cube

It should be on any forum involving members who administer medications....

You're still trying to get into a fast track BSN program. You haven't even started nursing school yet. How would you know how a nurse or a CRNA practices? Yes, your science classes are important as the other posters have explained. Don't ask questions if you don't really want the answers. And if you think nurse anesthetists do not prescribe or designate the anesthetic given, you need to continue your "research".

I agree with the previous posts. You should transfer out of the ER. It is not for everyone. It is not 'job hopping'. ER just is not the right fit for you. Talk to your manager and ask to shadow some other nurses in other departments to see what else is available for you. The great thing about nursing is that there are many different areas! This is a great field. Maybe you should consider L&D. There is still some degree of stress, but it is very rewarding.

Oh ok! Sounds like Crossfit is has got his career mapped out pretty well. 2 years is about the average time before starting school. To become a good anesthetist, you need to have years of experience doing anesthesia, not necessarily many years bedside nursing.

Wow, you got your BSN at age 20?

Jen, why didn't u like the program at Barry?

I really feel bad for you. I've often heard about this professor at TWU, and all of the stress that accompanies his class. I've have heard people say that it is not a weeding program, but I find that really hard to believe. I am attending Barry U, and although the program is tough, it is nothing like the nightmares that I have heard from my friends who decided to attend TWU. I was accepted to TWU after being accepted to Barry, and I am glad that I went with Barry. Good luck to you, and hang in there. From what I hear, it will be downhill once you pass the first 2 semesters.

I'm an SRNA 9 months into the program, and I'm feeling the way you do. I feel like the job will be great once I have finished school, but 19 more months seems so far away. It is really depressing, however, I worked too darn hard to get to this point, and there's no way I'm giving up. I just take one day at a time, and look forward to the end of the week when I can do something to relax. You just have to look at the CRNAs around you and recognize how happy they seem to be, and realize you won't be a student forever. Things will eventually get better.

You know, ICU nurses have to learn just like you did when you started working in acute care. Nurses have to learn to be nurses where ever they decide to work. They can be newbies fresh out of school like anyone else. So that's how she worked in an ICU. Now whether or not new grads should be able to work iin an ICU or not is a whole different discussion.

As a new nurse, you are being precepted to learn. If there is something that you don't know how to do, you need to be honest and let your preceptor show you. Not correctly assessing the patient can be dangerous. It may embarrass you to not know something, but we've all have been there and will be there again at anytime. We can't know everything, so for the patient's sake, we must ask in order to properly care for the patient. I've been an ICU nurse for years in the cardiovascular ICU, but if a neuro patient is brought in with a shunt or drainage system that I don't have a clue about, I will take care of the patient, but I will grab a nurse who can explain the device to me. And if there isn't a nurse in the unit who knows, I just tell the doctor that I haven't cared for this type of patient in a while and ask him what I am looking for in particular. If all else fails, look it up in the reference books on your floor or in your units. There should be plenty around. But most of all, you have to be honest because the patient's safety is at stake.

For CRNAs, Everyone seems to have a different technique for emergence. Could the CRNAs out there share their technique to wake patients after general anesthesia, especially GETA. I know some CRNAs who like to transiton from volatile gas to a propofol drip towards the end of the case, while some slowly decrease the gas just before the case ends. I've also seen in clinicals where a couple of CRNAs like to have the patient spontaneously breathing well before decreasing the gas. Could anyone discuss their techniques and the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks, cube, SRNA

CRNAs and SRNAs, How long did it take you to successfully intubate a patient for the first time. I have tried 6 times without success. Thanks in advance.

For my pathophysiology class, I first read the concept in A&P for Dummies, then I read Guyton's Med. Physiology which helps me to better understand the information from the more difficult book. I find it really hard to understand material presented in Miller and Barash Texts. Can anyone tell me of any easy to read Anesthesia books that you used while in CRNA School that would make the Barash and Miller books easier to read. Any help will be appreciated!!

