Lying about wanting to become a CRNA to Managers?

[Hartley]

Well here is my question, i have a few ICU positions that have opened and have scheduled interviews with me. I am between a rock and a hard place, if i tell them the truth that i will begin applying for CRNA schools in 2 years, they may not hire me. I have had one manager say that he wants me to have a time like of about 4-5 years before starting to look for CRNA schools otherwise they can't hire me because it is too expensive.

I know that there is no certainty regarding getting in to CRNA school with 2 years of ICU experience, however, i do not want to wait five years before applying. (not to mention that i would have to retake many classes as schools want recent science

I'm not wanting to leave these jobs high and dry, but i dont want to work 5 years, when 1-2 is required by schools.

So is it better to be honest and see if these positions will accommodate me in regards to my true career goals? Or is it better to say that CRNA is a goal but far down the road (lie basically). I don't want to be dishonest, but i don't want to be discriminated against because of my career goal either. Anyone have any advice? If i do leave before they want me to will a manager give me a bad reference to a CRNA school? Are there win-win situations out there?

Thanks!

[jrv100]

It's not a question about honesty or not...you don't need to share EVERY single one of your thoughts, dreams, hopes and desires, favorite color, if you want to have children etc. What if someone wanted to have a baby (and take off for 6 months on maternity leave)? Would you share THAT with them? I see no difference. Any aspirations you MAY have are simply that. You DON"T have an acceptance letter in your hand and you have NO CURRENT DEFINITIVE PLAN. Your only concrete plan AT PRESENT is to work in the ICU.

Someone brought up a good point about rec's. You can get a LOR from ANYONE who is intimately familiar with your work and who is a supervisory level. This could be a manager/asst manager/asst director, any charge nurse with whom you work, any physician/ surgeon with whom you work. I got my letters from my charge nurses and from the Chief of Staff at our hospital. I could have gotten recs from my direct "managers" but for me, I focused on where my very best recs would come from in terms of content. I could have gotten many more from surgeons I worked with every day but I already had enough.

You have NO idea with whom you will get along/ not get along and feel comfortable. You want to get your LOR's from people that know your work AND from those that think you're a "rock star" and who really like you as a person and respect your work. Right now, you have absolutely NO idea who that will be.

Again, you will serve your unit well if you become the very best ICU nurse you can be. I think "god" will be just fine if you don't share any and all future plans you may have in your life with a prospective employer. I think "god" will be very happy if you serve your patients, their family members, and your colleagues to the very best of your abilities and competencies.

Good luck to you!

[Hartley]

It's not a question about honesty or not...you don't need to share EVERY single one of your thoughts, dreams, hopes and desires, favorite color, if you want to have children etc. What if someone wanted to have a baby (and take off for 6 months on maternity leave)? Would you share THAT with them? I see no difference. Any aspirations you MAY have are simply that. You DON"T have an acceptance letter in your hand and you have NO CURRENT DEFINITIVE PLAN. Your only concrete plan AT PRESENT is to work in the ICU.

Someone brought up a good point about rec's. You can get a LOR from ANYONE who is intimately familiar with your work and who is a supervisory level. This could be a manager/asst manager/asst director, any charge nurse with whom you work, any physician/ surgeon with whom you work. I got my letters from my charge nurses and from the Chief of Staff at our hospital. I could have gotten recs from my direct "managers" but for me, I focused on where my very best recs would come from in terms of content. I could have gotten many more from surgeons I worked with every day but I already had enough.

You have NO idea with whom you will get along/ not get along and feel comfortable. You want to get your LOR's from people that know your work AND from those that think you're a "rock star" and who really like you as a person and respect your work. Right now, you have absolutely NO idea who that will be.

Again, you will serve your unit well if you become the very best ICU nurse you can be. I think "god" will be just fine if you don't share any and all future plans you may have in your life with a prospective employer. I think "god" will be very happy if you serve your patients, their family members, and your colleagues to the very best of your abilities and competencies.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the reply and the advice, i appreciate it. I like your take on it, right now i have no guarantee what will happen two years down the road, however, i can guarantee hard work and dedication to my unit day in and day out to the best of my ability for the current known future.

Thanks everyone!