luvkyaking

I took my dec 18 and got them back on New Years Eve. but all my friends that took it on the 23rd have not received theirs yet. I bet you get them back soon, now that the holidays are over

jj- you graduate from TCU? I think I know who this is :-). Regardless, congrats! Ain't it wonderful?

I just got my results back today (New Years Eve of all days!) and I passed!!!! :smiley_aa I stopped at 100. So, I had heard they took off for two weeks during the holidays so I wasn't expecting to hear anything until next week, so maybe they aren't doing that anymore.............

I was worried about that too, but I can tell you that this has been THE best career decision I have ever made. I actually have a much higher level of satisfaction with my patient interactions than before. You do get to interact with them before and after surgery. Remember most patients are really nervous and they are mostly worried about pain, waking up and being nauseated. So they are looking to you for reassurance. I don't get yelled at because of petty things like I did in the ER or ICU, and the patients and family thank me a lot more than they did when I was a staff nurse

I think you guys are talking about the RN boards? The original poster is referring to the CRNA board exam which is 170 questions max, and minimum of 100

Man I'm sorry, and I can understand your stress, I'd be doing flip flops with my stomach too, but when I took Valley they told us that a certain percentage of people do go the distance to 170 and doesn't mean they failed. I know it's very easy for me to say this right now, but try to breathe, it's over and you won't know for a couple of weeks, so there's not much you can do right now but give yourself an ulcer. You still could have passed, so try not to waste too much energy beating yourself up over something you don't know about yet. Let us know and hang in there!

I just wanted to clarify about the STRAP program with the army, as I am in th is program. If you stay in the APMC which is the unit you would be assigned in for STRAP , after graduation, you will do your drilling once a month and then your two weeks a year. The APMC is an "augmentation" unit meaning you fill in other places so every other year you can see where their needs are and do your TWO weeks there. The ninety days is not an every other year thing. If you are deployed , as a CRNA, you are ninety days boots on the ground, but there isn't a rule saying you get deployed every other year. This has been an excellent program for me, and if you are willing to be deployed for ninety days at a time (because this will probably happen at some point) then it really is helpful financially

First of all, I'm sorry you had problems. I've been there. I failed a class with an 82 (we have to make an 83 to pass) and our program requires us to start the ENTIRE program over again if we are allowed back in. Needless to say it's been a long three years but I'm so glad I did it, as I'm graduating in December, and I absolutely love anesthesia and know I made the right decision. While i agree, that you do need to really decide if this is what you want to do, don't beat yourself up or get discouraged. I too, had some things going on my first year that were disruptive, and it was devastating to fail by 1 point. I do know someone that was not allowed back in, but was able to get accepted at a competitor program in the area, so I know it is possible. My best advice for you at this point, is to take a little time to regroup, figure out why you failed and what you are going to do so that it doesn't happen again. You want to come to your director or one of another program with a game plan of how you are going to fix what went wrong so they know you are serious and can do it. I know several people who were in the same boat as me that are now CRNAs. So if this is what you really want, don't give up!

PM me and I'll tell you my experience

I'm graduating in Dec. I commuted for my first year of school which was all didactic. I had an hour drive each way. It was really hard. It was hard to study with other people, hard to get in good study time at the end of the day, and a killer in gas. I'm single, but I know a lot of married people in this program who had to be apart during that time period. I know it sucks, but it's doable. I think 2 hours is really pushing it. Do they have distance classes? At my school, we could go to our clinical site and watch class via satellite after the first semester. There were a lot of people who lived on campus the first semester and then moved back home after that for satellite classes. Your idea about staying in a hotel is certainly doable,I would look seriously about that. Then you could come to study groups and save alot on gas. Good luck to you!

I think it also depends on where you are doing your residency. I have not been forced to stand during surgery where I am. As a matter of fact, there are a few people here who insist that I sit, because they say for years they were not allowed to and we have earned that right. For the most part I do a little of both. If there is only one chair and my preceptor is in the room, I defer it to them and sometimes they will take it and sometimes they insist that I take it. I spend a lot of time standing though because I want to see what is going on with the surgery, and you can't tell if you're sitting. When I'm charting and we are in the "cruise" portion of the case, I will usually sit, but during induction, emergence, or any time I need to see how the surgery is going, then I stand. Is this problem with your feet something that can be fixed? IT's an awesome career choice, I'm really enjoying it. I would hate to see this be something that holds you back!

Well, what i've learned is, they don't care anything about you or what your past experience was. They don't want you to ask questions or do anything that isn't their way. You are basically an idiot the minute you walk in the door, and if you want to survive, than you have to just not say anything and have enough inner confidence to know that you aren't an idiot or you wouldn't be there. Do I sound frustrated and bitter? I am a little. But I know that it seems to be that way no matter where you're at. I also know that I'm there to learn, and graduate. So, when someone tells me they don't like the way I taped an ET tube, even though Suzie CRNA or Joe Blow MDA told me to tape it that way, I just tape it the way they want, and not say anything else. I have less than a year left, and I know when I graduate that hopefully having the "pleasure" of working with fifteen different CRNAs and MDAs who all want it done their way, which is of course the best and only way, will allow me to assimilate the best of the info and integrate it the way I want to. And hopefully I will treat students better than I've been treated! Just have some inner confidence that you are there because you earned it, and don't let them take your inner peace away from you or your confidence in yourself!

the Federal Stafford Loan allows you to borrow up to 20,500 per year. It is not based on credit, but financial need. After that try a HELP loan for grad students, and definitely contact your financial advisor at school to help you. If you are interested you could also join the Army reserve and get a $1300/month while you are in school in addtion to a 50K payback of your loans

Before you even start, make sure you have the financial resources (loans, helpful family, etc.) to be in school without working. I'm in the didactic portion, about to start rotations, and I can tell you there is no way to do this and work. We have actually had a few people fail because they were working on the weekends. You will need every bit of free time you can get to study! A good digital recorder will help you tremendously. If your program provides your notes, I would invest in a laser printer, color if you can afford it . (I got one on ebay for $200 and have had it for almost a year and still have not had to buy toner). You will need a PDA for rotations. Try to take care of any distractions before school starts. If you aren't dating anyone, and single, don't start! (seriously, you won't have time and it will just distract you). Try to pay your bills off, or ahead. Take care of any health issues etc. If I think of anything else I'll let you know!

what does the paid version of eppocrates have that the trial version doesn't?