Trauma Tom

It's official. I just got my letter from the CCNA that I passed my certification exam. I can now add the intials CRNA after my name. It took me three weeks to get my results. Good luck to those who will be taking their exam soon and those who are waiting to hear results.

Sprout, Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry I haven't stayed in touch. I've been very busy studying. Started work on Monday and completed my two days of orientation with human resources. Today was my first day in the OR after finishing school September 29th. Still no board results. I just checked Fedex's website and still no search results. Maybe it will show up later tonight. Hope all is going well with you. I will let you know when I get results. Tom

Sprout, I took my certification exam last Thursday and I am trying to be patient, however that is easier said than done. Would you give more information about how to do a reverse search on Fedex's website? I will let you know when I get my results. Tom

ADN Program 3.25 GPA BSN Program 4.0 GPA Samford University SRNA GPA 3.92 GRE 700 Quantitative, 600 Verbal and 5/6 on Analytical 1 year Trauma/SICU Level One Trauma Center Applied to UAB, Medical College of Georgia, Gooding Institute, MTSA and Samford. Accepted at MTSA and Samford. Alternate at Gooding and MCG. Interview at UAB but shot down. I am just starting clinicals and love it. It is well worth all of the hard work. Good luck to those applying. My stats are not typical for my class. Some with better grades, some worse. Some better GRE's some lower. I along with others in my class only have 1 year of experience, however we have some who have been nurses for almost ten years. No one is a perfect applicant. If you have any doubts about your chances, my advice is to apply anyway. Once you get the interview it is how well you do in the interview that will get you a slot.

Deepz, I have a question concerning the bill in Florida. Did the senate vote on the bill and it was defeated or did they not vote at all? If they did not vote does the bill come up for presentation during the next session or does it have to start the process all over again? Thanks to anyone who can shed some light here.

I would suggest getting into a study group. Prior to CRNA school I never studied in a group. I always did better studying on my own. However, for me CRNA school has been different. There is so much material it helps if you can get in a group of four or five students who are very dedicated and team players. This way you can compare notes and make up a master list of notes for your entire group to study from. I have found that this has helped me immensely. I would make sure your group is not too large and that everyone in the group is dedicated to making the group as strong as it can be. Good luck.

I am presently a SRNA so I have not worked as a CRNA or as an MDA. I would advise you to spend some time working with a CRNA and a MDA. While they both administer anesthesia, you will note than more often than not the MDA is involved in the supervision of multiple anesthetists, whether CRNA or AA. I find the idea of working with one patient at a time, and the ability to follow them from the initial assessment to the end of their surgery and carry them through to discharge very rewarding. MDA's can certainly do this as well if practicing in areas where they are giving direct patient care instead of supervision. In spending time with MDA's you will get some idea of the time they spend in their training and you can determine if the sacrifices are worth the benefits. CRNA school is no day in the park either, and will require sacrifices as well. I think you are wise to consider both at your age. One of my reasons for pursuing the CRNA route as opposed to MDA route was my age. I did not feel that at my age, 50, that it made sense to invest in the extra time and cost to go the MDA route as I did not feel that I could recoup my investment. Nor did I see the advantage in supervision when I preferred to be doing direct patient care. As a CRNA I will have the opportunity to practice independently. A big plus for an advanced practice nurse. For you, since nursing school is behind you, the decision will be about 1 year+ of ICU time along with 24-36 months of anesthesia school. In the future I think you will see many if not all CRNA schools increasing the time for school to 36 months for a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Either way you will be looking at close to 4 years before becoming a CRNA. For the MDA route you have another 8 years four years of medical school and four years of residency. It also may also be beneficial for you to work a year or two as a nurse before deciding as you may see you either love or hate being a nurse. Keep in mind though the difference in your practice as an ICU nurse and the difference in practicing as a CRNA are worlds apart. Good luck whichever way you decide to go. Trauma Tom

