Lorus

I've had the same problems with sallie mae (getting grad loans and consolidating undergrad loans). I would tell anyone going after their grad loans to- -Apply as early as possible so you have time to deal with their bs well before school starts.. -Make sure your application is PERFECT. -Call them frequently, checking your status online is not enough. -Keep track of the dates you called, everything youve faxed them, etc.. Good luck..

A question to throw out there: If you are trying to get more than one private loan, do they affect each other? For example- if you are trying to get a Wells Fargo loan for 25k and a Sallie Mae loan for 40k, will you screw yourself out of one or the other by trying to go for both at once? I know that the max fed is 18.5 + additional $ for summer sessions. For many schools, this is barely enough to cover tuition, let alone costs of living. Now imagine you have a family and getting one private loan just isnt going to cover your expenses and you need to go after two private loans. Are there complications involved in going after two different private loans? Thanks for any info...

Glad to hear the positive reviews for macs. Im planning on getting one before I start this fall. My POS PC only has to last a few more months, and then Im going to go 'office space' on it and smash it into a million pieces..

Sorry it took so long to reply.. I should mention that my opinion is only based on the experience Ive had so take it with a grain of salt. I work in a university based, level one trauma center's SICU. As I started writing this reply, I was of the opinion that If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldnt say a word to anyone about wanting to go to school, applying, or getting in. Now that Ive had a chance to really think about it, I would just say to be very careful about who you talk to about your plans. Its only a matter of time untill everyone on your unit knows anyway... I wouldnt mention anything about trying to get right into school if I was in the process of applying for a job because it might work against you getting that job. I took the middle road and was vaguely honest, saying that Id like to 'get a masters someday.' Would you, as a manager heading up a unit that is running waay over budget, invest the time and cost to train a new nurse that comes right out and tells you they are only going to be there long enough to gain the necessary experience to get into school? In the last year, my icu has lost 5 strong nurses to anesthesia school and 1 to np school. Some had to leave on short notice, and 'left the unit high and dry', but most left in a good way. Either way, its still a lot of good nurses to lose in a short amount of time, and it left a bad taste in management's mouth. Of course most of the time when you're applying for a job you have very little knowledge of the unit's issues and politics, so inadvertantly saying too much about your goals might work against you. Mentioning an interest to persue further education makes an applicant sound like a motivated individual. Professing a hellbent desire to charge onward to school makes an applicant sound like a bad investment. Keeping things quiet while applying: This one's tough, because no matter how under the radar you are about your plans, the cat comes out of the bag when you apply. You have to ask someone for a letter, sometimes a few people. Some schools ask specifically for a manager's letter, others are ok with a charge nurse. I picked a charge nurse I had worked with frequently and also trusted. (Asking a manager to write a reccommendation seemed to me like giving them advanced notice that I was leaving.. Not to mention that they had never once seen me at the bedside and wouldn't have been able to produce the type of letter that I wanted). We all know that ICU's are little fishbowls and rumor mills.. Word gets around, and some people handle news of others heading off to school differently than others. Most have been really supportive and offer encouragement. A few are jealous naysayers and do little more than talk. Some look at me like im about to jump ship and abandon the unit. Some of the old vets on the unit (who couldnt imagine that anyone with less than 25 years of experience should be allowed to go on to anesthesia school) have put me under the microscope and get on me about every little thing. I dont mind though, it actually makes me a better nurse, even if that isnt their intention.. My advice, is to get your letters from people you trust and hope they keep it to themselves. Before long, people will have something else to talk about and forget all about you applying.. As far as telling folks about getting in: Naturally the second I found out that I got in, I systematically went from A to Z on the contacts list on my cellphone and called everyone I had ever known to tell them the good news.. I was a bit more selective with who I told at work. If they already knew I had applied, and they asked, I told them. The trouble with doing that is that since I havent locked down my departure dates yet, I havent told management about my plans for leaving. I will certainly give appropriate notice, and leave in a professional manner, etc.. Id just prefer that they heard it from me first rather than thru the grapevine. The way I see it right now in my unit, leaving is something that has to be handled with a great deal of tact so that (1) my remaining time there is not hellish, and so that (2) future anesthesia hopefuls working their way thru the unit dont have to fight an uphill battle. No need to make this process any more difficult than it already is.. Loooong story short, dont say a word when youre trying to get a job, and be very selective about who you talk to as you apply and get in. Hope this helps..

