Nurse Anesthesia and family?

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hello everyone! i admire all of you so much. nurse anesthesia is a dream of mine but i have a lot of things to consider. right now i am just about to enter nursing school and i need to know if anesthesia is a realistic goal considering i have a husband and 2 kids, right now ages 2 and 1. do any of you have families? and if so, do you get to spend enough time with them? i would love to do this, but i don't want a job that takes up all of my time! thanks for any comments :)

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No, I don't get to spend much time with my family at all. None of us do - it's the price you pay. I have missed birthdays, weddings, and much fun stuff over the past three years.

If you are not prepared to commit to an educational process that takes 60-80 hours per week of your time and leaves you emotionally and physically exhausted, then anesthesia school is not for you. If you want a job that gives you shift work, little professional responsibility beyond doing your shifts, and no call, anesthesia is not for you.

My advice - get through your nursing program and then reassess your plans. It's still too early for you to know what you will like in the nursing profession.

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well athlein brings up some good points, i would not say it is all that. the first 2 semesters in my program were very busy, and i did not see the family too much. different programs are structured differently. my program is a partially front loaded program. this means a lot of didactic and a bit of clinical. as the semesters go by the scale tips and you have more clinical. now, finishing my 3rd semester, i am spending more time with my family than before. i have set up a schedule that works for my grades as well as my family. yes, i have missed b-days, and parties and all kinds of fun stuff but - i see my family q day and spend time with my son. i stay up late after he goes to bed to study. you do what you can. if anesthesiais what you want to do, you will find a way.

.gc :Melody:

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hello everyone! i admire all of you so much. nurse anesthesia is a dream of mine but i have a lot of things to consider. right now i am just about to enter nursing school and i need to know if anesthesia is a realistic goal considering i have a husband and 2 kids, right now ages 2 and 1. do any of you have families? and if so, do you get to spend enough time with them? i would love to do this, but i don't want a job that takes up all of my time! thanks for any comments :)

as the spouse of someone finishing her first year i can only say be very prepared. we have a 6 and 4 year old the first year has been unbelievably bad on both of us. her program is all class room the first year. she has missed kid's school functions and basically has been absent the last year. crna school demands all and i mean all of her time. i go to bed and wake up without her due to the time she must put in to get through.

this has put me in the position of full time child care before and after school. during orientation they told the spouses things will be diffucult but i had no idea it was going to be this bad. my lovely wife roams the night like a vampire and is consumed by the next day's study demands.

it has been the toughest thing i have ever done. i have felt alone and by myself in this vortex of isolation and stress. she has spent more time with her study group than me and when we do get a little time together her thoughts are with her studies.

the demands on you will be extreme. the demands on your husband will be extreme in that he becomes the caregiver for you and your children. and he may at times feel left out and ignored.

the only thing that keeps us going is the tremendous benefit this will be when its completed. its life changing career decision and that has to be the motivating factor.

never though, let him go a day without you telling him how important he is to you and what you are doing. let him know its for both of you. always let him know how special he is and you will get through this.

it will be worth it in the end!

god bless and good luck

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Specializes in psych.

I know, for myself, my BSN nursing program wasn't a breeze either. No, I'm sure it can't compare with CRNA school, but starting nursing school with the hopes of becoming a CRNA in the future is just torture in school. Even if B's are okay, if you've done your research you know the higher GPA, the higher the stats, only makes you more appealing. I know in my situation every grade seem like my life depended on it. For the next 2 years of just nursing, every test, careplan, and other crap will bring you closer or further away from your goal. TO me, this was the most stressful 2 years I'd ever been through. My relationship with my husband was extremely stressful and strained. It seemed like all I ever did was study, I was tired all the time and so on, and always in a *itchy mood. We only have one child that was a toodler through this time, but still very stressful. I believe if you can get through regular nursing school and survive, you probley can get through CRNA school. I am still recovering (HAHA) from nursing school, started working as RN and will probley apply to CRNA school in 2008. I am in no rush to be in that situation again RIGHT NOW. I can't for the day to come where I will be sending my paperwork off to CRNA school, but at the same time I CAN.

Take care and best wishes

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What about after CRNA school? Do you feel like the demands of being a CRNA allow for time with families? Can you limit your schedule to 40 hours/week or less?

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May I find out more about Nurse Anaesthesia? If I want to consider OR nursing, I think I need to find out more about the anaesthesia side to it. What exactly do the nurses need to know?

Thanks :)

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May I find out more about Nurse Anaesthesia? If I want to consider OR nursing, I think I need to find out more about the anaesthesia side to it. What exactly do the nurses need to know?

Thanks :)

Go to http://www.AANA.com and you will find lots of information and program websites, many of which have information about the plan of study and prerequistes. Unfortunately neither Australia or Canada officially recognize CRNAs as their anesthesia care systems evolved from the English model and not the American model.

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Unfortunately neither Australia or Canada officially recognize CRNAs as their anesthesia care systems evolved from the English model and not the American model.

Totally irrelevant question - how does the English model differ?

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In the English model there are no CRNAs only Anesthesiologists (which are actually called anesthetists but they are MDs) :chuckle

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In the English model there are no CRNAs only Anesthesiologists (which are actually called anesthetists but they are MDs) :chuckle

I know that part, but does the overall model of medicine/health care differ?I seem to remember that British physicians don't get called "Doctor."

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Both England and Canada have National Health Care systems and all the issues and problems associated to them. That is a whole different discussion, what is relevent to this thread is that unless you are planning on living in a border city and working as a CRNA in the US, the Canadian Health Care System does not recognize CRNAs. :angryfire The person asking the question about knowing more about CRNAs indicated that she wanted to end up living in Canada. :)

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