I've been working towards this for awhile. I'm finally getting all of my ducks in a row to apply next year. I love critical care so far, and I think anesthesia would be like working in critical care on steroids, which I think I would enjoy. Looking at the numbers though, it makes me wonder if it really is worth it for a California RN to go into the debt:
My current RN biweekly pay working 4 12 hour shifts/week: $4038 with an after tax take home of $2834 claiming married with 1 dependent. Monthly take home of $5668.
Potential biweekly CRNA pay: Assuming a starting pay of 150k (which I think would be achievable in Southern California): $5769 with a take home of $3809. Monthly take home pay of $7618. Our local school is 100k. Looking at a different out of state school they say the average student loan debt including cost of living is 150k. Paying that back over 20 years leaves you with a payment of $1254. $7618-$1254 = $6364. This leaves me with an take home pay of $6364 after student loan payment. 6463-5668 (current take home pay) = $696. A lot of work and extra debt for an extra $696. If pay is increased to 175k (California average), take home goes up to $8672. $8672-1254 = $7418. 7418-5668 = 1758. An increase of 1758. This makes it look a little more attractive.
A local hospital pays RNs $60/hour. 48hrs/week x 48 weeks = $138248. with a gross biweekly pay of $5317, net pay of $3555. A monthly pay of $7110. $7418 (175k CRNA pay)-$7110 (RN pay at $60/hr) = $308. Not a huge increase in pay, but I guess the question is do I really want to work as an ICU nurse for the rest of my life, and is the increased level of respect along with increased autonomy worth the level of debt that I would get myself into with CRNA school? It seems like a much better deal in states where nursing isn't unionized and are paid poorly. It also seems like a better deal if one is willing to move to a rural area where cost-of-living is low and pay is high.
Since current CRNAs know best about the current job market, would you do it all over again if you were in my shoes? I'm not worried about the lost income from not working for 2-3 years. It's just that if I put the work in to do this, I want my standard of living to be increased at least a little bit, for my wife's sake.
I am HIGHLY considering USAGPAN, but who knows if I would get in? I think if tuition and cost of living is paid for, it would definitely worth it. Plus I get to travel and serve my country (which is something I always wanted to do anyways, but avoided because of the low pay). It sounds awesome, just not sure if my GPA would be competitive enough for USAGPAN!!
I am an ACNP in the ICU, I'm very hands on with the patients. I can intubate, place central lines, swans, A-lines, do bronchoscopy, chest tubes, LPs. And my salary is nothing to sneeze at. Just pointing out that there are places where NPs can have a pretty wide practice
What kind of hospital setting do you work in? Academic? For profit? Community?
How is the job market for new grad ACNPs seeking to break into critical care? Your role sounds very appealing. Unfortunately, a very good friend of mine passed boards as a FNP and has been unable to secure employment here in southern California, which to me, in my particular situation, is very off-putting. Says he has put out a lot of apps and hasn't gotten anyone to bite yet. He went to a 100% brick and mortar program that is very well-respected locally and is associated with a medical school.
I think any increase in income after factoring in debt makes something worth it, especially if it means leaving the bedside since working in ICU can be so physically grueling and demanding. I love critical care, but I'm not sure if my back will be able to tolerate it for 30+ years. A lot of NPs here in California are paid less than staff RNs, unfortunately. If one pursues NP in this region, it most definitely isn't for salary, and is probably more for increasing one's knowledge base/autonomy, and getting away from the physical demands of the bedside. When factoring in debt while comparing RN and local NP salary averages in this particular region, there is a loss of take home income after student loan payments are subtracted from net pay for however long it takes to pay your student loans off.
However, if you can get one of these 200k NP gigs in Texas that people talk about, then obviously it's worth it. The only downside is that you live in Texas. I was pretty much dead set on applying to some of the Florida schools that are easier to get into, but I might just try to stay local and keep living expenses low or take the USAGPAN route. I REALLY want to pursue anesthesia, but not if it's going to financially cripple me. Part of me just wishes I could be happy working the bedside, because if you play your cards right RNs can do really well here. I know I won't be satisfied doing it forever though.
back up plan = FNP, MSN/MBA combo through WGU, or medical sales. Or...open up an sandwich shop haha.
How is the job market for new grad ACNPs seeking to break into critical care? Your role sounds very appealing. Unfortunately, a very good friend of mine passed boards as a FNP and has been unable to secure employment here in southern California, which to me, in my particular situation, is very off-putting. Says he has put out a lot of apps and hasn't gotten anyone to bite yet. He went to a 100% brick and mortar program that is very well-respected locally and is associated with a medical school.
I think any increase in income after factoring in debt makes something worth it, especially if it means leaving the bedside since working in ICU can be so physically grueling and demanding. I love critical care, but I'm not sure if my back will be able to tolerate it for 30+ years. A lot of NPs here in California are paid less than staff RNs, unfortunately. If one pursues NP in this region, it most definitely isn't for salary, and is probably more for increasing one's knowledge base/autonomy, and getting away from the physical demands of the bedside. When factoring in debt while comparing RN and local NP salary averages in this particular region, there is a loss of take home income after student loan payments are subtracted from net pay for however long it takes to pay your student loans off.
