CRNAGAL

Mike, cricoid pressure is a means of reducing risk of aspiration due to stomach contents refluxing out of the esophagus, not keeping them from going down to the cords. If the pt. vomited into the mask, cricoid pressure did not work.

Quigley, I totally agree with you. Those are exactly the changes that need to be made. We just need to tweak the system, not overhaul the whole darn thing. Anyone who thinks CRNA salaries won't take a hit with Universal Health Control is kidding themselves.

Honestly, I think you are looking at dollar signs only and don't even know what being a CRNA entails. I can assure you I make nowhere near what Brangelina make, and am so busy with work that I don't have time to travel around the world helping people. This is an intense job, one that I worked very hard to get to. It's not something you try to do quickly to make a lot of money. There is a ton of responsibility. I do donate to my favorite charities and several of my coworkers go on mission trips, so there are still ways to help people. I suggest reading the stickies at the top of the forum and searching the forums to learn what a CRNA does and how to become one. Then, when you've educated yourself a little more, shadow a CRNA to see if this is what you really want. A few other options are to win the lottery or become a famous actress.

Management of the Difficult and Failed Airway by Hung and Murphy is a great resource.

I started reviewing months in advance following the schedule in the Valley Review. I took a few days off after graduating, then followed a rigorous study schedule similar to Quiigley. I studied hard for a couple weeks, took my big test on a Saturday and started my new job on Monday.

I have a horse and am familiar with how hard a farrier works and I agree that nursing is much less physical. The hours a farrier spends bent over trimming, filing, and hammering while dealing with a horse who is struggling, leaning on him, trying to bite him, etc. in no way compares to the physical work of a nurse. Yes, nurses work very hard, but we don't spend hours at a time bent over doing our job. There are a lot of areas that nurses and PA's can specialize, good luck with whatever you choose.

I was never torn, either, CRNA all the way. I still have plenty of patient contact. Its very satisfying to meet and develop a rapport with my patient, deliver a nice anesthetic, and have them wake up happy and comfortable.

I agree with Emerald, teens can wake up hard and strong, especially the boys. It's not uncommon for them to try to turn and lay on their side, or even over onto their stomachs!

When I was pregnant, I avoided rooms with lots of flouro and xray, prostate seeding for example. I avoided rooms where cement was being used. And I either wore a lead skirt under an xray gown, or 2 lead gowns on one forward one backward, so I was protected from all angles. Most places I've seen have been very accommodating to their pregnant RN's, just don't let yourself get bullied into situations your uncomfortable with.

Sorry, I didn't mean precharting events, I meant like filling in your pre-op vitals, pt. history, that type of thing.

Try to fill in as much as you can before the patient arrives. Develop a charting routine so that you complete things in the same order each time. Try to write the most important things down first, you can fill in the fluff and details when you've caught up.

Why would you give succs after intubating? It is a very short acting paralytic, not something you give after the tube is in to keep them relaxed.

When I visited a school way back when, I met with the director, the chief CRNA, and spent time with students in the program. You may also spend some time shadowing that day. Its a great opportunity for the program director to get to know you, shows motivation, and they will remember you when its time to apply, which may help you get in.

There are certainly some days that you do more sitting, but CRNA's don't spend a lot of time sitting on a stool. You will be walking when you pick up your patient, walking to recovery, walking to other departments to do anesthesia (ex. MRI, cath lab, codes, etc.,). If your facility is large, there is the walk in from the parking lot, walking down to the cafeteria,etc. Like Quiigley says, some days turnover is so fast, you don't do much sitting. I guess I just want to dispel the myth that all we do is sit on a stool and turn dials all day. Can you shadow a CRNA for a few days to get a feel for how much walking and standing might be expected and how your feet tolerate it.

At my job, the amount of standing depends on the day. Some days with a full schedule of cases, yes, there is a lot of standing, walking, and pushing carts. If you have a day with a couple long cases, there is less standing. I believe as a student, you will do more standing. Should this stop you, I don't know, it depends on your level of pain. Maybe talk with your podiatrist.

I've found that people at those types of sites are very adamant in their views and will quickly shoot down any attempt to dispel their myths or any opinion that doesn't support their cause. As a poster said earlier, its better to have an understanding of the misinformation that is out there on the internet, and to educate the public one patient at a time.

I'm glad your daughter's doing OK. Thanks for sharing.

Is anyone using the HTC touch? It just came out at Alltel but many reviews are saying it freezes up a lot. It is very cool, but my cell phone bill would go up $50 bucks a month for the smart phone plan.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the leads on a cardiac monitor don't send electricity through the leads, it measures the electrical impulses of the heart as they travel from the atria to the ventricles, etc. So I don't know how cardiac monitoring could cause pain.

How true!

Have you tried shadowing some CRNA's in the OR. Seeing what it is we actually do might help clarify things for you.

Me neither!!!

I think we get a lot of interaction with patients. You might take care of a couple patients a day or many, and not all patients have general anesthetics. For example, when I do cataracts, I might take care of as many as 10-12 patients who are awake, leaving lots of time to talk with them while they are in the Or or while transporting. Our job is great because you get to see the fruits of your labor, so to speak. Its a great feeling when you develop a relationship with your patient, give them a safe, quality anesthetic, and deliver them comfortably to PACU. You may see some patients coming back for multiple surgeries, so there can be some continuity. And on the flip side, when you have a patient who is a PIA, you get to put them to sleep! Hope this helps.

Why would you want to? I don't know what the laws are, but you would most definitely be held to a a higher standard of care. In my hospital, my skills are needed in the OR, they are not going to let anesthetists float down to the floors. Not to mention the money. And realistically, going from total autonomy in the OR to calling the Dr. for everything/following protocols would be very difficult. I can assure you won't lose your skills in the OR and you get plenty of patient contact. You will learn to quickly form a strong rapport with the patient, feel the intense trust they have placed in you by letting you put them under, and great satisfaction as you wake them safely and send them pain free to the recovery room. It is your job to keep them safe during surgery with proper positioning, keeping pt warm, keeping surgical team from leaning on patient's face, etc, etc. It is about the most intense nurse/patient relationship there is. If its more money your looking for, try doing locums (travel) during your time off.

It depends on what your definition of stressful is. I would say it can be a pretty stressful job, we are responsible for rendering a patient unconscious, taking away their ability to breath for themselves, making sure they are safely positioned before and during and after the surgery, maintain their hemodynamics, and wake them up comfortably at the end. You have to be able to roll with the changes in our job, you may get pulled into many rooms during the day, cases you weren't expecting might get put in your room, lots of add ons, etc. There is pressure for fast room turnover times. You may get called to do anesthesia outside of the OR in an ancillary area. Thankfully, the terrible times where you need to change your underwear afterward are fairly uncommon, but will happen at some point. The biggest thing I caught from your post is the statement that if you get into a tough situation " just page the anesthesiologist". Sorry, thats not how is works. We are licensed professionals responsible for our own actions. Practicing with the ideal that you will just call the doc if there is a problem isn't safe nor fair for your patient under anesthesia, nor is it how a CRNA thinks and functions. Won't hold up in a court of law, either.