braden74

BluEyz, Getting in to Gonzaga for your BSN is no where near as hard as getting in for your NA degree. I graduated from ICN, we dropped the E by the way, in May 2002. ICN is a very good BSN program and will get you ready to be an RN. But getting in to Gonzaga's anesthesia program is very hard. They only accept 6-7 people a year and like to keep their program small. Getting to know Mary and John there will help but it is very competitive none the less. ICN is turning people away now too. We are one of a few programs in the US that hasn't seen a drop off in applications and we continue to get very strong candidates every year. So I agree, easy is realative.

I agree that honesty works out for the best. I told my interviewers that I planned to apply for CRNA school in 2-3 years in my interview. Then after working for 6 months I sat down with my supervisor to find out what she wants to see from me to give me the best reference possible. She was more than willing to help me and to see me succeed. As she put it "if we as nurses can't help each other succeed then who will." My co-workers and my supervisors know my goals and they are all supportive and do everything they can to get me the experiences I need. Maybe I'm lucky with the group I work with but I believe we should all be supportive of RN's goals no matter what the be.

Thanks for everyones response. The topic has changed a little but then the information coming is good to know. Does anyone have anything else to add about nitro vs nipride? Glad that this discussion has sparked interest.

Espresso: I work at Good Sam here in the Valley. I highly recommend it for many reasons. The management is great, the people are helpful, the new grad program is thorough, and you get good experience. Plus we have a good working relationship with our Docs. You can make about 22$ on nights as a new grad. That's a lot better than 25$ in the NW because the cost of living is much higher. I know because I just moved from there and grew up there. Just an FYI. Let me know if I can offer anything else.

Ok I have seen this comparison more than once as a potential question during interviews. I have been looking over the two drugs and also going on what I have been taught. I was wondering if anyone has anything to add to the difference between the two drugs. What I know is Nitroglycerin has more effect on Venous dilation and less on Arterial dilation than Nipride. Nitroglycerin has more effect on coronary artery dilation while Nipride has more effect on peripheral dilation. If anyone has more info to add on this I would like to hear it. Thanks

I haven't applied there yet, I'm actually looking to apply to both programs in Fall 2004. I have spoken with people at both programs though. CSU-F told me that they get about 70-80 apps a year. This may have increased but that is the info I got a few months ago. As for USC. The rumor I heard is they are moving there program from the school of Nursing into the School of Medicine. You would then graduate with a MS-Anesthesia instead of an MSN-Anesthesia. They are pretty excited about it. As some people know this program used to be at UCLA and was in the school of medicine there. That's my two cents. Good Luck.

as a new grad in an icu program I definately believe in the 1 year minimum requirement. i am learning so much everyday and i think that it takes time for the right skills to become second nature as referrenced to before. i have spoken with crna's on staff at some of the universities i'm looking at and they believe that even 1 year isn't enough for most people. from what i have been told the rn's with 2-3 years of experience don't struggle as often in crna school as those with only 1 year experience. this of course is probably up for debate but clinical experience i believe really counts when you get into the OR with a patients life in your hands. i say a few more months in the icu won't put your plans on hold too long and may benefit you more than you know.

you can take ACLS and PALS before you graduate but you don't really need to. but ACLS is helpful even in school, at least that is what i found. i took ACLS the summer before my senior year in nursing school and i loved the class. in my limited experience you don't need it to get an ICU job. once you are hired your employer will usually send you to various classes and ACLS is one of those classes. i would check with hospitals in your area to see what the offer new grads in the ICU. i personally moved from WA state to AZ because of the program my hospital offers. it is a 6 month preceptorship with a 4 week critical care class at a local community college. plus we have classes at work. i have a preceptor and also a mentor. i work at a level one hospital and we have over 50 ICU beds. i did my research on the web and then spoke with nurse recruiters at various hospitals. there are a lot of good programs out there and a lot that leave much to be desired. do your homework and good luck.

well i have to say that whatever schools you went to i'm glad i didn't attend there. when i told my faculty of my intentions they bent over backwards to get me experiences with CRNA's and MDA's. i spent 2 of my ob clinical days following a CRNA and 3 of my peds days with an MDA. maybe it is finding instructors who you trust and respect but i wouldn't want to attend a nursing school where there wasn't willingness to help every student attain their goals. good luck

Doug, Just in case you haven't seen yet. The program at Gonzaga University is actually a Master's in Education with an emphasis in Anesthesia Nursing. So that may be something that interests you because they focus on their graduates being able to teach in the profession. Brad

thanks for the info Sandy. i will contact the universities in my area.

where do you find out about GRE prep courses? i looked on the gre site but everything they had was for self-learning. i was hoping to take a prep class that is taught by an instructor. can someone point me in the direction. Thanks.

Pauly, Just to let you know I just graduated or actually will in 5 days from a BSN program. I had 3 offers for ICU jobs and that is because I only applied to 3 places. You will have no problems finding an ICU job as a new grad. I'm starting an internship in a combined Medical/Surgical ICU and hope to begin applying to CRNA school in a year or two. Good Luck