Not sure CRNA is for me

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 26, 2015

CRNA isn't an easy job...Hours and hours behind drapes in an OR with all huge personalities. I have been doing it for several years. Many things about the job is stagnating. A few more years for me, and may go back to nursing. Many people in anesthesia are unhappy. An attending said to me once after being asked was he happy with anesthesia.."Is anyone happy with anesthesia?"..Just a tough environment. To those who like it, good for you...Just keep your eyes open for other jobs...also, a new group to work with may make all the difference...Good Luck

A lot of people are sure begging to get into anesthesia. Do THEY know that no one is happy there?

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 27, 2015

Just curious if anyone out there is not happy as a CRNA. Just curious if anyone has become a nurse practitioner, gone to medical school, or left the field of medicine entirely. What did you not like about being a CRNA? I have been a CRNA for 5 years and I am tired of the job. I would like to talk to my patients more and I am not happy sitting in one room for hours. I like to get out and about and see the light of day sometimes. Just hoping to hear if someone feels the same way and what you did about it.

Several years ago I was accepted into CRNA school at TCU and was ready to go. At the advice of a friend that is a CRNA, she had me spend more clinical hours shadowing her over that standard small amount people do when applying. I ended up following her for two months during my free time (she mostly did OR with a few shifts in L&D for extra $$$). By the end of the time period I knew it wasn't for me. It become so monotonous where it was the same thing over and over and over. I know we all feel like that in a job after a while, but I never experienced it so soon (and I wasn't even doing the work). I too also didn't appreciate the lack of patient interaction in respect to other nursing fields. I will say however, when doing L&D, CRNA's pay a much more vital role in patient education and spend a lot of time comforting a patient, especially during a c-section, I didn't really wanna just pop in epidurals all day though.

A few more years went by and I decided to become an FNP and am happy with the route I chose. I get to manage the total care of patients, follow up with them, and have a level of autonomy that I never thought possible. More importantly, I get to really know my patients in a way that even inpatient nurses will never achieve, which I love. I also have a normal human being schedule allowing me a lot more family time, which is pretty rare for CRNA's when most positions are inpatient.

I absolutely respect and love the role CRNA's play in our healthcare system (especially after my wife just had an emergent c-section), but like everything, it isn't for everyone. I really recommend anyone considering jumping into any APRN role, especially CRNA, spends a good chunk of time following someone practicing in the field to get a good feel for the job. I think a lot of people get blinded by the serious $$$ that comes with being a CRNA without putting much thought into what they will actually be doing.

allnurses Guide · Jul 27, 2015

The vast majority of CRNAs are happy with being a CRNA. CRNA has one of the highest job satisfaction rates of any job.

The CRNAs that I hear that are dissatisfied are usually dissatisfied with where they work and not actually being a CRNA.

Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN · Jul 28, 2015

Im almost done with CRNA school and I have to say those who said it's 'boredom, punctuated with sheer terror...' well, they are right. It is. It definitely is not as much excitement as working in the ER or the ICU. It's a different animal entirely. For me, I was burnt out physically and emotionally. I needed a change and in all honestly, I would never go back to being a bedside nurse. Now, find me in 5 years and ask me how i feel about it and my mind may change. I think and speculate that a lot of the people who maybe unhappy have to do with the practice environment that they are in and maybe not the job itself. There are ALOT of big personalities in the surgical arena, some nice and other not so nice. It is hard sometimes to not want to say whats really on your mind, and sometimes you have to really bite your tongue. It honestly is like nothing I've ever experiences and I've worked in both EMS, ER and ICU. Now, i could be wrong entirely as well. Being a CRNA isn't for everyone, yes the money is nice (even tho i have none of it yet) but I tell people, we don't get paid for what we do, we get paid for what may happen and having the wits, ability and knowledge to fix it. Before you start to flame me, know that these are just my opinions and not everyone is going to subscribe to it. Im sure there are a multitude of reasons why people like or don't like this job.

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 29, 2015

we don't get paid for what we do, we get paid for what may happen and having the wits, ability and knowledge to fix it.

I would always tell my coworkers this when I was working in critical care and some of the newer grads thought there wasn't enough "action", especially when we were on the rapid response team. Such a true statement.

Good luck to you in your career path. Seems like you have a good head on your shoulders.

Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN · Jul 29, 2015

I would always tell my coworkers this when I was working in critical care and some of the newer grads thought there wasn't enough "action", especially when we were on the rapid response team. Such a true statement.
Good luck to you in your career path. Seems like you have a good head on your shoulders.

Thank you for the kind words I appreciate it.

firechalice · Oct 13, 2015

I graduated in December. I like being a CRNA. Most of the time, I kinda love it. It is somewhat routine. Hours drag by. Schedules aren't the best. Student loan debt out the wazoo! I'm planning to get my DNP in Family, open pain clinic and work with the hospice population. OR work on the side. I don't see myself in the OR for the remainder of my career. I want more flexibility and the ability to go for lunch or coffee without feeling like I have to inhale everything.

