misscece

The overall consensus is the same isn't it? It depends where you live and for whom you work. One thing to take into consideration is whether or not you will ever get a raise. Some starting pays sound impressive, but once you take into account the fact that there is no set raise schedule, it doesn't look so good a couple years in. Benefits such as medical care, educational opportunities, vacation, and retirement, as well as what your schedule will be, are also big factors in determining the "worth" of a job. To the OP - if your focus on becoming a CRNA is money, you will have a hard time earning the respect of those of us who are in it for the love of the work itself. It doesn't matter how much money you make when those school loans come due, it hurts. Also, we all tend to spend what we earn - meaning: the more you make the more you spend. Good luck on step ONE, which is to become an RN. Focus on that and really think about whether you like the work itself.

The majority of my nursing experience (which was all critical care) was in a Level III NICU where I took care of the sickest of the sick neonates. When I made the move towards pursuing my CRNA, I made the choice to change gears and start working with adults. I went on to do about four years of CVICU, SICU, and MICU. I agree whole-heartedly with BCRNA regarding the cardiac aspect of neonates vs. adults - they are two different animals. While NICU experience serves you well in the sense that most people are scared to death to handle a baby weighing less than 1000 grams, a background in handling those preemies will definitely give you a leg up when it comes to the hands on. Also, I believe that NICU nurses tend to be far more precise in minute drug doses as this is the norm. HOWEVER, with adults you are usually dealing with complex coexisting CHRONIC disease processes whereas with babies you are usually dealing with some sort of genetic issue, anoxic insult, or problem associated with lack of development. Pediatrics is a subspecialty of anesthesia, which means you will spend very little time on this and more on adults as a whole. And, even within the pediatric specialty, neonates are but only a small fraction. With that being said, one of my classmates came in with only NICU experience. He worked in a Level III NICU for over ten years and graduated at the top of our class. While he did struggle with the "new animal", he excelled and is one of the smartest guys I know. I would let him do my anesthetic, or the anesthetic of any of my loved ones, without hesitation. Bottom line - don't limit yourself to the schools that will take just the NICU experience. Get the NICU experience if that is what you are interested in, but follow up with solid adult experience as well.

I'm sorry I didn't read all the postings that are attached but what do you mean by "he couldn't keep his airway clear"? If his airway could not be kept clear, neither sedation - and definitely a paralytic (which I would never give without an airway) - would help. My other question is, where was the doc in all of this? Why were you and the RT trying to figure this out instead of paging the pulmonologist? And why give a respiratory depressant to someone who is having breathing difficulty? Just wondering....

Thanks but question isn't for me so I don't have contact with recruiters. Was just wondering in general what would happen in that situation and thought someone here might know :)

Question - what happens if you sign a contract to become a CRNA with the help of the Army Reserve and then fail your boards?

whoa! that's a quick turnaround. i thought i was on a timeline but i think you've got me beat. why did they wait so long to tell you? good luck - once you get past that moment, it gets quite exciting.

thanks ready. there are a couple of people in my class who will be leaving their families as well - i can't even imagine what that must be like. i'm glad to say that i got over it and am quite nervous/excited about all that lies before me.

Hi all! Yesterday was my last day of work. I will be starting CRNA school in January and am taking the time between now and then to relocate, get settled, and spend a little bit of time with my family before the grueling life of a SRNA begins. After being excited about that final day, I almost had a breakdown after clocking out yesterday. I'm moving, going to be living with someone I don't really know, I won't have an income for the next 2.5 years, I'm going into debt with loans, my relationship is questionable d/t relocation, and I'm starting a highly challenging program all at the same time. So my question is - has anyone else had this "freak-out" moment? And how did you get over it? It seems that no one can really understand where I'm coming from so I'm here hoping I'm not alone in this. Any input/advice is much appreciated!!! cece

Applied to Florida Gulf Coast University and University of Kansas. Selected to interview at both. Interviewed and accepted at Florida Gulf Coast and will begin in January 2008. Will decline interview at Kansas in order to stay in Florida.

i don't know - i've done both nicu and adult icu and i still say that adult visitors are a lot harder to deal with. for me, parents were mostly just afraid - imagine how petrifying it is to see your little baby with wires and lines everywhere - or to see them crying with an ett in and not making a sound. i found that education was the key with them in that once they understood that i knew what i was talking about, they tended to "trust" their baby more with me and that they tended to follow my suggestions more readily. in adult icu's you can't even get family members to honor living wills let alone listen to anyone outside of the family. sick babies scare the hell out of people and i think people are more likely to let them be when they start to trend downwards. with adults it's more like "hang in there! you can do it!!" everyone's convinced that despite the fact that grandpa is 96 and on a breathing machine in kidney failure, the fact he's a WWII vet means he's tough as nails to this day. my nicu also had written guidelines that had to be signed. this would be a good thing for adults icu's i agree - but when people act like they don't see the big ass writing (literally) on the walls stating visiting hours (or act like you just made up the hours despite it being in print) i don't know what good it would do.

if my unit had help - we have no techs, the charge nurse takes a full assignment and we often go without a secretary - i might have more time to work out a "partnership" with difficult families. however, when i'm running nonstop trying to keep my patients (often tripled) alive, i don't take well to someone running out of a room to tell me their family member "just moved" or that they need something that they are capable of getting themselves (i'm talking about the family member). a pt who is sick enough to be in the icu needs to have time to rest - this means that family members should not be in their faces trying to get them to talk when they are intubated, should not be holding multiple phone conversations in the pt's rooms on the phone and should not expect me to tend to them. also, there is a certain level of dignity that should be afforded to pt's - if i were that sick, the last thing i would want is for my family to be bringing in extended family or their friends just to see me while in that shape. the "attitude" being expressed are not towards those who help the situation - it is more about those who make our jobs more difficult. sadly, this is the majority more often than not.

south florida - new grads start out making about $21.50/hr. came in w/5 years exp at $27.50 and hour. can't buy anything decent here for less than $300,000. won't be staying here much longer.

we have the visiting hours posted on the door of our unit - no security in front of the door but the visitors do have to ring a buzzer in order to be let in. unfortunately, this is the same door that everyone else swipes to get into so family members will just follow people in even though they are well aware of what the hours are. i would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a security guard.

i am sorry that happened to you. i also worked nicu for many years but i believe that parents are much more apt to let babies sleep. also, babies don't feel the need to "entertain" or interact with their company. i'm not sure what your dad's situation was - i have no problem letting people stay if the person is doing really badly given they are respectful of the patient's need to rest and of me needing to do my job (i believe most icu nurses are the same).

let me clarify that i have no problem extending visiting hours in cases where the patient needs someone to keep an eye on them (dementia, trying to get out of bed) or when pt's are terminal. i can't stand following a nurse that allows people to stay for as long as they like because then i have to be the bad guy simply by adhering to the visitation policy - which is posted on the door outside of the unit as well as in a handout we give. fellow nurses - please note that when you bend rules based on your own personal reasons (and not obvious ones like the ones i listed above) - you are setting up your co-workers.