An anesthesiologist told me the same thing. However, if one has already gone through the process of applying and interviewing for Med school (apparently while being in CRNA school), this person has already made up his or her mind. This question was simply posted to gloat or to let everyone know that s/he could become an MDA rather than CRNA. It is apparent that the MDA was desired all along if time was spent pursuing the MDA route rather than spending 100% effort on being an SRNA.

:rotfl: That was pretty funny. Thanks for the post!

Barry U, Jan 2008!! See you soon, Matt and Chrissy! Thanks to everyone at allnurses. I've been lurking and learning since 2003. Kimberly :balloons:

I went through the accelarated BSN program, but I went through it full-tuition paid + books paid because the program with 10 students was funded with a state tobacco settlement. I worked for 2 years in ICU before being accepted to a CRNA program. The accelerated program was very intense, but I still worked on weekends and grad with 3.8 gpa from nursing school. For me, I was able to finish BSN with no dept, and I had already paid off the previous undergrad student loan before starting BSN program. I wanted to start CRNA school debt-free. That is ideal. As for working on a BSN during your first year out in ICU, I personally don't recommend this. The BSN did not prepare me for even 50% of what I had to know to work in CVICU and overflow ICU. I did a lot of reading and studying to prepare for the CCRN exam that I took 1 year after graduation. Plus, in order to be a good ICU nurse, you are constantly reading and learning new information because we take care of post-op CABG, Valve repairs, VADs, CRRT, heart transplants, cardioversion, multiple gtts, ARDS, anything covered under ACLS, and not to mention, patients with MODS. This is a lot of info for a new-grad RN (whether diploma, ADN, or BSN because that part of it goes out of the window in an ICU...it is up to the RN to obtain this info via training and reading). I decided to apply to school after 2 years in the ICU rather than one. The first year is so overwhelming! And you want to learn as much as you can because, more importantly, patients lives are at stake, not just your career. Plus, before starting CRNA school, I had to repeat org. chem because it has been over 5 years since taking it. Your first year out of school is not gravy, so try and do everything you can to prepare for this as well. Now, your situation with money is different from mine, but you can always pay back your undergrad loan after finishing your MS in anesthesia. The loan can be deferred. When I decided to become a CRNA (which was before going to nursing school), I then decided money would not be a factor in my getting there. Use every avenue you can even if it means creating a debt (which is unavoidable). Try and prepare as much as you can academically and financially, and whatever is left finacially, pay it off later! Hope this helps!

CONGRATULATIONS, Chrissy!!! :balloons::balloons::balloons: How did the interview go? Were the questions difficult? Was it pretty stressful?

You're exactly right. I was a medical technologist prior to becoming an rn and there are 100's of specimens that everyone wants stat. And what slows down most of the work is actually getting the blood, so if my patient is bleeding, I will ask someone in the unit who is free to rush my blood to the lab themselves (we don't have a pneumatic tube station, and our hospital is 850-bed!) after I draw it. The CBC will come off in about 1-2 min and the techs are really good at putting the really urgent samples first IF THEY KNOW THE SAMPLE IS ACTUALLY URGENT. When most of the samples that come into the lab that aren't timed are ordered stat, it is pretty hard to know which one is actually needed in a couple of minutes unless the lab technologist is told. Not the phlebotomist (person drawing the blood).

Can you tell me what the application process is like at Barry U? How many students are accepted each year? How many applicants? Is the admissions staff friendly? I'm from Arkansas. Would that put me at a disadvantage if I applied there. What are the average statistics for acceptance?

I work with a nurse who is starting Anesthesia school with an undergrad GPA 2.7 and GRE 910, 1 year CCRN experience and failed CCRN exam. He got really good recommendations from doctors that he knew and he already knew the program director at the school.

Hi, Chrissy Congratulations! When is your interview?

Univ. of New England offers biochemisty and organic chemistry online with a virtual lab. I faxed the coorifice description to the school where I am applying and the program director said the online course there meets the requirement. The course is approx. 16 weeks and the cost is $1190 including books and lab fees.

Does anyone know of any CRNA's that decided to go back to school to become an MD? Are they able to CLEP out of the first year like Physician Assistants?

Thank you so much, you guys. You've been a big help!! Cube