bbop85

hello! i am a cs/tele imc rn and am planning on going back to get my masters. i just can't decide between a cardiac focused fnp or crna. i like different aspects of each profession, but i had a few questions for any crnas out there. 1) do you miss the patient interaction? i know that you interact with patients pre and post op, and that you play a huge role in consoling patients who are scared of surgery/anesthesia...but obviously for the most of the part, your time with the patient is when they are sedated. also, unlike an fnp, there usually isn't an extended patient relationship (like annual check ups). do you like that? 2) is it overwhelmingly stressful? i'm on an imc, so i know what it is to have my patient crashing (don't we all!?!?). is your job at that stress level every day? is the stress decreased because you have 1 patient (who, obviously, you're doing a whole lot more for!)? i understand that crna school is overwhelming, but i want to know about your day to day job. do you feel overworked and underpaid (as many nurses do...)? 3) when a patient is under anesthesia during a long procedure, do you get bored? i worked in the or for a summer and spent some time with the anesthesiologists, and some of them would bring books, magazines and music to keep them occupied during the surgery. is this a relaxing time (as opposed to my question about stress), or is it boring? do you still find your job interesting/engaging during this time? or do you feel like the job is very stressful (during intubation/extubation time) and then potentially boring (during the surgery). i'm sorry for my ignorance on this issue, and i know the answer will depend on your personality and experience, but i appreciate your opinion! i really like the thought of being a crna but am afraid i will miss the long term patient relationship and patient education that i could have as a fnp working in a chf clinic. at the same time, i feel like being a crna would be better for my lifestyle so i could have a more regular schedule without my patients paging me when i'm trying to have dinner with my family or get my kids into bed. any advice would be helpful and i thank you in advance!