naturalgas

Thanks all for your advice. Just to answer a couple of questions: the 81 chapters are from all 5 of my specialty anesthesia courses, they are not readings, handouts or duplicate chapters on the same information by different authors. I have tried in the past to focus entirely on the power points/lecture material without exhausting myself with all of the readings and ended up with a couple of C's on my exams. Unfortunately, in my program test material comes from both the text material as well as what is covered in lectures. So, it is necessary to do the readings to get a B and definitely more for an A. One last plea: if anyone has an efficient method of attacking such a vast quantity of material and making it their own in a very short time, let me know. I would be most greatful. Well, it's back to the books for me, Natural.

I am in need of advice from fellow SRNA's. I have a total of 81 comprehensive anesthesia textbook chapters to read, and know well, from now until mid July, approximately 2 months time. How can I do this efficiently and do each of my courses justice. I am in clinicals 3 days a week and attend classes the other 2 days (8:00am to 5:00pm). I know that this is probably a cake walk for most of you that are in your second and third years. Any tips, hints or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Natural.

What is Alpha state music?

Pardon my ignorance, but I have not heard about the SEE, are these the simulated exams that the AANA provides that are reflective of the actual boards? Will my program administer these exams to my class in the guise of a comprehensive exam? Did you take any prep courses (eg. Valley), were they helpful? Finally, would you recommend that I take a prep course in the beginning of my 2nd year of study, so that I will know what to focus on while still in the program, or is this a waste of time and money, so soon? Thanks in advance Quiigley, I have followed your posts and respect any advice that you have to offer. Natural.

Hi, Why not try Nagelhout's--Nurse Anesthesia? This is a book written by CRNA's. Each chapter opens with a refreshing review of the A & P of the topic and moves on to present the material in a very concise and easy to read format. This book was not required by my program, however, I purchased it to supplement the 3 other books mentioned above. It does present material that may not be in the other 3 and as mentioned earlier, from a nursing perspective. With respect to the other 3 texts, they are also very good in their own special way. The Miller, aka "Baby Miller" or "Miller Lite", is great for a quick and dirty grasp of the material, but definitely in need of a supplement. I always feel like I might be missing out on something important after reading the Miller Lite. So, I move on to Morgan and Mikhail, more complete with some interesting added bonuses. The biographies of notable anesthesiologists are fascinating and the case studies that close each chapter help to consolidate your reading. Finally, I complete my reading with the treasure of all anesthesia texts, the Barash, a very comprehensive read, most of which is backed by clinical research. Barash also provides some very thought provoking case studies. Although, I try to read all four of these texts for each topic presented in lecture, I am not always successful with time. If I had to skimp and could only choose one, it would be the Barash. I hope this was helpful.

Quick question: what is the ACT?

I find it interesting that anesthesia is required for the donor body, already pronounced clinically dead, during the harvesting of organs for donation. Yes, anesthesia is not just for the living. Does the CRNA role involve actively trying to keep all of the hemodynamic parameters stable to maintain the viability of the organs prior to surgical removal? If so, I would assume that this is very challenging. Are there any CRNA's out there in "CRNA land" that would be able to provide more insight into this very fascinating topic? Thanks in advance, I would be very interested in hearing about your experiences.

I would definitely go for the CCRN. The fact that a few good schools actually require it for admission should tell you something right there. For instance, the Duke program is very selective--I believe only 20 get in each year, and all 20 have their CCRN. Why should a school settle for less? 15 years ago, nobody required the CCRN; the trend is changing, and for the better. I would think that in the near future, things are going to get so competitve that the CCRN will be as common a requirement as your ACLS, PALS, and TNCC, which everyone has. In fact, while you are studying for the CCRN, you are also in a way studying for some of the A & P you will need to know well for the CRNA program. When I received my Valley CRNA refresher program flash cards for the CRNA certification I was surprised at how many questions were similar to CCRN questions. For many, the basic A & P was the weak link in their study for the CRNA cert, and unfortunately, where they had to spend the most time preparing when retaking the test. So do it right the first time and give yourself a great foundation and head start into the program. Get your CCRN, it's worth it!!

I tend to disagree, when I told my interviewers that I was CCRN certified they all chimed in together "and your CCRN certified as well!" It was a great moment in the interview. Go for it!

Nice response! Everyone seems to want to jump into CRNA school right out of highschool and then ask if it is alright not to have any experience? They should ask themselves how they would feel if they were on the receiving side of the anesthesia given to them by a CRNA with inadequate practical experience; someone who learned everything by reading a few good cookbooks, as you would say. It brings to mind a movie Leonardo Dicaprio was in a few years ago "Catch Me If You Can", based on a true story. The main character, a master imposter was able to practice law, medicine, pilot airplanes, etc... by merely reading a few good books, quickly. I don't know if I would trust him to give good anesthesia, how about you?

Why not join all of the other NP's (that unfortunately discovered after graduating that they could make more money and have less stress and responsibility by working as a staff nurse :trout:) and go back to school for a certification that is worth its weight in gold. It's worth the extra investment in both time and money. As a result, you will be pleasantly surprised at the discovery of just how many NP's have returned to school to do just that.

Thanks for digging up this interesting old thread. Yes, I agree there are traditionally more men than women in the ED and ICU, more so in the ED. So, I wonder what this says about the women that go into the ED, ICU and ultimately, anesthesia? I think these are a strong breed of women nurses and we need to cultivate and recruit more like them to make the profession more powerful.

I agree! Stay out of the forum if you are unable to contribute something of value, after all isn't this a forum for CRNA's?

Hi CVICU80, I know of a great ventilator book that is very easy to read and has just the right amount of info. This book is, may I say, a "Ventilators for Dummies" type book: Fundamentals of Mechanical Ventilation: A Short Course on the Theory and Application of Mechanical Ventilators. By Robert L. Chatburn. It starts off with a very basic introduction to ventilation, covers all forms of mechanical ventilation and gets into graphic displays at the end. It is a very friendly text that provides self assessment opportunities throughout to make sure you finish the book with a good grasp of mechanical ventilation. I hope you find this helpful.