srnamom

Just my two cents, but I think you really should consider speaking with program directors or admissions committees for the programs that rejected your recent applications. Find out what would make you a more attractive applicant. If you receive consistent replies that they can't get past your history, then consider that this is likely God's will. I'm not clear on how many schools and how many years your recent applications entail. If it's only a couple of years, maybe further attempts would convince them that you're serious and passionate about anesthesia despite your history. Or maybe they assume that you are still at risk of your personal life interfering with your ability to complete a program. If you can show concrete evidence that your personal life has 'settled down' or that you have safety mechanisms in place to prevent interference with anesthesia school, that may make all the difference. We all need those safety mechanisms because, as I've said before, horrific things or life-changing events happen on a regular basis to people in anesthesia school. Admissions committees need to know that if it happens again to you that it will absolutely not interfere with you starting and completing a program.

You need to study for more than 2.5 weeks--there's only so much that you can truly retain from each day's studying. And you absolutely need to get through all of Valley.

Most of us were trained to handle whatever complications might arise in a case. If you don't feel safe practicing independently, don't. I fail to see how the previous poster's comments were disrespectful or reinforced your thesis that CRNAs need to be supervised by anesthesiologists. Can you elaborate? Are you still working as a CRNA?

It's 2025 for CRNAs, so it will be a while before it becomes clear whether that is realistic or not.

So you are both a physician anesthesiologist and a CRNA?

It may seem arrogant to you, but it is fact. The supervision 'requirement' is NOT a requirement for an anesthesiologist to supervise a CRNA, but for a physician (typically the surgeon) to supervise. This 'supervision' consists of deciding that anesthesia services are necessary or desirable for a procedure, and requesting them. The surgeon neither dictates how the anesthesia is performed nor is legally liable for the CRNA's actions. In every state in the U.S., many many anesthetics have been performed with this arrangement for many many years, over 60% of anesthetic cases every year. The federal government has allowed states to opt out of even this type of supervision. We are not 'unsupervised nurses', we are highly trained anesthesia providers with the same outcome rates and safety records as physician anesthesiologists. Legally, we are held to the same standards of care as physician anesthesiologists. We have to be able to handle crises on our own, but we are also highly trained to avoid them. When the *hit hits the fan, the anesthesiologist does not always come when paged, or does not always come in time. At many institutions, physician anesthesiologists never or rarely perform anesthesia themselves. Your faith in anesthesiologist supervision is but a false sense of security. You cannot win this discussion, because the facts are not on your side. Whether you choose to hold onto your prejudices despite the facts is your business--don't try to make it ours, you are in the wrong place for that.

You seem to come to this discussion with some preconceived ideas about how this all works and how it came about. I urge you to do some investigation into the history of nurse anesthesia and advanced practice nursing. History is replete with examples of APNs filling a need that physicians find less than lucrative. Nurse anesthetists were the first. ICU nursing is a prerequisite for a nurse anesthesia program not because ICU experience comes in handy occasionally or offers a back-up plan, but because anesthesia is the ultimate in critical care: providing loss of sensation and loss of awareness, while sustaining physiologic homeostasis as the surgeon cuts, manipulates and otherwise causes physiologic derangements during the procedure. Are you a would-be CRNA or an interested bystander?

It had nothing to do with gender. Until then, provision of anesthesia fell to the most junior member of the surgical team, who was more interested in observing/learning the surgical procedure than the physiologic status of the patient. Thus, the caliber of anesthesia care was often less than optimum. Nurses specially trained in anesthesia made patient wellbeing their highest priority. Read "Watchful Care" for more info....

I don't know of any program that will accept science credits over 10 yrs old. You COULD take these classes in 4 or 5 semesters, if you took Gen Chem, Physics and A & P at the same time (2 semesters) then followed up with the other classes. For that matter, you could probably even take the Micro concurrently. Would it be a lot to take on while continuing to work? Yes, but no worse than an anesthesia program will be.

My aim was not to be depressing but brutally honest. I've just finished a program and passed my boards. Everyone I know who has been through anesthesia school has had awful things happen in their personal life while in the program. There have been several unintended pregnancies, deaths of immediate family members, major financial problems, divorces, etc. The worst things can and will happen while you're in anesthesia school. But of all these people, not one of them withdrew. Nor were there abortions. That's the reality too. You made the choices you felt were best for you, and I certainly don't condemn you for that. But that doesn't mean you'll get accepted into anesthesia school again. The anesthesia world is a small close-knit community. There may be other program directors who know you gave up your second chance. My advice still stands. Yes, get current ICU experience. But you really really need to talk to program directors about your situation. If you get accepted again it will be because you've convinced them to take another chance on you, and that will take a compelling story, lots of persistence and a great deal of luck. What about the program you were accepted to most recently?

What if you get through nursing school and into the ICU, then can't get in to anesthesia school? Can you live with that? Because it's a very real possibility. Some people never get in.

Quite frankly, your biggest obstacle is not the demands of your family, but your ability to get accepted into another anesthesia program after leaving twice. As I understand it, the odds of getting in a second time after withdrawing are VERY slim, let alone a third time. You beat the odds once, perhaps you can do it again, but it definitely will not be easy. You'll need to convince multiple people that you truly have the passion and determination to make it work this time. An admissions committee will see you as someone not likely to complete a program, thus admitting you would be taking a spot away from someone more likely to finish--that's what you have to overcome. I'd concentrate on getting current ICU experience and talking to program directors about your situation. Get their opinions and advice, ask whether anyone has ever been admitted a third time, basically leave no stone unturned. It will likely take time, if it happens at all. Use that time to get your finances in the best shape possible and put in place contingency plans that will make sure you can weather any problems that arise while in school. You're living proof that life crises happen at a higher rate while in anesthesia school.

It might. Schools want to do everything possible to prevent admitting someone who drops out, since that is a spot that could have been taken by someone who completes the program. You need to seriously consider whether you're financially prepared for 2+ more years of school with no income. Loans are much harder to come by than just a few years ago. Will you really be able to borrow the costs of tuition plus living expenses, given your current debt load? You can't count on working. Take a really hard look at your current expenses and cut everything you can, including the option of trading down to a car with no payments, etc. Living that lifestyle for a while will allow you to pay down your debt and, more importantly, will help you put together a realistic financial plan for school.

Once again: these are CMS BILLING RULES not laws. And the 'supervision' so mentioned is not supervision as conventionally understood--it is a request for anesthesia services, with the 'supervising' physician neither expected to be knowledgeable regarding the anesthesia provided, nor legally liable for its outcome. In no state in the US is a CRNA legally required to be supervised by a physician who advises, proscribes or approves of the anesthetic plan.

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about anesthesia shifts. Yes, most hospitals do have 24-hr shifts for CRNAs. The options really depend on where you work. And even if CRNAs have to work a certain number of night/weekend shifts per pay period, there is usually someone willing to trade for them, pick up call, etc.