Nurse Anesthetists

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I'm a 20 year old newlywed and I've decided to switch my major to nursing. I've always enjoyed caring for people and I'm really excited to become a nurse! :)

Anyway, I plan to get a BSN and eventually become a nurse anesthetist. I know that becoming a nurse anesthetist takes a lot of time and hard work, but has anyone done it when they had little ones? My husband and I plan to have kids in about 5 years and I was just wondering...

TIA :clown:

Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Half my LVN class wanted to be CRNA's

about a third of my RN class wanted to be CRNA's.

I was blessed to see one working for a day...and I will say that I would never want to be one now.

Any career you choose, don't commit until you've actually seen what they do on a day to day basis.

It appears to me to require a lot of knowledge, which is a great thing, to handle a situation that is usually very mundane and routine, but you have to be on your toes constantly because things could change in a split second.

SO it's a state of perpetual boredom and terror at the same time.

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can there be ONE thread in response to a CRNA query that does not include a negative reply? it is not helpful to accuse others of being "in it for the money." encouraging them to explore the profession would be more appropriate. not every undergrad knows every thing about every career and discouraging them as such is a disgrace. i have never seen such a thing and i have been following the CRNA threads on here for some time. does every pre-med know every thing about being a physcian? No they do not but they don't have complete strangers doubting their capabilities and intentions. this site is such a wealth of resources and it is such a disservice to the nursing profession to display this type of behavior. It is a turnoff to brilliant and motivated new recruits. It would just be refreshing to not see an abundance of bitter responses to the CRNA posts. please be positive and remain calm...jeez.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
can there be ONE thread in response to a CRNA query that does not include a negative reply? it is not helpful to accuse others of being "in it for the money." encouraging them to explore the profession would be more appropriate. not every undergrad knows every thing about every career and discouraging them as such is a disgrace. i have never seen such a thing and i have been following the CRNA threads on here for some time. does every pre-med know every thing about being a physcian? No they do not but they don't have complete strangers doubting their capabilities and intentions. this site is such a wealth of resources and it is such a disservice to the nursing profession to display this type of behavior. It is a turnoff to brilliant and motivated new recruits. It would just be refreshing to not see an abundance of bitter responses to the CRNA posts. please be positive and remain calm...jeez.

Most of getting through CRNA school is about internal self motivation, if someone's "negativity" bothers you then getting through anesthesia school is going to be that much more difficult. There are some intense personalities in anesthesia that you will probably either love, hate, or just learn to tolerate there isn't much in between.

Personally, I used to get upset when people stated they wanted to be CRNAs and they knew absolutely nothing about the profession except for the salary. Now I just find it amusing. It is a long road that very few students/nurses actually finish. IMO blogs/open nursing forums in general are a bad way to find out initially about any profession especially one as old as nurse anesthesia. Like I stated in my 1st post on this thread the OP should start at the national level with the AANA to learn more about the profession. The AANA website has everything that you need to know on there to get started in becoming a CRNA.

You should also realize there is probably less than 10 CRNAs/SRNAs that post on allnurses, so most of the advice/comments is coming from your nursing peers and not nurse anesthetists.

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amen "mrshouse"!!!!!! i am in near the same place as above poster.. i DID start nursing school to become a CRNA, not remain a RN.. and I appreciate the support of people who actually answer the question rather than question motives!

a big thank you to all who are a great help on these boards!!!!!!!

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Specializes in CVICU/SICU-MICU/OR/PACU.

What a hot topic and figured I would add my 2 :twocents:. Lets face it; students are not coming out of nursing school to remain staff nurses, times have chanaged, they are learning about advanced roles even as nursing students,which is something I was never exposed to 7 years ago when I graduated. I was not sure I wanted to be a CRNA untill after I spent four years as a nurse in the Army. So only time will tell. I will suggest that the OP shadow a CRNA even now if he or she can. But the road is long and ups and downs along the way. Just as others said, focus on getting into nursing school and do extremely well, because those grades will follow you all your life applying to CRNA school. You would hate to look back and only wish you would have done better, like so many of us here.

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Specializes in ICU hopeful!.
can there be ONE thread in response to a CRNA query that does not include a negative reply? it is not helpful to accuse others of being "in it for the money." encouraging them to explore the profession would be more appropriate. not every undergrad knows every thing about every career and discouraging them as such is a disgrace. i have never seen such a thing and i have been following the CRNA threads on here for some time. does every pre-med know every thing about being a physcian? No they do not but they don't have complete strangers doubting their capabilities and intentions. this site is such a wealth of resources and it is such a disservice to the nursing profession to display this type of behavior. It is a turnoff to brilliant and motivated new recruits. It would just be refreshing to not see an abundance of bitter responses to the CRNA posts. please be positive and remain calm...jeez.

AMEN!!!! :yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

I think we should all try to make an attempt to not be so condescending when posters express an interest in CRNA school/employment. After all, this forum is a Pre-CRNA Inquiry forum...it's made so that people can inquire into the various aspects of the profession.

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I'm really surprised at some of the replies, but I still appreciate it.

Yes, I do know the amount of schooling and hard work it takes to become a CRNA. I'm willing to put all effort and time necessary. I've done my research.

Thanks for all your replies :)

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
Anyway, I plan to get a BSN and eventually become a nurse anesthetist. I know that becoming a nurse anesthetist takes a lot of time and hard work, but has anyone done it when they had little ones? My husband and I plan to have kids in about 5 years and I was just wondering...

All advanced nursing degrees take a lot of work. I am sure you will do great, you sound very passionate and excited to explore.

I think it is wonderful that you are looking into the future. Many RN's graduate with an ADN and consider that their terminal degree. The ones who usually go on are the ones who are thinking about advanced practice in their undergrad. It is much more difficult to go back after being out of school for years especially with a family and full time job.

Motivating registered nurses to return for an advanced degree. Warren JI; Mills ME; Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 2009 May; 40 (5): 200-9 ISSN: 0022-0124 PMID: 19489518 CINAHL AN: 2010290524

It is especially important to think about it now because your grades will need to be stellar no matter what graduate program you are considering.

I am a nursing educator and an APN. When we see graduate level students starting, they usually say they came back because they want to advance themselves professionally, but there was also someone in their perspective discipline that they admired and enjoyed working with.

The best thing you can do is find a CRNA (preferably someone who likes their job) and interview them or shadow them for a day if you can. Also try and pick someone who has been a CRNA for more than a couple of years. We require this for preceptorship at our institution because they have gotten over the school hangover and, if you are familiar with Benner, they are at the competent level and usually understand the whole picture.

Good luck and welcome to nursing!

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Specializes in icu/er.

sigh..if you guys are crying over a few somewhat less than positive comments on a ******* internet forum then you might as well forget about going to nursing school muchless anesthesia. but goodluck to you anyhow.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Anesthesia is a wonderful career for nurses. I am always pleased to hear about very bright and self-confident people who want to enter our field. But everyone needs a reality check about being a CRNA. Just getting admitted to a program is very competitive, so you should be well prepared, academically, have sufficient experience in critical care nursing and have the support from family and friends. The programs are intense and leave little time for a personal life. If you can't handle it, don't even apply until you are at a better place in your life. Being a CRNA is not all roses and money. You must be very good at what you do, be able to handle all kinds of stresses and be committed to long term learning.

I don't want to discourage anyone, but I have been involved with anesthesia students for many years and know that you must be motivated, financially secure and emotionally mature. With all of those traits and a good education, you will enter an incredible field.

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