To the OP: Your plan sounds fine. Just dont tell anyone on the unit about it. Its not worth the political fallout.

I was accepted there and will be declining.. (will be going to a different program instead) I hope you get the spot. Good luck!

Correct. I plan on doing the max federal to cover the bulk of tuition, and then the private loan (answer loan) to cover living expenses and anything the fed loan didnt cover. Just wondering if having the private loan taken care of before the fed loans would end up being problematic..

Do I need to secure federal loans before I go after the Sallie Mae Tuition Answer Loan? If I got the tuition answer loan first, would it limit the amount of federal loans I am able to get? Im asking here because Sallie Mae is closed for the holiday and I didnt see the info on their website... Maybe this thread aughta be moved over to the pre-crna forum..?

What was the interview like at UNE?

Thanks thor - great post

Speaking of new schools, theres also going to be one opening up in utah in the next few years. The name of the school it will be affiliated with is Westminster.. Seems to be lots of new schools popping up these days.

Looks like you'll just have to take the short bus to CRNA school with the rest of the SRNA's on this board I guess... (Special Registered Nurse Anesthetists) J/K of course.. I know you were just complimenting the OP on their degree, but yikes... :uhoh21:

Let me see if I understand you correctly.. Rather than sucking it up and taking a test that costs a little over 100 bucks, youd prefer to incur the cost (and stress) of moving and having to pay the extra thousands for out-of-state tuition? The GRE is, at best, a waste of a friday afternoon, and you will likely 'waste' many friday afternoons studying for it, but the options it will yield will more than offset the 'stress' of taking it. Like yourself, I am in the midst of the application process. The more SRNA's and CRNA's I talk to, the more respect I have for them and the profession itself. Sure, there are some folks who apply on a whim, get in, and make it thru, but most applicants (myself included) have been working towards this profession for years, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Seems to me that taking the most ridiculous exam ever contrived is one of the easiest hoops we will have to jump thru in order to reach this goal. Perhaps the one thing the GRE is good for is weeding out the people who lack the willingness to do whatever it takes.

Great thread.. This topic ties into the moment that a career of anesthesia was first planted into my head. I had an acl repair many years ago with a CRNA managing my anesthetic. I remember how psyched he was to educate me about the profession. I remember his name and exactly what he looks like.. (I've completely forgotten who the surgeon was). There was a point during the surgery when I heard a drill start up. I said, 'you may want to knock me out for this part', and the last thing i remember hearing was him saying, 'Im one step ahead of you'. Just after he said that, it felt like I dropped through the table into a blissful dream. I woke up as I was heading to the PACU and he handed me a pepsi when we got there. That CRNA made my surgery a GREAT experience, and not something to be feared. I want to provide that kind of a surgical experience for others..

All of our patients automatically get put on the 'invasive device protocol' if they are tubed. This covers us in the use of any sedation/restraints that are required until they are extubated. Basically its up to the RN to decide if the pt. can safely be unrestrained. Its amazing how sometimes no matter what you do, (short of paralyzing a pt) some folks will still find a way to extubate themselves. Recently I had a patient that was sedated and wearing bilat soft wrist restraints self-extubate. He was calm and resting quietly -hadn't so much as twitched all shift... I was literally walking out of the room when the vent and monitors went nuts. When i turned around, he was laying there with that 'deer in the headlights' look, and the tube was hanging out of his mouth still attached to the bite-block. (He was still restrained, so im not sure if he 'tongued' it out or used his knees or something, but he managed to pull it somehow) He was ok with a FM at 10L for a bit, but eventually needed to be re-tubed.