KannRN

No problem here paindoc. Your attitutide speaks volumes and your persistant evasiveness suggests the possiblity that you lack credentials, and that you just might be well versed on different aspects of the health care field. Anyone determined enough can obtain any information they want and become self-schooled. On the other hand, people who have spent years obtaining whatever degree and certifications they have are generally honest, sometimes humble, but able to state their background---without the defensive attitude.

yes, yes, yes, paindoc. Nurse anesthesia is an excellent profession as the practice of Medicine is. There is actually nothing wrong with comparing any profession side by side as it would show one the similarities and differences and perhaps provide direction for someone in pursuit of---but undecided on which route to take. But You didnt answer my question about your own credentials and background and education! Dont you think that "20 years experience in anesthesiology/pain management" is vague? Or even evasive?

I've been following this thread for as long as it has been going. Please, Paindoc, tell us more about yourself, your professional background, education and what exactly is your title? Your responses have certainly raised a lot of hair around here and I for one am very interested in knowing what your background is to be so self assured and direct about CRNA practice and education.

Wow! only administer drugs? not enough training because they only pass gas? and this leads to inadequate competence therefore they are not classified as APN's? PLEASE share with me what state this is! Thanks!!

You didnt mention how long you have been a nurse? And, didnt you need your managers letter of reference for a CRNA program? You are also admitting that you meet the requirements in a minimal way, so this is what I would do: Certainly go to the interview in November and if you do not get in, utilize the experience as EXPERIENCE which will help you gain momentum for the next round. I would also go for the TICU position assuming that it will give you a broader experience and make you a more well rounded candidate for a CRNA program. Learn everything you can and consider getting CCRN certification too, spend at least a year on that unit, and leave the politics and the charge nurse "opportunity" back on the Neuro unit. The experience of what you need to be doing and where you need to be in order to be considered into a program is much more valuable than "charge nurse" and politics anyday! Good luck!

I dont know about schools in the columbus, GA area but you will need to become an RN and have at least the usual one year of critical care experience. There are some programs that might take your current education and fast track you into a program, but you will still need to pass the licensure boards and practice prior to CRNA school. Aside from all of this, its never too late to make a change--good luck!

WOW! Good luck to you too! A 2, 4, and 9 year old---I admire your determination! Mine will be 12, 14, and at last, 18...and I am pre-planning for them and my departure to school. The 18 year old will have graduated when I plan to start, so I'm hoping this will help...but I've often wondered if it would of been better when they were young like yours. In any event, I believe it is an excellent opportunity to share with one's children---the pursuit of education, and learning, which is a lifelong thing. And just personally, for me, I would of never had the stamina in my young 20's to do this. Some people do, and thats great. Anyway, good luck again and let us know how your first few weeks are!

So you are saying that after women establish a career, they should then work "part time"? What would you say to women who have established their career, whether that be before, during (gasp!) or after kids who choose to work full time?? Does this make a woman any LESS of something? Please move along with this somewhere else...do you realize it IS 2006?!! This is really no mystery. I read your other threads and realized that you are still an student RN, and have been aspiring to "be a CRNA". Tell us how and why do you know this? I''m betting that you have a great deal of self-discovery to go. There are many people who have been extremely successful in balancing their personal lives and obtaining graduate education--anesthesia school included. It takes one type of person who has a long way to go in career development (you) and another type of person who is actually able to manage a family AND be self directed enough to become a anesthetist--many that you will encounter here on this board. You have a very long way to go.

You are doing this because you have worked hard and managed yourself to get you to the point where you are looking for a place to live since you are starting school in a few weeks. Opinions will be plentiful and there will probably be many things you will hear about (classes, professors, etc..) that will cause you to feel this way, again. Dont let any of that stop you from securing your endeavors. Just do it. Besides, would you want to go back and give this opportunity up?

Funny, I used to live in NC, just a little north of Charlotte, and relocated to the Richmond area, and later discovered MCV. Their anesthesia program is appealing to me because of geography, and I do have children, so although there are many programs out there, moving around is probably not an option. I could probably work out going to the one in Norfolk, or the one in West Virginia, but MCV is my first pick and I've been prepping for it for some time now--hence the STICU. Thank you for sharing your information. I need to arrange to shadow a CRNA there---I need to do it for myself, my application, and it will satisfy a class requirement that I will be in in the fall. Do you know who I contact for that?

87-90? I'll bet there are still a few people there that you would know! I noticed your profile states you are in NC now. Did you go there right after graduation or did you work in Richmond first for a while? And, how was your experience with the anesthesia program? (besides a great education, which I believe they still do!).

Are you ready to apply to VCU ? And if so, do you meet their strict and competitive admission criteria? If you do, then you may want to consider applying to VCU and see what happens. If you get in, you could always relocate to SC once the "work" of school is over. An out of state move, a new job, and all that comes with it is a bunch of stress on top of graduate school. Just my opinion, though. You should also look into the SC school in more depth and compare the two programs. It might help you make a decision that is more tailored for you! By the way, I work at VCU too. In the STICU.

When all else fails---Benedryl!

