Miss Von

Tomorrow is day 1 of my 24 month journey. Ready or not here I come. Send one up for me guys!!!

I know what you mean. I was looking for coverage and got tired of it so I just went with BCBS. Not the cheapest in the world but easy to get. I know some people can still pay their job as if they were taking it out of a check and pay what they were paying while still employed. Not sure how many hospitals offer this. I figure I will go ahead and get something now, and then when I hear what others in my class have done maybe switch later. I was going to get the coverage through the school, but dental wasn't included and just too many loop holes with it. They also didn't cover a lot of prescriptions. SO BCBS it was for me.

Okay so now MY COUNTDOWN is ON!! I now start school on Monday 8/14. Kinda worried we didn't hear from the other two who posted....LOL! Is that a sign of what is yet to come? Trying to tie up some lose ends and spend some quality time with my family and friends. I just feel so rushed! The sooner we start the sooner we finish sooooooooo here goes!

I have my fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted on how your first week goes. I'll be in the same boat come August 14th. I definitely know the scared excited feeling. It's comforting to know that so many before us felt the same way and did GREAT!. Keep God first and I wish you well. ~Von

I looked through all of the loans as well. In the end I decided to get some of the federal money...not the ones where I would have to pay interest. I also took what I could get from the Sallie Mae Tuition Answer Loan. So overall I chose Sallie Mae and I hope that it is enough to get me through. If not I will see what financial aid I can get next year before getting more loan money. The Sallie Mae Loan was great, and they sent the check to me, but like other loans the interest is something to keep in mind. So with that being said don't take it until you need it, and if your credit is good it doesn't take long to get it at all. Hope this helps. ~ Von

Medical College of Georgia: Never heard a thing then when I finally called magically I got a letter from them and wasn't offered an interview...IRONIC Georgetown University: Interviewed and accepted; declined offer Raleigh School of Nurse: Interviewed, accepted; accepted offer Best wishes to all those attending and applying to schools!

As far as going on a trip...it is just an expense I saved up for. Some of the best advice that my friends in programs told me was to go somewhere fun and enjoy that time. Don't worry about the money you spend that you could have saved because in the whole scheme of things without a j-o-b you will always need more money. I paid off my credit cards and I don't have any kids so that helped out a lot. Even if you don't go somewhere huge take some time to look back on with your family. That way when you are up studying late and getting frustrated with all of the work you are doing you can think back to that time you had before school started. We'll have to see how this theory works...LOL. As for me, I will be sailing the seas to Jamaica and the Grand Caymans then one more week of work after that and I AM DONE!!! Wow that light at the end of this tunnel just got real bright...it's that second tunnel that has me worried :)!!

I don't know if it is me....and maybe it is, but I find myself just....I don't know for lack of a better word losing interest in a lot of things work related as I wait for school to start. Not to say that I am compromising patient care at all, because I am still a great nurse (not too toot my own horn or anything), but I just am losing interest in things that would have had me a little worked up before. If I don't get the days I requested, or if someone really upsets me I am more like...you know what it doesn't even matter because in a couple of months I won't be here anymore. I don't dread work...but it is getting a little harder to get up and go in every night. Especially since the weather is getting nicer and that SPRING FEVER is kicking in. As MD's give me stupid orders and I hear people complain about trivial stuff I am almost excited to know that I have an escape that is rapidly approaching. I know that starting school will have all kinds of stressors of it's own, but for some reason the thought of getting out of "bedside nursing" and into something new is exciting for me. How is everyone else feeling as they approach their start date in 2006, or others who have already started but remember that feeling. I start in August and have decided that I am not working in the month of July at all so I can pack and tie up some loose ends before I move etc. Is this nonchalant, for lack of a better word, feeling something you guys are experiencing also? It may be because I started at another place recently, and I am not too crazy about the facility. I am interested in hearing your responses.

