SambvcaSim

:balloons: :balloons: congrats!!!

i could not help but notice......once a nurse, always a nurse. one humbling event was the realization that i will always be a nurse...no matter if i continue on to medical school or another avenue. being a nurse should be taken with a sense of pride. we worked our asses off for many years with the least amount of recognition and pay. any why did we do it?.....for the satisfaction of taking care of people. now, i may sound corny to the few folks who got into nursing only to advance in the practice (ie: crna), but the people who have been a nurse for years prior to knowing they were going to advance, know what i mean. and, even if you are a nurse for a year or less in crna school, just remember...you still have to pay for your nursing license every couple of years .....thus, you are a nurse. also, in remembering that "you are always a nurse", the nurses in the o.r. and pacu are your allies if you treat them with respect. they can help you tremendously, more than you know. so why chew up your roots and your allies....you may never know when that day will come when your surroundings will save your rear. take the ccrn test only if you want to do it for your own satisfaction and accomplishment. there is something to be said when you pass the ccrn prior to advancing in your nursing practice. it is a way of saying that you have close to mastered your skill as a critical care nurse...and you are ready to take the next step in your advancement. good luck!

feelingsleepyyet, i concur with your statement and add that ut-houston has had a 100% pass rate for at least the last 6 - 8 years. i agree, it is the end numbers that tell the whole story! sambvcasim

well, i noticed this thread late. yes, our director is very blunt, and this is the reason many can not handle the program. if you want anything hard enough, no one will stand in your way. i do not know if the actions of some are intentional, but i do know that i can handle any situation or individual (arrogant physicians and resistent mdas) that come in my path. people are people (unfortunately), but we must remember...are we attending these programs to be handed our crna on a silver platter...or do we want to earn it and know that "we" personally endured and succeeded? this is a masters program, and i must delicately say that the "sensitive and weak" need not apply. i beg of you not to take this as an insult, but just a introduction to what may lie ahead. from this maybe you can decide if you have what it takes to survive a crna program. i hope i did not affend anyone....good luck to all!

Good luck Matt............go get em!!!! Simba:)

Matt, UT-Houston........you (where are you looking to apply?) p.s. If you take an Organic Chemistry course by itself, you can focus all your time to it..........and better your grade! By the way, getting a good grade in a Organic class, especially when you don't need it, will help impress the people interviewing you!!!! Simba

............Hey soon to be SRNAs........please take this advice from me, who just finished her first course in CRNA school. TAKE ALL THE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY YOU CAN PRIOR TO SCHOOL! I stress this! Apply with the courses you have, but in the year waiting or 6 months prior to your start date...........Take a course in Organic Chemistry and even the second semester of Organic Chemistry. The second semester dives into the Biochemistry that is covered in Anesthesia school. The first Organic Chemistry course I took prior to CRNA school helped tremendously............I wished I had the time to take the second semester (which, I hear, definitely applies.) Just Do It!..............It will help.........and can't express how much! Sim

:) Anne..........I am with you..............good luck Rhon1991!!!! In a nutshell: do what is best for YOU.......this is the key! SambvcaSim

:) I have read this thread and have something to say....but, before I do so...let me give my background in a nutshell: Planned on CRNA school in 1996 when I was married with no children. In the process of applying, I became pregnant. I took a(personal) choice of being a stay home mother, working on the weekends. These weekends that I worked, my husband watched our child. I stayed with my child for the first 3 years of her life, and then continued my quest for CRNA school. I am presently in a program, with a child that is 4.5 years. It is difficult, but with good support (my husband) it is doable without compromising my child's growth and happiness. I believe it is the quality of time, not the quantity, that counts. I have seen many different situations of families in this program, and it is working for all of them. (These include students with children from 8 months to 18.) But, I stress that each one of us, in the program, have difficult times at present and in the future. I know that the majority of students would put this program on hold, if they believed it was effecting their families in a negative way. I have learned not to cast judgement on others in the program, but spend my energy on focusing what I am doing wrong (and how to change)....and foster on the things that are working for my child. It is difficult to be a good parent when you, yourself, are not happy with what you are and what you have not accomplished in life. We know that fostering our growth can only enhance the positive effects on our children. The list of positives is endless. I look at all your responses with respect and will accept your choices.....but, we must remember that your choices are not ours...and ours are not yours. Good luck to all of you!!! :)

Excellent! Excellent and thorough reply, Kevin! One word describes all............"beautiful"! :roll................................................................................:roll

WOW! What is going on here???

:roll p.s. Roll some heads there, Brett! Your post was superb!!!!:roll ***Simba***

Very good post, may I say! I have one thing to say: most doctors/residents are bitter about something.... Is it that they spend their 20s in school? Could it be that the field is not what they expected? Is it frustration, that they had to go through the abuse in their internship and residency? Could it be anger because having the title a "doctor" does not mean they are treated like "gods"-----and that they must earn the respect of the intelligent nursing field, in order to get respect? Do they feel threatened that there may be another profession that can make close to the same salary? I have realized during my years of nursing, that physicians always need something to yap about......we (the CRNA's present and future) are the hot topic lately. In regards to these residents: I listen, I smile, I laugh.....and wait for the next topic hot that month :) Anger and frustration will eat them up, we (on the other hand) will have humor and thrive to be healthy adults! *******************************************Simba

I have read this, and I have to respond. In the hospital I work at, we frequently see the SRNA's in the Trauma ICU. The 12 are of all sizes, 2 are (excuse the politically incorrect terminology) bigger than average. I think what it comes down to is your self confidence and your presentation. The interviewers at these schools are not superficial to look at how overweight a person is, but how that person presents himself/herself. They are looking for such attributes as confidence, drive, assertiveness, motivation, etc. I believe that if you are self conscious about your weight, do something about it prior to the interview.....but......if you are okay with your weight, and feel great about your appearance (no matter what your size) dont change a thing. Appearance did not get where your are today, and will not help you succeed in graduate school. Hope this helps!:)

Thanks for sharing this Kevin! I have recently been accepted into a CRNA program, and have a long marriage with a young child. For the last two years I primed my husband on what to expect and gave him the worst scenerios on what to expect while I am in school. I have made it sound like I was going AMA for 32 months! He has accepted the challenge, and my mind is at ease..knowing that he knows what to expect in the coming months. I, too, believe you need to prime your family for your future endeavors, to ease in the process of change. I will let you know if my preparation helped my family.