Just finished my first semester. Ask me anything.

Nursing Students SRNA

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Wow...I can't believe it's only been been 3 1/2 months! It feels like it's been at least a year. But finally, a few hours ago today, I took my last final and finished my first semester of CRNA school!

I figured this would be a good time to answer questions anyone may have about transitioning into a CRNA program.

I'm in a front-loaded program, so I can't really help out with any questions regarding clinicals, but if you have questions about didactics and transitioning into school, I'll take a crack at it!

Thanks for your responses!! I know its a longgg way ahead of me.. but I just get excited

Thank you!

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
Thanks for your responses!! I know its a longgg way ahead of me.. but I just get excited

Thank you!

Keep that excitement alive at all costs, it'll get you through the crazy chemistry classes and insane nursing faculty and clinical instructors :)

Regarding your first question, every nurse has one thing that sets them off. Whether it be blood, sputum, biliary drainage, C.diff diarrhea, or the smell of pseudomonas...there's always something that triggers your CTZ and threatens to derail you. However, you do build up a tolerance to it. Implosion therapy and repeated exposure will definitely dull your sensitivities.

For me personally, I have trouble with colostomy drainage. My particular problem is with the odor because I have a strong and sensitive nose. I've learned to mouth breathe when I have to, and I can hold my breath for a long time. Thankfully I wear a surgical mask a lot, so I can always squirt some tooth paste in there and go to my happy place. Even more thankfully, I don't work with a lot of colostomies anymore. But I used to get brain matter on me a lot when I worked on my old unit! Good times!

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MeTheRN, thank you again for such detailed responses. You have really been such a gem. Thank you! My questions to you are: what should i expect the first semester? What was the average day in your life as a first semester Wolford student. Secondly, any advice for finding a roomate? Im single, and would like to keep costs as low as possible by finding a roommate, preferably another student. Ive been doing the craigslist/yelp/roommate.com search and havent found anything yet. Ill be coming up to naples this week for a interview and figure ill take a look around, but do you have any advice? Thanks!

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.
MeTheRN, thank you again for such detailed responses. You have really been such a gem. Thank you! My questions to you are: what should i expect the first semester? What was the average day in your life as a first semester Wolford student. Secondly, any advice for finding a roomate? Im single, and would like to keep costs as low as possible by finding a roommate, preferably another student. Ive been doing the craigslist/yelp/roommate.com search and havent found anything yet. Ill be coming up to naples this week for a interview and figure ill take a look around, but do you have any advice? Thanks!

You're welcome! I enjoy chatting, and this is sort of therapeutic for me as I procrastinate on studying for tomorrow's exam! :rolleyes:

Your first semester might be different from mine depending on which semester you start in. The predominant factor in the first semester is getting back into student mode. Find and explore different ways of learning and processing the material quickly and efficiently. Some of my classmates have to re-write all of our notes by hand, some of them have to listen to the lectures while exercising, some of them make thousands of flashcards, and some of them just read the book. Figure it out, fast. The second most important thing is developing a schedule. That's the hardest for me. I'm a notorious procrastinator and I prefer my night shift schedule, so it's hard for me to wake up at 8AM and study all day like my counterparts. But on the other hand, I'm up most of the night studying while they're sleeping. Some students consistently put in 5-10 hours a day, some students put in much less and are still passing. It's completely dependent on what type of student you are. And it also depends on the material, for example regional anesthesia is kicking my butt this semester!

Regarding the roommate, wolford has a roommate forum that you can post on. My friend found her roommate that way. Another friend of mine moved in on a monthly lease and then found a roommate at school and moved in with him a month later. Personally, I decided to live alone because I'm OCD and keep odd hours. It's more expensive, but my stable environment has helped me maintain my sanity and grades. My friend was almost failing out of the program because she had a volatile roommate that terrorized her...so just be careful. Are you joining Wolford for the upcoming fall semester?

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Thanks for your response. MeTheRN. Yes, if I get accepted (which I hope I will, because Im getting interviewed a month before classes start), I'll be starting in the fall. I did notice a Housing forum on the Wolford website, but you need some kinda ID. Im thinking once I'm fully accepted, Ill have access..... Good luck with the late night studying! :)

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Would a 3.0 average nursing gpa good enough to get into crna schools?

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
Would a 3.0 average nursing gpa good enough to get into crna schools?

Other than a couple of schools, a 3.0 is the minimum. So yes it is good enough but probably less than the average person accepted. You can still stand out in other areas.

Is your overall GPA higher?

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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU.

With a great sense of relief and accomplishment, I can bump this thread and state "just finished my third (and last didactic) semester of CRNA school! Ask me anything!"

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Congrats !

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MeTheRN, I can't imagine the Jubilation you must feel right now, but hopefully I get to that point in the future. congrats.

P.s. don't bump the thread it is actually packed with a ton of useful info...thanks for you contribution. I am inspired....

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
MeTheRN, I can't imagine the Jubilation you must feel right now, but hopefully I get to that point in the future. congrats.

P.s. don't bump the thread it is actually packed with a ton of useful info...thanks for you contribution. I am inspired....

Yeah good job. Also bump means to refresh the thread so people will see it near the top of the topic lists.

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Specializes in SICU.

Morificeko,

Are you feeling that you will really enjoy giving anesthesia? My thing is, I really love nursing. It's a blast in my opinion. I love it for a lot of reasons, but I'm hesitant to leave it for what is pretty much another profession. Has there been any disappointments or things that get you bummed about the profession? And on the other hand, what's the best things about how its different from ICU nursing?

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