of our pet dog.

Knowing what's in the textbooks and knowing there's something acutely wrong with your patients just by looking at them are two different animals!!

As a new nurse you will probably not be given the sickest patients because you have yet to master the technical skills or time management.

Take the time to learn how to manage patients with multiple co-morbidities before you attempt to learn the art of anesthesia.

Army :twocents:

I never said I was only textbook smart. I said I am very good bedside nurse.

It is unfortunate you were not able to take care of the sickest patients as a newer nurse. Trust me, I have. How about fresh multi-organ transplants, brought directly to the ICU (read ME) from the OR. How about fresh wipple patients. How about active GI bleeds. How about vented septic patients on multiple pressors and CRRT. Not trying to boast, I just want you to understand the experience I do have. Should all fairly new nurses be allowed to take these patients. No. Only the ones who have proved they can handle the job.

And basically all my patients have multiple co-morbidities.

Gump, your comments about having already mastered critical thinking PRIOR to becoming a nurse made me chuckle. Sorry, but it's true. Maybe you mastered it in your previous profession, but when you started at ground zero as an ICU nurse you became a novice in this area again. It concerns me if u think that because you had this down in another field, that you are proficient as a nurse. Remember what I said about not knowing what you don't know? Not realizing your own limitations because you aren't aware you have them? I think this is a prime example. Consider this: I am proficient as a neuro ICU nurse. I am certified as a CNRN & CCRN. However, if you take me into a L&D and give me a laboring patient to care for, all my gut instinct, all my years of critical thinking can't make me safe in this environment. I've developed my "extra sense" by watching my patient population over the years, knowing what those subtle changes are that mean trouble that a less experienced nurse will miss. Putting me with a patient population that I am not familiar with limits my expertise because I haven't fully developed that extra sense in that patient population. I, in essence, become almost a novice again. I accept this fact, and that is why when I am required to float to a new environment I am a safe nurse. I know that I don't know that strange population like my critical care patients and therefore will not have the gut instincts that I have with my ICU kiddo's. I know that when I step in the OR as a SRNA, I am again a complete novice. I know, however, that my gut will tell me when certain things are going wrong. I may not know how that relates to anesthesia yet, but I will have that well developed extra sense to aid in my delivery of safe care. Critical thinking must be developed in each new area you experience during your career. Some instincts, yes, can carry over. But critical thinking in relation to medical diagnosis and interventions, can only be honed in that environment in which you actively practice. I believe that you may be confusing maturity of thought (the ability to organize & priortize) with true critical thinking.

I believe that you may be confusing maturity of thought (the ability to organize & priortize) with true critical thinking.

I guess we can agree to disagree on this one. It continues to amaze me how many posters on this board believe the only road critical thinking skills is as years as an ICU nurse. Trust me, this is not the case.

Maybe I will me you in my program, and you can judge the person based on more information than the years of experience as a nurse.

Specializes in srna.

gump, after you have graduated from crna school, been a working crna for 5 to 10 years. i want you to dig this old thread back up and post your comments on it.

again, good luck in school and concrats

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