Is it still for me

Only you can answer this question, but it seems to me that you are too early in doubting yourself. Wait a year or two, gain experience, then ask yourself again. Keep in mind these two words: Burning Desire. If you find you don't have it, never mind. Best of luck.

d

Hello all...

I've been a nurse in a CCU for a little over 4 months. I've shadowed CRNAs and done lots of research on the field...I've loved every minute of it and until recently I was absolutely sure this is what I wanted to do. However, I get so nervous before coming to work because of all the errors that are possible, and i'm supposed to be responsible for these very sick people, etc...I still love everything about vents and lines and think anesthesia is fascinating, but the risks associated with the job still make me nervous. I'm wondering: is this still normal, and do I need to give myself more time to get used to it...should I continue to pursue a career as a CRNA???

thanks in advance for the input.

Perfectly normal, considering your only at your four month mark! I feel you really dont start getting comfortable until you have been there for atleast a year (give or take a few months). there is so much to learn and get used to in the ICU setting, so dont sweat it. most people at the 4 month period have only been off orientation a month or two.

Anthony

JessAnn

I think this is why the minimum requirement for most CRNA programs is 1 year in critical care. Most people will tell you that 1 year is probably not enough for MOST people. Give yourself some time. 4 months is hardly enough time to even learn how a vent works, let alone feel comfortable with it. I don't think I began to feel comfortable coming to work in the ICU until I had been working on my own for a year. Even then there will always be a little apprehension about what you will be walking into. So should you continue to pursue anesthesia as a career? I wouldn't give it up, but I also wouldn't rush into it. The experience requirement is there for a reason, the world needs competent, knowledgeable, experienced nurses to practice anesthesia-not nurses rushing to get through as fast as possible. By the way I am not a CRNA or an SRNA, I am just now sending in my apps and hoping to start next fall. I've got at this point 2 years of real (not orientation/preceptor) time in critical care. By the time school starts (if I get in) I will have 3 years. Good luck to you, I hope everything works out for you.

This is my first time posting on this site. I have learned so much from all who have contributed. I'm glad JessAnn asked the question. I am an OR nurse with several years experience but started my nursing career in 1990 as a GN in CCU. I felt exactly the same way about 2 months after orientation. I was so scared and unsure I hated to go to work. I wanted to go to CRNA school and that is why I chose to go straight to ICU however, I decided to find a hospital that would train me in the OR to see if the CRNA route was really what I wanted before I continued to suffer in CCU. I quit and have only worked OR (other than a little Home Health part-time) since. Well, here I am several years and three kids later finishing my BSN and back on track to tackle my goal of CRNA. I am about to transfer back to ICU and have had the same concerns JessAnn mentions but I'm hoping my experience as a nurse and years of maturation will help me attain that "Burning Desire" to become a CRNA. Just wanted to thank all of you who have responded here and all the other many who contribute on this topic.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Sorry for such a long post!

Thanks for all of your posts guys...you're all really helping...a year seems to be the pretty much accepted standard for feeling comfortable in the icu environment...i guess I'm really starting to accept this standard, which has actually made me more comfortable before coming to work...i still would never dream of applying without a year of experience, no matter how excited i am about anesthesia! i really do like it, and next semester i think i will take a prereq organic chemistry for one of the schools i plan to apply to...the more i shadow and the more i come to work, the less i want to give up...i think i'm just so ready to reach that comfort level!!!!

Hello all...

I've been a nurse in a CCU for a little over 4 months. I've shadowed CRNAs and done lots of research on the field...I've loved every minute of it and until recently I was absolutely sure this is what I wanted to do. However, I get so nervous before coming to work because of all the errors that are possible, and i'm supposed to be responsible for these very sick people, etc...I still love everything about vents and lines and think anesthesia is fascinating, but the risks associated with the job still make me nervous. I'm wondering: is this still normal, and do I need to give myself more time to get used to it...should I continue to pursue a career as a CRNA???

thanks in advance for the input.

Jess

I've got some great news for you...your smart! If you went into work everyday and realized the amout of responsibility that rests on your tiny sholders and it did not make you question yourself then I would question your intellegence. Just realize that the "what if's" can't run your life. We worry about things frequently that only happen in obscurity. Keep working on the basics, find those co-workers who have been around the block and are good teachers, and know what you don't know. Be willing to admit that you don't know it all and listen when people give you "constructive criticism" (ignore those who try to give you destructuve criticism" better known as tearing you down to build themselves up)

I wish you were on my unit.