DMSRN

Yes of course you can use the bathroom! I guess this all depends on where you work of course. If you are at a small community hospital and are the only provider working, then you might just have to hold it. But for the most part, another anesthesia colleague is usually around. As for the "lack of patient contact" concern, to be frank, it drives me NUTS! No, you can't sit by the bedside with them and have a nice little chat about life, but you are the one directly responsible for them during surgery and their outcome is almost completely based on you. This to me is more rewarding than taking care of an ICU patient, who usually is intubated and sedated, and not really interacting anyways. On top of that, as a nurse, there is only so much you can control. There are countless times when nurses feel like they know what is best for the patient, but are unfortunately not the ones making the final decisions. As a nurse anesthetist, the "patient contact" comes in the form of ensuring them a pain-free and comfortable wake-up, keeping them warm and adequately anesthetized, properly positioned, etc. Once the patient is asleep, the work isn't done. Your job doesn't end until you've handed them over to the PACU. Having been an ICU nurse and now an anesthetist, I can honestly say that I feel my job now has far more positive patient interactions. On top of that, I absolutely love what I do, and I love knowing that because of me, people can have a positive surgical experience. If you are looking for a patients to stop you on the street or send you holiday cookies, then this probably isn't the profession for you since won't remember you at all, but if you are looking simply for "patient interaction," then look no further.

Georgetown offered a direct-entry program for CRNAs in the past, although I'm not sure if they are still doing it. Of course no direct entry program can be the same as those offered to NP's because of the 1 year ICU experience requirement, unique to CRNA certification. Acceptance to the DE program at Georgetown allowed you guaranteed admission to the CRNA program after completion of the nursing cirriculum and the ICU requirement. Additionally, since the applicant already had their bachelor's in another field, they weren't required to complete the full "BSN" if they didn't want to (I think it was only an extra course or two) and they didn't have to take the GRE. I know Georgetown was very selective with who they accepted into the program - the applicant had to be demonstrate a very strong science background and genuine interest in becoming a CRNA. To date, I only know of 2 such people who were admitted under this program, and I know one never went on to anesthesia school. The other was one of my best friend's in my class. She was orginally a Chemistry major at UNC Chapel Hill, who ended up working for 2 years before starting the NA program. I'm not saying I'm necessarily a proponent of the idea, and not so much because of the lack of ICU experience, but I just don't think anyone can possibly know what kind of advanced degree program is best for them, without having any exposure to nursing. Even when I started in the ICU as a new grad I had no idea what type of Master's degree I wanted to pursue. I initially chose the ICU because of my experiences as a nursing extern and my desire to work with critically ill patients. After exploring all the different APN options, I realized nurse anesthesia was the best match for me, and fortunately, I already had the ICU experience I needed. However that was not a decision I could have made back when I applied to nursing school.

I got in with my sad little 3.0 GPA. I made sure to explain myself in the interview and they seemed more understanding then I had anticipated. I also applied/got accepted to the school I did my undergrad at, which I think also helped me a lot. Additionally, nursing school tests are tough! They test a certain way than what most people are used to. An 88 certainly isnt going to kill your chances! Also, your grade is more than your tests. Clinical usually makes up a large portion as well, and that is much easier to do well in. Best of luck!

thanks for your response. I actually attended undergrad there so am pretty familiar with the facilities, but I havent been a nurse for too long, and am worried about the clinical questions (if any) they might throw my way. What kinds of things did they ask in the interview and how many people were interviewing you??

hey dfk, I am interviewing at Georgetown on Thursday...any tips??