Hello. I'm new to this forum. I've been reading all the different postings and have found all of what has been said very helpful. I currently work on a general Medical floor at a Major Hospital in Tulsa, OK. I've been an RN on this floor for 1 1/2 years now, and the unbelievable stress and pressure of having 8-12 patients each night is really starting to get to me. I'm becoming more and more miserable every day. Recently, I've been looking for a change, and becoming a CRNA was something I was interested in doing while still in nursing school, but since I found out there was no program here in Oklahoma and it was not feasible for us to move due to my husband's job, I dropped the idea without giving it another thought. besides, I was comfortable on the Medical floor at the time, and was (am) making fairly good money. I now know the type of nursing I'm doing now is not something I can handle for 40 more years of my life (I'm 25 years old currently). I started thinking about becoming a CRNA again, and talked to my husband about moving to Houston. He said as long as he could get a good computer job there, it wouldn't be a problem! I was so excited and the more research I did, the more excited I became. I still need to shadow a CRNA, but I feel really good about my decision. Primarily, I guess my question is this: I've heard all the good things about being a CRNA, but what negatives are there? Also, is there anyone out there any where that regretted their decision to become a CRNA and why? How stressful is the job, and how would it rank to the major stress I have now at work? I really like the idea of taking care of 1 patient at a time and having the autonomy that CRNAs do. Of course the pay isn't bad, either, but believe it or not, that's not the primary reason I want to do it. I like growing and learning more and being the top of my game. I don't feel like I am fulfilling that need now, as I am not able to give the best care due to staffing issues, increased workload, etc. It bothers me to settle for less than the best. Thanks for any advice anyone can give me. I appreciate it. Sorry this is so long! :)
Hello. I'm new to this forum. I've been reading all the different postings and have found all of what has been said very helpful. I currently work on a general Medical floor at a Major Hospital in Tulsa, OK. I've been an RN on this floor for 1 1/2 years now, and the unbelievable stress and pressure of having 8-12 patients each night is really starting to get to me. I'm becoming more and more miserable every day. Recently, I've been looking for a change, and becoming a CRNA was something I was interested in doing while still in nursing school, but since I found out there was no program here in Oklahoma and it was not feasible for us to move due to my husband's job, I dropped the idea without giving it another thought. besides, I was comfortable on the Medical floor at the time, and was (am) making fairly good money. I now know the type of nursing I'm doing now is not something I can handle for 40 more years of my life (I'm 25 years old currently). I started thinking about becoming a CRNA again, and talked to my husband about moving to Houston. He said as long as he could get a good computer job there, it wouldn't be a problem! I was so excited and the more research I did, the more excited I became. I still need to shadow a CRNA, but I feel really good about my decision. Primarily, I guess my question is this: I've heard all the good things about being a CRNA, but what negatives are there? Also, is there anyone out there any where that regretted their decision to become a CRNA and why? How stressful is the job, and how would it rank to the major stress I have now at work? I really like the idea of taking care of 1 patient at a time and having the autonomy that CRNAs do. Of course the pay isn't bad, either, but believe it or not, that's not the primary reason I want to do it. I like growing and learning more and being the top of my game. I don't feel like I am fulfilling that need now, as I am not able to give the best care due to staffing issues, increased workload, etc. It bothers me to settle for less than the best. Thanks for any advice anyone can give me. I appreciate it. Sorry this is so long! :)