Let's not even get on the politics... but that's par for the course.

It's not what I thought it would be. It's not a career, yet. It's still a JOB.

Psychcns · Oct 15, 2015

I met a lady last year who had started as a crna, then went to nursing education, then to fnp, then retired and four years later was dying to come back as an fnp. Last I heard she was working locums and loved it. She was one of these very smart people. I think she would be good at anything. So people do change from crna-this lady was inspiring!

AndersRN · Oct 29, 2015

I truly respect CRNA... One must have a thick skin to be able to work with surgeons every day. These guys sometimes treat anesthesiologists like [insert]; I always wonder how they treat CRNA.

ssrhythm · Feb 24, 2016

For those of you who have this same sentiment...how many CRNA jobs have you had? How many different regions of the country have you worked in? I ask this, because I see and know so many people who finished school and took the first open job at the major hospital we trained at...often accepting the job before graduating. Some did so because they lived in the area already and did not want to move. Some did so because they were worried about actually getting a job and having a paycheck asap after graduation. The mothership hospital we trained at is a huge ACT practice facility where tensions are always high and pay is ridiculously low. I know money is not everything, but having a CEO offer you 200K with great benefits give you a great, appreciated feeling. I did not leave my training area simply for the money, but I could not see myself working for 160K with no autonomy in a virtual continuation of school where I had no autonomy. I left my home and the area where my mom and dad live and moved to a rural town ten hours away because they were offering me a pile more money and complete autonomy. When I interviewed, it was obvious that the people working at the hospital were very happy and considered their co-workers family. The environment in the surgical department was laid back, friendly, and saturated with mutual appreciation and respect for EVERYONE. The cases are bread and butter, so I am rarely in a case for more than 2.5 hours, but it does not matter because during a 3 hour case, the time flies, as everyone in the room is interacting in a serious but absolutely relaxed and often fun manner. I pre-op all my patients, and despite only spending 5 minutes or less preoperatively with them, I feel that during that time, the act of explaining the anesthetic, answering their questions, and doing everything I can to make them comfortable and relaxed at a time where they are likely the most anxious and stressed that they have ever been...I find that in that short time, I do more for the patient than I ever did in a 12 hour shift as an RN even if I was only taking care of one patient that shift. I have yet, in 4 years of working at this facility, to get up and wish that I did not have to go to work. I can assure you that if I were working at any of the hospitals that I worked in for the ten years before CRNA school or all but one of the dozens of clinical sites that I trained in, I would be having to drag my are into work every morning and would be sitting on the stool longing for the moment that I could go home. My point is simply this...there ARE fantastic jobs out there that are fantastic not simply because of the pay or location or reputation or benefits....but they are great because of the culture within the facility. If you are thinking you made a mistake and are thinking of ditching the profession...open your mind to seeking out your CRNA job utopia. Don't limit yourself to any geographic location, and don't exclude anywhere because of the location. Go interview somewhere that offers autonomy and good compensation and interview them while you are there...find a place where employees are happy and tight with each other and make a move. Give that a shot instead of bailing on something you have worked so hard for and instead of sticking with a job that you are not enjoying. As someone who has worked in multiple hospitals in multiple states...trust me when I say that if you are not happy in your job, there is a far greater chance that you are not happy because of where you are working vs what you are doing. Open your mind and do not give up without trying to find the right fit for you.

ssrhythm · Feb 24, 2016

I truly respect CRNA... One must have a thick skin to be able to work with surgeons every day. These guys sometimes treat anesthesiologists like [insert]; I always wonder how they treat CRNA.

And let me add this...where I work, we have the very best surgeons I've ever worked with. While there are three that can be a pain in the orifice every once and a while, they all have tremendous respect for the anesthesia providers, RNs, Scrubs...everyone in the department. Not only do we all get along well at work, many of the surgeons are very good friends with the anesthesia team members and many of the other OR staff, and getting together outside of work for beers, wine parties, dinners, community events etc. is not uncommon at all. Do not think that every OR and every hospital is the same...if ******* surgeons and a stressful work environment are weighing you down, go small, rural, and autonomous. Life is too short to have anyone talking down to you as their necessary subordinate on a daily basis.

Brite_eyes28 · Feb 26, 2016

"we don't get paid for what we do, we get paid for what may happen and having the wits, ability and knowledge to fix it."

I think that comment is the exact reason labor and delivery nurses get paid better than some. When things are going well, it is actually an easy job, it's when things go south that they can really go south and you have to be a great critical thinker and be super fast at getting the best care possible out to the patient, lives depend on it.