Is it to be an RN and go CRNA(Not in academic sense)? Whats your Experience as CRNA?

ukstudent · May 10, 2007

I'm not a CRNA and have no desire to be one, but at least I know why. All I can get out of your posting is that you have NO desire to be a nurse but you have to be one? Who is making you become a nurse? You want to be a CRNA but have NO idea what it requires and what they actually do.

If you want to look after patients from a medical side, then go that root. CRNA's are nurses and if you don't want to be a nurse, then don't go to nursing school. I really wish you the best and only you know in what work enviroment you would find the most happiness.

tonyluvnelly · May 10, 2007

I think I must have miscommunicated something.

Ok... I want to become a CRNA. I 've seen their job first hand in the OR on TV and soon I will be shadowing a Neurosurgeon to get a bigger picture!! ... SUPER LOVE THE OR AND WHAT THEY DO AND WHAT THEY SEE! Its Awesome! (Caps are for excitement) But it seems that being a nurse sucks according to so many here saying they wouldn't recommend the profession to their loved ones in the Thread titled " Would you recommend your daughter to go to Nursing school?" or something like that. I just want to know the differences between CRNA and RN becuase I'm extremely interested in CRNA and Anesthesia ( the surgical environment). You know... hahaha, I think i just answered my own question! I want to become a CRNA no matter what! and If I have to go through being a PT based RN then so be it!

I'm not a CRNA and have no desire to be one, but at least I know why. All I can get out of your posting is that you have NO desire to be a nurse but you have to be one? Who is making you become a nurse? You want to be a CRNA but have NO idea what it requires and what they actually do.
If you want to look after patients from a medical side, then go that root. CRNA's are nurses and if you don't want to be a nurse, then don't go to nursing school. I really wish you the best and only you know in what work enviroment you would find the most happiness.

ukstudent · May 10, 2007

Sorry, it wasn't very clear in your first post. I suggest that you look at the CRNA forum and the pre-CRNA forum. From what I have seen, you can get a good view of what they do and how it differ's from working on a floor. I also want you to keep in mind that most of posts are vents and a lot of nurses really love nursing and would recommend it. Good luck in getting to your end goal. Keep your options open and you might just find that you love patient care.

tridil2000, MSN, RN · May 10, 2007

i think you should be a physician. yep. a doctor. that's the ticket.

make it a neurosurgeon too. :D

justme1972 · May 10, 2007

You know? I was asking myself this question. (What is Allnurses.com telling me-- should i even get into nursing because it seems like some people are really unhappy or wouldnt even advice their offspring to go nursing). In my case, I have no choice.
I'm about to start going back to school for nursing but i don't want to be a bedside nurse--not if its a bunch of drama... wait, then again, that sounds like fun too though cause i love drama ! I want to be a CRNA, that is different right? At least I have read that there is a complete change in job description from being a regular RN. Its more surgery based and not PT care based except for the person you are keeping asleep. Please advice! I wouldn't mind going through the Nursing experience, actually i have too! Like I know i will have to in order to achieve CRNA, you know? I wouldn't want to get stuck as an RN to be honest. Not from the things I hear here.
tony
P.S. How hard is it to be an RN and continue working on CRNA? If you are a CRNA, please tell me how the job differs from RN. I want to get a real experience feel for it. I will be shadowing a Neurosurgeon this week, a mentor of mine, that will help me understand im sure.

Get your BSN, and then get a job as a pharmacutical rep. The motivation there is money, not patient care.

Drama in Corporate America? Never!

I mean, God forbid if you got "stuck" being an RN. I can't imagine anything worse than that.

RNpandoraRN · May 10, 2007

I don't mean to offend, but I can't imagine you'd make a very good CRNA if you don't even want to be an RN...and you feel it's something you "have" to do. Most CRNA programs require 1-3 years RN experience in an ICU; what kind of RN are you going to make if you feel "stuck" in the position? It doesn't make sense for someone to pursue an advanced nursing degree and profession if they don't care to be a nurse.

luvmy3kids · May 10, 2007

I don't mean to be rude, but you said you have first hand experience from watching a CRNA on TV??? I don't know if that is really enough to give you an actual feeling for what the position is all about...

To answer your other question... My best friends husband has been an RN for about 5-7 years now... he has applied to CRNA school twice (was excepted this last year) and begins school in the fall. However, when he applied the first time (about 3 years ago) they recommended that he get more nursing experience (as an RN) before applying to the program again.

Hope that helps.

suzanne4, RN · May 10, 2007

Best of luck to you in your future career.

You will need to have a BSN plus minimum of one year of Critical Care experience before you even apply for the CRNA program in most cases. Most of the nurses that I know that went into anesthesia have had more than 5 years of experience in the ICU. There are a few that get in with just the minimum and you will see them posting. But the majority have several years of experience.

And highly recommend that you actually shadow a CRNA and follow one closely for a couple of days. It is not always like you see it on tv, and can actually be far from that. Shadowing a neuro doc will give you a perspective if you even like the OR. You may find that you want to be an OR nurse and there is nothing wrong with that either.

But to decide right away that you are going into nursing because you want to be a CRNA is not always the wisest. What happens if you do not get in right away?

Schooling for the CRNA is extremely rigorous and you pretty much sign your life away to your program for those two plus years. And when you are in school for the CRNA, most are not working as an RN during that time. You will be putting in more than 80 hours per week with school and studying.

Not sure how old you are, but that can also play a part of it.

Highly recommend that you check out the pre-CRNA forum that we have here. It will give you more insight. And be aware that it is currently harder to get into a CRNA program than it is to get into medical school because of the spots available and the demand for it.

allnurses Guide · May 10, 2007

A CRNA is a nurse. Just specialized training in anesthesia.

You have to understand that we vent here on allnurses - most of us love being nurses or at least like it.

I said I would encourage my daughter to be a nurse (she is considering it after becoming an actress;)). I've encouraged two friends of mine whose kids (one male, one female) are interested in nursing.

steph

Trauma Columnist · May 11, 2007

CRNA is advanced nursing practice. In order to do advanced, you have to do basic nursing first. Shadowing a neurosurgeon would be interesting but they don't do the same things in the OR that a CRNA does.