krisjazzer13

Now many programs are moving to more ICU experience as a requirement (my program recently changed the requirement to two years minimum instead of one for admission)...if you're a new grad and just going right into ICU, I do highly recommend at least two years...the first year of practice is just to get familiar with your surroundings and your feet wet, while the second year enables you to start feeling more confident in your practice, which is absolutely necessary for anesthesia school in my opinion. Several of my classmates with less than two years of experience were struggling with basic nursing skills that need to be proficient by the time you start doing anything anesthesia-related.

I was 27 when I began and 30 when I graduated. My class ranged from 24-mid 40s, with most students starting in the 27-29 age range.

Coming from a healthcare family (mom, dad and I are all nurses), we celebrate many holidays when we all have the chance...for example, we are celebrating Thanksgiving today since dad was on call on Thurs and I had to work 2-10 pm yesterday. As long as we are all together, who cares what day it is? Giving thanks two days later doesn't bother me one bit!

As an SRNA, I personally think that one year is not enough, but 2-4 years is pretty good for clinical preparation...some of my classmates with less than 2 years experience have struggled with some clinical aspects including IV starts, as they just didn't have enough time to really get proficient before school started! Don't let people tell you that you need many years of ICU experience...anesthesia is a completely different animal. My father became a CRNA back in the 70s when all you needed to do was graduate nursing school and no experience was required..and he did just fine for all these years and is still working full time. Best of luck to all of you future SRNAs!!

I would personally call the schools you are interested in and ask! The reason I say this is because I worked in a general ICU in a small hospital right out of school (13 beds) and my school would not accept ICU experience that was not at a level one trauma center, so I ended up changing hospitals within the system to the surgical ICU that was recommended by the program director...then at least I knew that the transition needed to be made and I could start the schooling process sooner! Best of luck to you!

I was honest and said that I was thinking about it, but wasn't sure about the timeline...once accepted to school after working for a little over a year, I continued to work part time throughout my entire first year of school, so it worked out well since I gradually cut back but still continued on- my manager never gave me hard time about it (I had moved from a less acute ICU to a Level 1 SICU to gain adequate experience for school, so all in all, I had worked for the hospital system just a tad under 4 years) Best of luck!

CRNA school is making me realize just how much I didn't know when I was an ICU RN...you not only learn the necessary skills, but WHY you are doing what you are doing (that's the big thing...when in clinical, you will be asked not only to perform the necessary duties, but why you are doing them and how the outcome affects the patient)....my accelerated BSN program was much much easier and much less of a time commitment than my CRNA program--I am now tired all the time, stay up late making care plans, and practically live at the hospital (I am going there now, on a Saturday morning for our mandatory journal club....but it will all be worth it in the end---I am halfway done!!!!)

I agree with the previous poster---request a family conference with your family member's healthcare team and voice your concerns asap

No, I took o-chem again at my local community college and my school did NOT require a lab component....I would also ask your schools if they require lab, because if you don't have to spend extra time and $$ for a lab portion, don't do it! I was able to complete the class easily while working full time nights because I didn't have to spend an extra 4-5 hours per week doing lab experiments (seriously...we only briefly touched on o-chem thus far in my CRNA program, and I'm already almost 1.5 years in, so I'm glad that some schools don't make lab mandatory!)

While there are programs that will accept one year, many strongly encourage at least 2....I applied to a program with less than one year experience and was accepted, but I declined, realizing that I needed more experience with higher acuity patients (I moved to a surgical ICU in a level one trauma center)....your ICU experience is really beneficial and while anesthesia is a whole different type of work atmosphere, there are many parts of your ICU training that will come in handy. I am not of the mindset that you need 5-10 years experience, but 2-3 I think would really prepare you well for your program and give you exposure to different types of patients (the majority of the classmates in my program had 2-5 years of experience). I firmly believe that one year of experience is really the BARE minimum and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable going into a program with only that.....I am SO glad that I waited, as that experience enabled me to gain more confidence in my basic nursing skills, assessment skills, titrating drips, etc. Best of luck!

I do agree that it's both a combo of choice and disease due to various factors, but I tend to side with some of the previous posters about the culture of obesity and how increasingly PC we have all become in assisting this increasing population....and how we have installed lifts in every room to accomodate patients up to 600 lbs, ordering bariatric beds much more frequently, having family members bring in lots of fast food...not to mention poor children who are raised in this environment. Americans have become so unhealthy with obesity and the other diseases/conditions it contributes to on the rise---and it's become more culturally acceptable, which can be a very scary thing. I also agree with the poster who mentioned that due to genetics, others may not be able to lose weight easier than others....I remember being jealous of friends in school who could eat whatever they wanted and remain tiny as ever...and me, an overweight youngster was always having to watch what I ate, even though I was athletic and was involved in many activities (almost every one of my family member is overweight)...even now, I have to run a few extra miles to be able to indulge in something I want--and I'm totally a-ok with that--that's just how it is for me

Some schools also accept ER experience, but it usually has to be from a trauma center where you will have the chance to work with very sick patients. I would get yourself into an ICU asap if you're interested in CRNA school; you will learn valuable skills (need at least 1-2 years of full-time ICU, some schools also prefer surgical or CV ICU)- best of luck!

I used the Pass CCRN! CD of practice questions only (I tried reading the book but it was just too much!)...I did those questions over and over, multiple times, and it worked out just fine for me (much better than the Kaplan CCRN book in my opinion) Best of luck!

My mother had a tubal ligation after having me and my brother (she was 35 after my younger brother was born)...fast forward a few years down the road and she gets pregnant in her early 40s, totally surprised, thought she was going through early menopause at first! She was mostly worried about having a healthy baby and was excited even though it was unplanned....the only thing she didn't care for was when people would ask her if she was 'grandma'! My parents started coloring their hair after that...

Thanks traumaRUs, I agree--doesn't eveyone remember when they had questions and were about to be new RNs? This person is asking what they need to do in order to prepare for their future---it's obvious experience is needed, that's a no-brainer---I would never want to come here for advice if these were some of the responses I received!