Well, the school that I am preparing to apply to states its requirements (minimally) as "1 year of recent acute care experience". As an insider within the facility, I know that what they mean is "1 year of ICU experience". "Acute" care could read as a surgical floor too, for the unknowing venturing into this. But this is not what they want! Infact, we have people who come to our unit for the sole purpose of "time" to meet the rigid requirments. The ER where I work is usually slammed with traumas; those people come in, are worked up and out to the OR/floors and units depending on their acuity. Its rare that a vented as well as a patient on "jet fuel" would remain in an ER bay for long, at least where I am. They do not have the space, place and staff to manage this. I'm not saying that the nurses dont practice in a critical area, its just different and doesnt allow for plans, interventions, evals, and using broad knowledge and experience in the same WAY that an ICU does. I have never received a lined pt. from our ER...most always is done on the unit---also in the OR typically for the livers and others where it is overwhelmingly urgent. And, while I have absolutely NO authority to speak coming from the inside of a helicopter, it is therefore just my impression that those pt's are retrieved and deposited to their new location. I'm not saying that FN'ing is for the "monkeys", but how long is the typical flight? Beyond keeping the pt. stable (which is terrific, mind you!) and experience and knowledge, insight, etc., is necessary, the patient still goes away and the practioner seems to have limited contact--much more limited than an ICU.

nothing personal back, just a few different thoughts for you....

I havent gone any further than looking at their CRNA program on their website. There, of course, as you know, are just the typical generic admission criteria they are looking for. I would say its safe to assume that their program is as competitive as any other (being 1 out of 2 in Virginia, for example) and that I believe they only have 25 seats or so every year. So your GPA, GRE, ICU experience and "knowledge" plus they want a Inorg. Chem class will probably be key pieces. I know someone who was wait listed, and decided to go somewhere else. Their BSN program feels tedious right now, but it is summer and the middle of the summer semester. I can see the value of the BSN education though...(changed my attitude from several years ago!) so I am definetely getting something out of this! As far as an inside edge being a BSN student into their MSN programs...even their NP programs are pretty direct with required admission processes, before they'll even talk to you. But then, it is my impression that admission to a NP program is no where as demanding (qualified students to available spots) as any CRNA program. Take a look at VCU's program too. Its all anesthesia rather than some of those nursing theory, etc., classes that ODU requires!

Well, I had no idea that those kind of issues had gone on here. Given that, I can understand your reluctance to reveal your location. Its too bad that places like this cannot just be what they appear to be, and that is a place for those of us to learn from those who want to mentor, as well as a place to exchange and give and receive encouragement to others who share the same educational aspirations and endeavors! In hindsight, I can see now where the potential exists here for others to utilize boards such as this in aggressive and negative ways. There are so many threads here where people have shared potentially revealing information--those threads that are full of eager energy, that it just seemed natural to me that where you got in would be a natural response. I'm sorry for the GI Joe comment, and understand why you have to be...well, like GI Joe! Anyway, best wishes on the East Coast! Kim

Really, me too! Why the secret? You seem to be very smart and present yourself on this forum as an excellent candidate for a CRNA program AND you announce now, your great news...I am sure you will do very well! But all this secret-agent stuff....I dont know..it seems kinda GI Joe to me!:sofahider

Mike, Excellent! Where are you going? Kim

Both of those programs have websites. Charlottes might be found under Carolina Health System---the program is there and affiliated with UNC. ODU has a website via their nursing program. If your interested in the Virginia area, VCU has theirs in Richmond, which is through the allied health department. (Virginia Commonwealth Univ). I used to live in NC and was initially interested in the Carolinas Med Ctr/UNC program, but now I'm in Virginia. I am a current student with ODU to finish my BSN. Good luck!

Mike, I agree with you and the multi-entry levels of education that are allowed in Nursing. This does need to change, and has been an on going debate for a long time. I disagree, however, that an ADN "isnt a degree" as you stated, because it IS a degree...an Associates degree, which is more education than a person coming out of a hospital diploma based program, for example. It isnt a BSN though...but perhaps halfway--if I could do it over again, I would of went straight through a BSN program, rather than ADN and then BSN because it seems like it is more years and money spent in the end. You are very right though, in that the publics view of Nursing still remains for many that one can jump into a program, just about anywhere, and become a "nurse"--like a technical school! This is bad! And all of the media campaigns out there now and such that are trying to lure people from anywhere and everywhere to Nursing will not be a good thing for our profession either. Education is a key (with time and experience) and there are obvious differences in educational levels that present themselves through this profession in all the different areas of practice. I can see this where I work; there are many with advanced practice degrees as well as many who have held a diploma and have been a nurse for 25 years. Some of these people are interested in pursuing more education, yet some believe that the 25 years of "time" and experience is enough. What I found out for myself was that while time and experience do matter and make differences, pursuing higher education makes more difference, and keeps you thinking outside of the box. There is just so much more to know, and learn, for anyone. My original ADN program (here in the USA) was "clinical" from the start. Clinicals increased each semester and it was because of the clinicals and the tough expectations of the faculty toward the students made such a difference. I remember many nights, that we called clinical "eve", spent up all night preparing for the assigned patient(s) in order to present yourself and plan of care at 0630 the next morning before the shift started. Maybe my ADN program was unique, though, because I work in a teaching hospital now and see many students come through unprepared AND with no clinical instructor present. Anyway, I asked you in another post, but incase you miss it, what is a BScN? Kim

Mike, What is a BScN program? What does the "c" stand for?

Yes, the bad days will come and you will wonder what you were thinking. Stay focused and determined. The bad days go away. And toss the self doubt out! Your IN! Thats a part of the battle! You are moving? Do you have children?

Excellent! Best wishes to you!

Tranman, Your posts seem to show a genuine passion for this field. How long have you been a CRNA? Your post here was motivational and encouraging for those in pursuit. Thanks!