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!

I am only a first year SRNA in a 3 year program, so I don't have much anesthesia experience to draw on (yet!) but I can offer my thoughts on program admission and my classmate profile.....many students in my class have on average probably 2-5 years of ICU experience...some more (9 years +),and one student had only one year. Experience in type of ICU is varied, but most programs prefer level one trauma centers with large surgical or CV ICUs. If you had two years or less at the start of the program, you are required to continue working a certain amount of hours during your first year (which for us is all didactic) in order to gain/keep skills fresh. My school does not require the CCRN, but it does look nice on your application as something to stand out from the rest, since the majority of applicants will have stellar GPAs and GRE scores---they do, however require organic chemistry. Each school is different in their requirements and some require organic chem, physics, biostatistics, etc, so try and register for a couple of classes if you can fit them into your work schedule (some prereqs can even be taken online, such as grad level stats and organic chem)--and school directors love to see that you've completed some coursework already prior to admission. If you want to be a CRNA, go for it! It's a lot of hard work (haha believe me, as I'm seeing already in my demanding classes--and it only gets more difficult after this!) and admissions are getting tougher, but if you really want to do it, you will pull out all the stops. Best of luck!:)

I agree with midinphx, as a critical care RN myself as well, it is MY responsiblity to monitor my patients and teach students along the way, but I would not have 'blamed' my student for not informing me sooner of something I should be vigilantly checking as well. Don't worry, there are plenty of learning days when you might feel a tad overwhelmed/down/whatnot, but it WILL get better and easier, I promise you!! :)

Haha I forgot that I even posted this back in '07! Well, now I can respond and answer my own question- and yours! The interview process is very thorough, which is very nice---you meet current students, get a tour of their ORs, ask questions, etc....everyone is very nice and excited to discuss the program. Brush up on ACLS drugs/rhythms and CCRN questions---things could have changed since I interviewed, but there was an exam (should be a-ok if you've had a least a year in the ICU and have experienced swans, balloon pumps, etc) and a panel interview. I was impressed with the entire process and with the faculty/students (but ended up choosing a program closer to home here in chicagoland)---best of luck to you!

I used to think like this when I was still a student...when I actually started working however, I realized that there is no way I would survive in an advanced program without sufficient experience @ the bedside. Many BSN programs are skimpy on the clinical instruction as it is, and I agree with others that you will have a more difficult time finding employment once school ends. I will be attending a CRNA program in Sept with just under 3 years of ICU experience, and believe me, I think that's *just* enough as a minimum to feel comfortable in this setting---I would definitely advise you to get at least a year of clinical under your belt before continuing on--it will benefit you in more ways than one!

I am signed up for Stats 703 @ Kansas State online; just wanted to let you all know that the class is currently full and there is already a waiting list of 7 people, so I would go with the other listed options for now (although this class is pretty short in duration and if you have the option of taking it in the fall, I would recommend it, as a friend of mine loved this class and said the instructor is great)

I would contact each school and clarify because most likely, each will have different requirements. One school I applied to only cared if you took the class and passed it, while the other required me to achieve a grade of "B". I also had a C in o-chem from a good university and am currently re-taking it due to my school's requirements. Best of luck!

I was a member of a social sorority while completing a portion of nursing school and while it was great fun for a couple of years, it started to get 'old' before I graduated and I ended up withdrawing from the chapter, leading to hard feelings (and we know that some girls can be pretty catty when it comes to petty things, so they turned on me because I wanted to leave). It was definitely a time-sucker because not only must you be present for a certain percentage of chapter meetings, but also for fundraising events on weekends, some out of town trips, and devotion to a "title" within your sorority after being there for a while (numerous heads of committees, chairs, etc). Not to mention the cost and very strict timely payment of dues...a majority of sororities also have a house live-in requirement in order to keep their $$ flowing. I did have fun and met some wonderful people, so I cannot say anything badly about that, but my grades did suffer and since sororities also have "academic" chairs, you can be placed on probation if your grades do fall and will not be able to attend certain events. If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen not to join and concentrate instead on receiving stellar grades....if you want to head to graduate school, those nursing school and pre-req grades follow you wherever you go! Best of luck to you!

I graduated from Lakeview in December 2006 and I know someone who is currently attending the program. For me, the clinical experience was what you made it---there are plenty of students who "hold up the wall", but if you wanted to learn and sought out those experiences, it was very worthwhile. Now, my friend tells me that they are really upping the requirements for ATI in order to increase the NCLEX pass rate. There were some wonderful instructors that I have gotten recommendations from for grad school (keep in mind I attended Lakeview on the EIU campus...I don't know too much about the Danville campus). I enjoyed my experience and made sure to complete all activities on my "check-off booklet" before graduation--other students complained about not getting to do enough, but they were the ones who didn't get their butts in gear and make it happen! If you go in with a can-do attitude, it will happen for you and after graduation you will be much more prepared---best of luck!

I was just thinking the other day how I would never want to be an intern or resident at my hospital...their hours are absolutely crazy, they are sleep-deprived and they can have incredibly busy nights that run them ragged. I had an excellent resident covering my patient team last night and was lucky that she was so efficient...some are too sleep-deprived to even make rational patient decisions, which is very dangerous. I work my ass off for 3 days a week, but these docs are usually at the hospital much more frequently and deal with just as much **** (although in different form)

There are 5 total; 3 in the chicagoland area, 1 in central illinois and 1 in southern IL. Chicagoland programs are: Rush in downtown Chicago, Northshore University Healthsystem which is a suburban system (evanston, glenview, highland park and skokie hospitals, with clinical sites all over the chicagoland area), and Rosalind Franklin in North Chicago closer to Gurnee area. Central IL program is Decatur/Bradley (few hours drive from Chicago), and southern program is SIUE, which is FAR south. All of these programs are fantastic! Which one(s) are you primarily interested in? I'm going to Northshore in Evanston for Fall 2009, but know people who attended or are attending other programs in IL.