information about crna, reliable information please

clewi102 · Feb 22, 2010

as far as i know, you have to be a RN before even applying to CRNA school. you have to have at least one year's experience working as a RN in an intensive care unit. i don't know of any program that allows you to go directly into the program even without a BSN degree.

step 1: BSN IN NURSING

STEP 2: PASS THE BOARD EXAM

STEP 3 WORK FOR ONE YEAR AS ARN THEN APPLY TO THE CRNA PROGRAM.

HOPE THIS INFO WAS HELPFUL.

RB2000 · Feb 22, 2010

The requirements for becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) mainly include having a bachelor's degree in nursing, or other appropriate baccalaureate degree, Registered Nurse licensure, a minimum of 1 year acute care experience (ICU, ER for example), and the successful completion of both an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program and the certification examination. This came directly from the AANA website, so you can't get any more reliable than that.

Each CRNA program may vary in length of time, but it will be roughly two to three years. It is not encouraged that you work during this time, because you will be doing about 60 to 80 hours a week of school and clinical, and that is not including homework, or study time. Additionally, most CRNA schools are very competitive and you will need a minimum of a 3.5 GPA or higher to even be considered. Some schools this requirement may be lower, but you will be going against many people with 4.0 GPA's.

To be a midwife you have to have a masters in that specialty. A midwife is a specialty just like CRNA, so you wouldn't be able to work in that capacity unless you have that degree and certification first.

As far as hours are concerned that also varies. In many cases you will have to work long hours, and you will have to be oncall. When oncall you will basically be living at the hospital. There is a reason why CRNA's get paid a lot of money. They basically have no life while in school, and that continues when they start working too.

I hope that helps. If you would like more info you can go directly to the AANA website. There you will be able to find anything you want to know about being and becoming a CRNA. : )

Class2011 · Feb 23, 2010

I may not have much of a life now, I just studied my bum off all weekend for an exam today and another one tomorrow. But I sure hope, and do expect to have a full life once I'm done and start working.

Not all CRNA's work crazy hours and you do have some choice. I think the only thing universal is that you have to be at work around 6:00 am.

RB2000 · Feb 23, 2010

I may not have much of a life now, I just studied my bum off all weekend for an exam today and another one tomorrow. But I sure hope, and do expect to have a full life once I'm done and start working.
Not all CRNA's work crazy hours and you do have some choice. I think the only thing universal is that you have to be at work around 6:00 am.

Agreed. The point that I was really trying to make is that it isn't a typical 40 hour a week, punch the time card and collect 160k job. Hours will be all over the place. Some people will be working 9-5 others will be working overnight, many will work days, and many places require on calls. It is by no means an easy road to a nice paycheck. It is a challenging career that can be very rewarding. I am not a CRNA yet, but I know several. My friends dad is a CRNA and he practically lives at the hospital. Also, a friend of the family is the chief CRNA at a different hospital. Yeah, there are definitely choices. However, many of the easy hour jobs do not pay as well. Ex. the avg in this area is around 150k. I saw a posting for a 9-5. no weekend, no oncall at a surgicenter and the payrate was 80k.

Your hard work will definitely pay off though.

A friend of mine about a month ago stated that he feels that dr's and CRNA's get paid too much. I responded with a really? Do you realize how much training they must go through. He is a computer guy, and gets paid well for what he does. I brought to his attention he gets paid well for what he does. His response was that he brings money into the company. My response was and CRNA's keep you alive. It isn't they get paid to put you under, they get paid to know how to keep you alive and wake you up after the fact. : )

KSCRNA · Feb 23, 2010

Everything you need to know about being a CRNA is available on the AANA website and that should be the first place to look. You seem to be looking at the easy way to make the BIGBUCK$ and this is not a good attitude to have when entering this profession. :confused: CRNAs enjoy a great deal of personal satisfaction and salary is only a small part of that. If your only questions about becoming a CRNA and CRNA practice are about how much money you will make and how many hours you will have to work, them maybe this is not the profession for you.

