perkizme

you're in~ I got a little nervous last year too when I saw that - but I'm pretty sure you're in (you can always contact the PD for the official - it's probably a formality like you said)

The typical pre-SRNA (or RNSA if you're @ UC) advice is to enjoy your family/friends, relax, save up/work extra OT, take the best vacation you can afford, if you can- you can try to take some grad courses ahead of time, and if you want to review anything maybe the nervous system and basic chem/physics. They will teach you everything you need to know so now may be a good time to read non-school books if you're a reader- little time for that once school starts. Saving up $$ to try to take a little extra time off work before school is good stuff too! If you're moving here, it depends on how much you want to dish out for rent- theyre are really nice and really not-so-nice neighborhoods near UC. Out of my classmates who have moved here, 2 live w/i walking distance of UC (Clifton- some parts can be scary IMO), a few live in Northern KY (about 10-15m away), others are about 5-15 min away in nicer areas (hyde park and oakley). The rest of us are in the suburbs (20-25m away) and 2 commute about 1.5-2hrs each way (i do not recommend this at all if you can help it). UC's pretty central to Cincinnati and so are the majority of your clinical sites - you can easily access it from I-71 or I-75, so you can pretty much live just about anywhere here. you can always PM me w/questions~ Kel

Congratz~

Congratz! I do enjoy the program ~ its hard (as all anesthesia programs should be) but I know its all worth it and I know we truly do have one of the best programs (i think and so I've heard). Good luck~

I got my interview invite by email, Oct 24 of last year so look for them within the next week if you havent gotten one already. If you hit November without an invite (probably by email) then...sorry~

I am a first year student and dont know it all yet (by far) but with many places in the hospital there may be radiation used during cases, in which case you would use the appropriate lead shields (unless pregnant or some other reason- you would leave the room if there was another anesthetist who could relieve you). I believe most gases are contained within machines and discarded appropriately- there are inherent risks which is why you spend alot of time learning how to properly operate machines and deal with various gases, hazardous materials. If there were always dangerous substances just floating around in the OR, you wouldnt have enough healthy surgeons, anesthesia, OR nurses, staff etc to actually do any procedures- jmho

Also, Univ. of Cincinnati- all clinical sites are within 20 min of school and most within 5min of the school (most hospitals are centrally located within the city of Cincinnati). We have many people in our class with families and children on the way. great program as well...

Interview basics: Prepare to explain... - why you want to be CRNA - your typical patient or day in ICU - what do you know about the profession/specialty (anesthesia) - CCRN-type, critical care clinical questions (i.e., ACLS, drugs, vents, pathophys) - shadowing experience - general "tell me about yourself" type questions - why you think you would be a good fit for their college/program - why should they choose you over next candidate - experience with extra-curriculars, volunteering, etc. Get plenty of rest, eat breakfast, go prepared (not a bad idea to take a small portfolio with extra copies of resume, application docs, etc.), dress professionally, arrive early, take a list of ?s with you that you would like to ask them about the program (i.e., class size, clinical sites, etc.). Hope this helps- sorry I don't know anything specific to your school, this pretty much sums up my experience and what I researched and found when I was in your shoes a year ago. Good Luck~

I'm at Univ Hosp in Cincy and I believe they're hiring in many units/floors because we're losing staff to school, travel nsg, families, etc. Earlier this year I think we froze hiring of new grads or at least unlicensed new grads, esp in to the ICUs, unless they had completed some sort of internship. That may have been lifted by now as I sat in on an interview with a new grad for our unit yesterday. Exp RNs should have a better chance because they are cheaper to train and get to work quicker than the orientation of a new grad. Healthcare suffers in this economy just as much as any other industry, unfortunately, IMO. good luck to you all~

Agree with above for our hospital it depends on the patient, your judgment and if staffing allows. We are a level 1 in big inner city and therefore get very sick pts. Not unusual for our 24-bed unit to have 3-6 CRRT going at once- well we certainly never have 16 nurses on board to make them all 1:1. Most smaller and community hospitals that I've heard of having the ability to do more one on one usu do so with CRRT, IABP, VADs, fresh open hearts. We are used to having a pt on 6 gtt, vent, crrt and another stable pt. [not that its the best, safest scenario] but we're used to it and have good teamwork. if staffing allows (census or acuity low enough) we will try to make our coding, sicker crrts, s/p arrests, etc. 1:1. we were recently able to make an incredibly sick H1N1 pt 1:1 (as recommended by infection control)

Hey guys~ I agree with yous, getting accepted early and waiting all this time makes me kind of nervous, no - a LOT nervous. I just want it to start already! I also have not heard anything about anything yet - still waiting on my financial aid info (thats the scariest part for me at this point). You guys can PM me if you're on facebook - I'll add ya as friends. I think this whole mentor thing would be good - hadnt heard about that.

congratz

Our residents dont even pull IABPs, the fellows have to (or attendings) never nurses

do not go into it just because you want to make more money- there are other ways to increase one's salary in nursing (do some research).. IMO this field needs people who are hard-core dedicated to the work and development of the advanced nsg practice of anesthesia not just their wallets

AGree with above!!!