Me and the CRNA in Surgery.....

[HPlayBoyU]

I'm a Furture CRNA.......and currently a junior in a BSN program.......I had clinical in the OR to see reconstruction surgery of an ulcer......During the procedure......THe resident, med. student, & the surgeon as well as nurses were all busy and doing something........I noticed an older man just sitting down during the surgery.......I walked over to him and asked if he was the anesthesiologist......he said no.....he was the nurse anesthetist........just sitting in fromt of his machine chillin'.......Since this will be my future profession.......I stood w/ him and talked for about a hour......telling me about everything.......and how alot of CRNA reading during the surgeries opposed to watching......he may have stood and watched twice.......he said the job was easy and he could retire whenever......he was extremely helpful and I benefited alot 2day.....I just wanted to share an experience.......

[jeffreyheese]

If easy is why you want to get in to anesthesia, you might want to do a little more research. I'm not trying to be a downer, but school is tough, and not all jobs allow you to take it so easy.

[kmchugh]

I am a little concerned by your description of the CRNA. Generally, sitting by the machine "chillin" is NOT what we do, nor is it an accepted standard of practice. In every case, I am busy from start to finish. You must constantly monitor the patient, be aware of vitals, machine status, etc. However, most surgeons are uncomfortable if the anesthetist looks too busy, because they think the patient may not be doing well. So, you must do all these things without looking too busy. Its a balancing act. Trust me, CRNA's earn their money.

Kevin McHugh

[HPlayBoyU]

I know CRNAs personally..........I know they earn there money........but on this particular day and this particular CRNA......he really was not doing too much of nothing until I went to talk to him. So, when I say "chillin", he really was.....picking his nails..........that is what I saw.....but I definitely know how difficult and crucial the role of a CRNA is............

[SERENAde]

HPlayBoyU

what school do you go to???? just curious...i have some friends in philly in the nursing program....

SERI

[HPlayBoyU]

Hey......

I don't go to school in Philly..............I'm from Philly, born and raised......I go to a HBCU in VA..........

[ivpush]

Even though the CRNA was "chilling", I am sure he was constantly monitoring the patient and always thinking about what to do. There are some cases that are less "task-saturated" than others, but many OR nurses see us sitting there doing nothing and making check marks on the paper once in a while. Even though that's what it looks like, it is more imvolved than what meets the eye.