mmillcrna · Feb 28, 2010

I have been a CRNA for almost 5 years. While I agree you have no life during your CRNA training (2-3 Yrs depending on which program you choose), I must disagree with the idea of not having any sort of life after school while working. I love my job. It's very flexible. You can work part time or full time. If you choose full time, some places will let you work 3 12 hr shifts, 4 10 hour shifts, or 5 8 hour shifts. I currently work no weekends, no holidays, and no nights. I go on at least 3 vacations a year and earn the salary to support this lifestyle. Now there are definitely CRNA jobs out there where you will take call, work nights, weekends, etc. However, that's not the case everywhere. It just depends on what you want to do. Keep in mind the more hours you work, obviously the more money you will make. Those jobs paying 160k typically involve taking call, working weekends, and working more than 40 hours a week. A typical 40 hour work week will earn you around 110-120k depending on where you work in the country. Big cities pay less. Rural places pay more.

I agree with the other postings when they say if you're looking for big bucks and that's the only reason you are considering becoming a CRNA, then you will be disappointed. The primary reason I became a CRNA is because I enjoy taking care of people and providing excellent and safe care. I treat all my patients how I would want to be treated. Other than that, I also have an incredible attention to detail and I love to multitask...traits I think are valuable in the anesthesia profession. You must like the idea of taking responsibility. After all, you are responsible for a life while they are undergoing surgery. You should have a thick skin because surgeons can be rude...not all, but some and you need to always remember you are the patient's advocate. You must stand up for them when no one else seems to be doing so. Takes some backbone. As far as the training goes, yes, you must have a BSN degree first. Then work as a RN (getting paid a RN salary) for 1-2 years in an ICU...good training for anesthesia. After that, you can apply to CRNA school. CRNA school is tough, but in my opinion, well worth the 2 years of not having a life :-). Hope this helps you out. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Gambln00 · Mar 3, 2010

:uhoh3:

:uhoh3:. I have a question if you wouldnt mind answering it for me. I just turned 27 years old and I would be starting from scratch. I stopped going to college because I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life and now I found something that I would love to do and I would be going into this with only 12 credit hours. Do you think I am too old to pursue this? How long would it take from start to finish? If you would feel comfortable my number is

Class2011 · Mar 3, 2010

27 is plenty young, but life is short. So it's all about what you want to do with your time on the planet. God willing, you're gonna get old regardless.

paindoc · Mar 4, 2010

The number one reason by far people gravitate to CRNA is $$$$$$$$$.....much higher than any other nursing profession. They also enjoy a position that does not require any patient ties or follow-up....usually they never see the patients again, or only see them for surgical procedures. The vast majority of anesthetics they give are general anesthetics, so interaction with people is very minimal....they spend far more time writing vital signs on a chart than having to interact with patients. They serve a technicians role in the operating room, simply dialing up more anesthesia when needed, and tweaking the vital signs. 99.5% of the time their jobs are actually quite boring in the OR with monotonous routines that require little challenge. They enjoy the power they have over other nurses and frequently equate themselves to doctors. It is a highly sought after profession by nurses.

stanman1968 · Mar 5, 2010

" The vast majority of anesthetics they give are general anesthetics, so interaction with people is very minimal....they spend far more time writing vital signs on a chart than having to interact with patients. They serve a technicians role in the operating room, simply dialing up more anesthesia when needed, and tweaking the vital signs. 99.5% of the time their jobs are actually quite boring in the OR with monotonous routines that require little challenges. "

Sounds like a good description of an anesthesiologist.

FockerRN · Mar 9, 2010

Anyway...as I said

I would say that the definition would be something more on the order of: sitting in the doctor's lounge reading magazines, surfing the web or sleeping. Having NO patient interaction because you have delegated such menial tasks to your little stool monkies. Insulting and lording your "God given" position over all those under you (be it any kind of nurse, PA, resident physician etc...) all the while making the obscene money that an MDA is "entitled" to.

Sound like an unfair description of MDA's? It sure is but not really a whole lot less fair than the insulting insinuations made in previous posts about CRNA's.