Imscray

I'm 48, about to turn 49, and am a new CRNA student this academic year. I graduated nursing school several years ago (not that many), but I did have a break in between with no academic pursuits. I will tell you that a./ you're not too old, but that b./ this will be THE hardest thing you've ever done - by a big huge long gigantic shot. I went in with my eyes as wide open as I think it's possible for them to be, but until you're in it, you simply can't have any conception of how hard this is. And being "of a certain age" doesn't make it one iota easier. I'd say the opposite - I can see a distinct difference in my ability to absorb information compared to just a few years ago in nursing school. Actually a *big* difference. And let's face it, at forty-something your physical reserves just aren't what they were 20 years ago either. I'm keeping up, but just barely. I pretty much live exhausted about 98% of the time. If you have a family, please for your sake and theirs try to impress upon them that for the two plus years you're in school, they need to consider you gone from their lives. Pretend you're in Iraq and count yourself luck if you get to see them once in a great while. Physically you may be present, but mentally I guarantee you won't be. In my case, I'm single, which brings another whole set of difficulties - like laundry, mowing the yard, playing with the dog, etc. All those little things that eat away your time - nobody else does those for me. I can't impress on you (any of you thinking of applying to CRNA school) - this is VERY DIFFICULT, and for a reason. You're at the very tip of the very sharp end of the stick. It's you and nobody else at the head of the bed when the poop hits the ventilator. You're expected to perform 135% every time all the time. The academics are very tough, but doable. Your biggest obstacle if you're in a front loaded program will be time management (for example, I really should be studying right now). There simply aren't enough hours (I actually count minutes, not hours) to get everything done. There just aren't. You have to prioritize, then prioritize your prioritization. My fervent hope is that this is all worth it in the end - and that I get to the end. The word "humbling" was used frequently going into this, and I can't think of a better description. Don't fret if you get a B or (gasp) a C - your days of being #1 at everything are done. In a class of 30 CRNA students, probably 25 were at the top of their nursing school class and are used to being top dog at whatever they do. No longer. Somebody will still be the top, but that's not what it's about. It's about learning, doing your best, and getting through two and a half years of Marine Corps boot camp. You will be dehumanized and belittled. You will be praised and patted on the back. You will have great days, and you will have days when you're ready to stop by McDonalds and fill out an application on the way home. Trust me, it will happen. Like I said, I feel it will be worth it in the end, but it's an extremely trying and stressful time. Best of luck with your application process (that's the easy part)...

Interesting reading here. I'm currently in CRNA school, and have experienced exactly this same kind of clinical instructor behavior. Inappropriate and unprofessional behavior, extreme hard-ass on students (even when we were totally green and brand new in clinicals), and just generally a jackass. Not sure what the motivation of people like this is, but it does nothing whatsoever to make people want to stay in the profession. If all they're looking for is a bunch of cowering sheep, that may be what they get. I'm an older student (mid-40s), and I have a hard time putting up with behavior like this from anyone - whether a physician, teacher, or whatever. I may yet get in trouble with this person, but there is only so much I'll put up with.

I wish someone could tell me what those countries are! I've searched high, low, left, right, up, down, and sideways for a list of the "107 countries where nurse anesthetists are employed" (according to my CRNA program's web site). They don't know where the information came from. Neither does AANA, nor does IFNA. Everyone says it's someone else's list, and nobody seems to know where the figure comes from. I've tapped all the resources I know of to tap. Anyone else have a clue?

Thanks for all the information everyone. I really appreciate it. As with many things in life, it seems like something of a crap shoot on the CRNA thing. I have no doubt that I'd qualify as soon as I get the required experience, so I'm definitely going to ask the recruiter about staying civilian for a year and then applying directly through AFIT. Things are going to be really tight financially for a while (my area is one of the lower paying areas of the country for new grad RNs), but I'll make it one way or the other. The military still seems like a great opportunity in my situation however. Thanks again, and I'll keep in touch! Butch

Thanks Medchick. Interesting, since everything you read says you need a year's ICU experience to get an AFIT grad school slot for CRNA. If they plan to make me work med-surg for two or three years before I'm allowed into an ICU, then they can keep it. I can go to work on June in a brand new ICU doing ICU medicine, and using my ICU experience. I have no interest in quasi-sick-ish people who are there to milk the system. I like caring for really ill people and actually using my nursing and thinking skills. Passing pills and emptying Foleys isn't my idea of critical care nursing.

I was an O-3 when I separated in 1988, so they have to take me back as an O-3. Sweet deal, especially considering I got exactly squat for my previous service (no VA benefits, no education benefits, nothing).

Hi all, I'll soon be 45, and am about to graduate from the Radford University (Virginia) BSN program. I'm a USAF veteran (a Signals Intel Officer from 1984-88). The AF nursing recruiter is making me a *very* lucrative offer. Having had to take three years off of life for nursing school, and live on borrowed money for the whole time, things are going to be tight. The AF claims to be offering as much as $57k up front (bonus plus loan repayment), which would take a healthy bite out of what I owe. Walking in the door as a 4-year O-3 offers me a super salary, and based on thumbnail calculations, probably at least a 42% increase over what I'd be making with the job I've been offered locally on a thoracic surgical ICU. That would allow me to keep my current home (which I **REALLY** don't want to sell), as well as keeping up with the loan payments while still living a decent lifestyle. All that is good. My concerns are these: 1. I'm really only interested in critical care (specifically ICU) nursing. My immediate goal is to get ICU experience to begin pursuing... 2. Grad school. I want to get my CRNA (I have a background as a Licensed Veterinary Technician, and have been trained in and actually done surgical anesthesia on all kinds of animals). Will I be able to steer myself easily into an appropriate critical care setting to get this experience ASAP? I know there are no guarantees of anything in the military, but if I get an assignment to (say for instance) WPAFB, is there a severe enough shortage of critical care RN's to allow me to get in pretty easily to whatever kind of unit I'm interested in? By graduation I'll have close to six months of solid ICU clinical experience, from a summer externship and a clinical practicum (medical/surgical ICU and CCU). 3. Grad school - I know it's handled through AFIT. How hard or easy is it to get a fully funded slot? I can't afford to pay for CRNA school myself anytime soon. I need to get the AF to pay for it, and to pay me my salary while I attend. I have excellent grades, am motivated, and will have no trouble jumping through all the requisite hoops to get in. I just want to know how big the hoops are, and how far they are off the ground, etc. 4. What are the odds that if I were to stay in after CRNA school (it would incur an additional 3-4 year additional commitment after graduation) that I can just be a clinician? I have zero interest in commanding anybody or anything. Been there, done that. I want to manage and command me and my patients. Do military nurses have to go to Squadron Officer School and ACSC and all that silly stuff? 5. What are the other pitfalls I'm not seeing? I know very little about military (specifically USAF) nursing. I'm fairly comfortable about the military in general. 6. What about deployments? Is the USAF deploying people to fun places like Afghanistan? I know that's part of the game, but what are the real odds? Especially for a newly minted RN with little practical experience under his belt? Any and all information will be most gratefully appreciated as I proceed toward my decision nexus on this. Graduation is in early May, and I need to move ahead smartly if I'm going to do it. I only have less than a 12-month window to get onto active duty (age stuff) without a waiver. Thanks all! Butch