usedbrain

Dear putmetosleep, Thanks and good luck with everything! As long as there are things to do while in surgery I think I will do well. sincerely, usedbrain

Dear putmetosleep, I am very interested in becoming a CRNA, but am a restless type of person. Dont' get me wrong, I would be very calm and collected dealing with intake, but my mind or something needs to be active a lot and i don't think they'll let me bring a squeeze ball into the OR. what are your thoughts? how long is the average surgery where you work or for a typical CRNA? thanks, usedbrain

Dear DMSRN, Is it possible that you could send me a private message. I am new to the site. I will try to send you one, but if not, if you have the time, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, tia

DMSRN, thank you SO very much. I really appreciate it. That makes me feel a lot better. One question, is it really difficult to make serious anesthetic decisions on the spur of the moment for emergency cases or do you think school prepares you so well that you know well enough to make quick decisions? That is probably my last concern about the profession. I tend to like to check and recheck things and don't like making decisions quickly. I'm not saying I couldn't, but I'd like to know your take on it. Thanks again so very much, usedbrain

Dear Duke and/or UNC-Chapel Hill Nursing Students, I am trying to decide at which school I would like to pursue a nursing degree. One question I have is the amount of homework difference between Duke's 16 month and UNC's 24 month programs. I've talked to the schools and it seems you spend the same amount of time in class and clinicals so I can only assume that the difference of eight months is made up in study time. How much time do you spend per week on average studying, your first year, second year? I am also trying to decide between psych nursing and being a nurse anesthetist. It is difficult to tell but it seems that UNC Hospitals might have more opportunities available for new grads because it's such a big place, but then again Duke's entire health system is huge? What is your take on it--on getting the job you want when you get out? Any suggestions? What are your teachers and administrators like? Do you feel very supported during difficult times? Those of you that have done rotations...what can you tell me about psych nursing and being a nurse anesthetist? Does the job of an anesthetist seem kind of cold and clinical or no? ANY info you could give me on the school you go to and the hospitals you may contract with and what you've found out about various fields would be exTREMEly appreciated. I'm having such a hard time finding information. What I have found is that you can't always trust recruiters... Thanks, usedbrain

Dear Loveanesthesia, Thank you so much for your reply and the info. I am much relieved. I have a couple of more questions if you are not too busy. The first is silly--I frequently have to use the bathroom and am wondering if during long surgeries (more than a couple of hours) if someone comes in to relieve you so that you may take a bathroom break. I know, dumb question, but otherwise I would have to dehydrate myself all day. The second question regards your saying there is a lot of variation in anesthesia. Could you expand on that? Are you referring to different types of CRNA jobs? different work sites? Also, did you find in the beginning that the OR was a very tense place and did it make you tense until you got used to it? Thank you so very, very much, Sincerely, Tia

Jules, thanks a bunch, thanks to all of you. I will continue my research. It is just the nurses I've been able to call that work in a non-hospital setting have all said the pay is much worse than in a hospital. But, you give me hope!

Thank you all. Whispera, the program I am looking at is a dual program CNS/NP, but it sounds like you are suggesting the CNS alone is the best if you want to do counseling. Would a group practice not hire a CNS/NP to do the work similar to a psychiatrist? Or, is your point that if I have the NP and work at a hospital then I will not get to do much counseling. Also, so you, as a CNS without the NP, counsel patients in a group practice??? Do you make enough to cover student loans and malpractice and medical insurance and all that? A group practice sounds ideal, but I am not sure if the benefits are there. Thanks again so very much and sorry for all of the questions. Sincerely, usedbrain

hello all. i am new to this website. greetings. i am thinking about a couple of different nursing areas and one is being a CRNA, but i have heard wildly different things about the daily life of a CRNA second-hand, and cant' seem to find an actual CRNA to ask about it even though i've posted ads to actually pay someone to talk to me for an hour or less. is there almost zero direct patient care (while patient is conscious) and do you spend 95% of your time standing in one spot perfectly still for hours while monitoring a patient during surgery? is there any variation in your work? i'd appreciate ANY information about being a CRNA. thank you all so much in advance.

hello all. i am new to this website. i am thinking about psych nursing as a career. i will start nursing school next year and currently volunteer at a mental health clinic. i heard psych nurses outside of hospitals get paid really poorly, and i'd eventually like to get out of a rotation schedule at a hospital. i just need to be able to pay back my student loans. what's your take? also, i've considered eventually doing this program that will get me a CNS and an NP in psych nursing, but i'm having a really hard time finding information on what kind of jobs there are out there. it seems the only way to make money (again, just to pay off loans, not in it to get rich) is to have a private or group practice, but i may be way into the security of working for someone else to do that. psych nursing is my passion (at least, i think it will be), but i am seriously considering going into a different field of nursing to get better pay and better hours. help, please. advice is very welcome, especially if you are a psych RN or CNS. thanks so much!