I believe you can get more than that. I did the Sallie Mae Tuition Answer loan..I believe that is the name of it. The max itself is $40,000 a year so that is more than $30,000. Plus the school has NO CLUE I have it because they sent the check to me. With that being said I was able to get some money from a Stafford Loan also. So you can get more money than that, but if they all go to the school first then there is a cap. If that was all you could get people wouldn't get through CRNA,med, or law school etc.

Maybe I was blind to it all, but I never knew it was difficult to get hired into an ICU. However, to answer your question my friend worked in the OR for about 4 years before working in the ICU with me. She had been an ICU nurse for a little over a year and is going to CRNA school this fall. I believe OR experience is useful and also allowed you to see them in action. Transferring from any unit to the ICU should never be difficult even if it was psych. They have to take new grads...which I was so why not nurses who have skills in other specialties. Best of luck to you!

When I first read this post I thought to myself it doesn't deserve a response, but as I thought about it I realized there are more who will wonder through and need to be informed. I have had a few residents and MD's say to me the "regular RN" they WISH they had gone the CRNA route.....hmmmmm interesting. Posting on a nursing site and saying that you don't want to do it, and that it is your backup was intentional disrespect. You could have read as much as you wanted and not taken the time to join and post anything. If you aren't happy within the profession you WILL NOT MAKE it to get to CRNA school. I really wanted to be a nurse and sometimes I don't think I can make it. You have to WANT to do it, and not just WANT to be a CRNA. That comes with time when you have developed your love of critical care. Cleaning teeth have NOTHING on cleaning poo multiple times( even sucking it out of the bed with a yaunker...gotta love those days), changing sheets constantly from a weeping edematous patient who now resembles the Marshmellow man, and giving up your nights, weekends, and holidays. You better stick to your 9-5, and I mean that in the nicest way possible:devil:! DISCLAIMER: Nothing against anyone in the dental profession. I highly respect what you do because I personally couldn't (something about mouth goobies have me traumatized)do it and look forward to our meetings every 6 months )

I applied to 3 schools. Interviewed at two and was accepted by both Georgetown and Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia. Both are great schools, but I chose Raleigh because in-state tuition is a lot better for me than private. Plus it is closer to home. I will have been a nurse for two years when I start in August of '06 (was a nurse for just over a year at the time of my interviews). My unit was a medical surgical ICU at a trauma center. I know my Swans because I saw lots of those. No experiences with balloon pumps. Just be familiar with the things that are prevalent in your setting. For me it was sepsis and hypovolemia etc. GPA 3.3 and re-took my Biochemistry course to look more competitive. GRE shall remain hidden because let's just say it wasn't my friend. Apparently I understand math, can write a great essay, but don't know half the words in the english language.Go figure,but I made up for it in other areas. I have great interviewing skills and that was a plus. Also if they see you have weaknesses on your application, for me it could be GPA and GRE scores, then you have to know that they can be attacked at interviews. If they don't address them then bring them up yourself and explain what situations were going on and that it doesn't accurately determine your success once accepted into an anesthesia program. Was going to get CCRN if not accepted, but now I am not going to bother. Really excited and I wish you the best of luck!

If you look at past posts the number of years of experience ALWAYS vary. It is not so much the years of experience, but what you learn while there. I worked for 1 year including new grad orientation in a med-surg ICU before applying and being accepted into school. Best wishes to you!

Managers know that is one of their responsibilities once they take on that position. My manager takes it as a compliment once someone applies to anesthesia school, and even more so if they are accepted. It lets her know that the skills on her unit are beneficial and utilized. Believe it or not managers know more than you may think about your work ethic. You would be surprised at the things they would be able to say about you in your recommendation. Hope it all works out for you!

I went to visit Barry and talked with people about their anesthesia program when I visited MIAMI 2 years ago. Beautiful campus!!! I wish you well in all that you do. I too got soooooooooo much advice from this site. The sad thing is I didn't join until I was accepted, but I wanted to let people know how much this site helped me. CONGRATULATIONS and try not to have too much fun in BEAUTIFUL MIAMI!!