However, if you can get one of these 200k NP gigs in Texas that people talk about, then obviously it's worth it. The only downside is that you live in Texas. I was pretty much dead set on applying to some of the Florida schools that are easier to get into, but I might just try to stay local and keep living expenses low or take the USAGPAN route. I REALLY want to pursue anesthesia, but not if it's going to financially cripple me. Part of me just wishes I could be happy working the bedside, because if you play your cards right RNs can do really well here. I know I won't be satisfied doing it forever though.
back up plan = FNP, MSN/MBA combo through WGU, or medical sales. Or...open up an sandwich shop haha.
ACNPs in my area have a pretty decent job outlook. However most hospitals around here are not going to hire a FNP into the ICU, so if ICU is what you want then you need to do an ACNP program. My salary is significantly higher than it was as a bedside nurse, however I was willing to relocate to another area in my state to get it.
Its all about what you want, I wanted to work in critical care so I went to the program that would provide me the education and training and I was willing to relocate to get the practice environment that I wanted. You have to be willing to make some compromises sometimes in order to get what you want.
Hi bayareaFNPstud, what hospital are you working at?! I am from the Bay Area/ Nor Cal, went out of state for a joband am looking to come back to the area. Thanks, sorry for crashing the party!
CRNA has been my dream for a long time. I am a new grad RN and about to start work. I am aligning my schooling and work to get me to CRNA programs as fast as possible. In my RN clinicals, I sought out the anesthesia coordinator (a CRNA) and asked if I could shadow him and his team during rotations instead of shooting myself in Tele. I spent the whole semester elbow to elbow with CRNAs learning SO much clinically and politically. 1 CRNA got his school through the Navy, so debt free. He works full time W2 at that hospital, which pays him about $240k with benefits and his malpractice taken care of. He also does 10 days a month on call at another facility. He cleared $360k last year. That is an example of what you can achieve by working your butt off. Another friend works at that hospital making that same base, and 1099s himself at different surgery centers, but still has an extremely relaxed life and spends a lot of time with his family. He sends me screen shots of places begging him to come do cases or at least recommend someone because they are desperate. All of this is in San Diego by the way, which is probably the worst paying area in California for RNs. The work is there, you just have to know how to market yourself. The second poster (sorry I forgot your handle) said he has $60k in the bank and is ready to apply to anesthesia programs. He has it right. If he can work some too and offset the tuition and living expenses, he will be very stress free when he is done with school.
It was also mentioned; what kind of work do you want to do for another 20-30 years? RN saying yes sir no sir and wiping butts? Or booking a vacation on your ipad, only to glance up to increase the sev because the patient stirred a bit? I was given the opportunity to get hands on in my shadowing, not just sit back. What a difference in the work that you do. It of course is much more liability, but nothing near the physical intensity. And I never saw a single CRNA lift a patient by the way, just stabilize the head and count to 3 for the bed transfer. The money can be head turning, but the autonomy, respect, and type of work all makes it a package that interests me. I don't want want to hold hands like an NP has to, I want to say I'm with anesthesia, here is what we will be doimg, any allergies etc, and see them off to sleep. I will definitely be making the jump when I am qualified to do so.
I am currently pursuing my advanced BSN degree and a CRNA or CNS / Cardiology is something I plan to pursue after and with experience of course. A bedside nurse (praise them!) is just not something I can foresee doing for the rest of my life. I have been accepted to UT Arlington here in the DFW area. Before pursuing my BNS I researched job ads to find out what types of nursing is out there. I've noticed that some local hospitals in the area offer tuition reimbursement and assistance. Do these specialty degrees fall into this category?
Have a buddy who's a CRNA, wasn't an easy journey but he seems happy now and making a six figure salary. May be it's just me but this seems to be the or one of the main reasons why people decide to get into this profession; $$$. Even if you do earn a very high salary, if you don't know how to manage your finances correctly and/or invest it wisely, it's all for nothing. I've seen "poor" doctors who squander their money. I also know quite a few people from the nursing field, definitely not an easy job or stress free for that matter. But I suppose the high salary outweighs it.
Personally for me, I can never picture myself working as a nursing profession. I graduated from high school entering university with no declared major. Seriously I did not know what to do with my life in terms of future career. Didn't think about making big money either. Ended up graduating with a business degree and worked in the corporate world for a few years with a decent salary ~70K/yr. Got tired of the politics and working under people who did not necessarily respect you. I learned to manage my finances wisely, had a bit saved up. Took about a year off and just had fun, travel, vacation. Got the itch to work again so I ended up starting my own business with a partner. It's an online business. The first two years were crazy, usually working 13-15 hours a day including weekends. But at the end of the day, it's been all worth it. Now I'm earning on average over 10k/month literally just working 6-8 hrs/day. Mostly stress-free now. Working for myself, no politics, no boss, no concern for malpractice lol. Anyone here who is familiar with Super Affiliate or the affiliate marketing business, knows what's i'm taking about. I am a Super Affiliate with my business.
God bless nurses, but if you can find yourself doing something else while potentially earning big bucks, go for it. I took the risk and it paid off. But one common thing is hard work. Can't never accomplish anything without it.
Dranger
1,871 Posts
What kind of hospital setting do you work in? Academic? For profit? Community?