While I agree with some of what rn29306 said about Grady I do not totally agree with everything. I am an SRNA and worked at Grady for over 2 years. Six months in the ER as a nurse extern and then 4 months in the SICU as a nurse extern prior to working there as a RN. I agree that the work in the ER can cause burnout and the turnover is high there. The units are a different matter. As far as number of admissions in the ER is concerned, I do not feel the number of admissions is as important as the acuity of the patients you are going to see. Without a doubt, whether in the MICU, SICU or burn units, the sickest of the sickest are in the units at Grady. If you are an adrenaline junkie, you will find no other place like Grady in Atlanta. However, Grady has its fair share of problems. When I worked in SICU I never experienced the kind of problems that the floor nurses or ER nurses experienced. I liked the SICU because we got the trauma, open hearts, as well as some overflow from MICU. We also got a ton of experience in Neuro. We were well paid and most of the time we were fully staffed. Plenty of opportunity for overtime if you wanted it. However, there are other units in Atlanta that give good experience as well. I would check out Emory's transplant unit as well as the heart unit. I also would check into Atlanta Medical Center. They get a lot of the overflow from Grady for some trauma patients. You need to go where you are going to get a lot of experience with ventilated patients, on multiple drips with as much exposure to invasive monitoring as possible. Between, Emory, Grady, and AMC I feel that you will get all you need. Another advantage to these three hospitals is that they are teaching hospitals, so there is a learning environment. I know of numerous individuals, from all three of these hospitals, who were admitted to anesthesia school. I personally loved working at Grady and am seriously considering returning there when I finish school. Despite its problems I enjoyed it. It seems to get in your blood. However, Grady is not for everyone. In my experience you either love Grady, or hate it. There doesn't seem to be any in between. Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

I was in a similar situation. I went the ADN route and finshed in 15 months. I then went to work obtaining my ICU experience. While I was working I obtained my BSN on line and let my hospital pay for it. I agree with the advice about talking to program directors at schools you want to apply to. Keep in mind that without the BSN you are slightly limited as to where you can apply. In addition, if you ever want to teach at a program that awards the MSN, you need the MSN, not the MSNA. Whatever you ultimately decide I would pass on the $40,00000 BSN now in favor of the ADN.

Well said. Good luck to you. Trauma Tom

Congratulations, it is well deserved. I am only 9 months through our 28 month program and I can only say I am envious that you are finished. Although I am enjoying my program immensely, the amount of material that we must learn in such a small amount of time seems at times overwhelming. It gives us all comfort when we hear of those who pass their boards. Again, congratulations. Please stay in touch.

Please excuse my classmate, Sproutsfriend, he is easily confused. You see our school has an equal opportunity policy, and as such they will make any reasonable adjustments to accommodate those students who are challenged, including those who are neurologically challenged. I know for a fact that Sproutsfriend's age is within 10 years of my own. In fact, when I asked him why he wanted to go to CRNA School at his age, he replied, "I thought it was a school for the Cantankerous Retired Nurses of Alabama."

I would not worry about not having completed your BSN by the time you apply. There are schools who will interview you and accept pending completion of the BSN. There are others who want you to complete it prior to the application. I would apply anyway. You never know, you may get an interview. This happened to me. I applied to a school that required the BSN prior to application. I did not think I would get an interview, however I wanted to try anyway as I was really impressed with the school. I was granted an interview and was excited about the school, however I was told during the interview that I probably would not get in due to my not having completed the BSN. I was disappointed, however I got placed on the alternate list. Two weeks later they called and offered me acceptance, pending completion of my BSN. I completed my BSN in May of 2004 and started CRNA school in June of 2004. So you never know. I beleive if it is meant to be, things will work out for you just fine. Good luck. Trauma Tom

Qwiktofeat, First and foremost let me congratulate you on your acceptance to Samford. I hope you enjoy Samford as much as I do. As for sproutsfriend's comments, try to ignore them. He's just jealous that no one will carry his books for him. Although it might be due to the fact he keeps a library of books in the trunk of his car.

Loisane, Very interesting. It never occured to me that MDA's perspective on collaboration would be different than our own. One of my main reasons for becoming a CRNA, besides all of the obvoius reasons that have been repeated numerous times on this board, was the enhanced role of the CRNA in dealing with patient care. Your statement that "The 'ologists don't really see us as different from other non-specialized nurses, while CRNAs perceive the difference to be quite significant," drives home a point that I really was not aware of. I just assumed that anesthesologists did see us different from other non-specialized nurses. If in fact they don't, it becomes easier to understand their treatment of us in the past. While this does not excuse their behavior in the past, I can now begun to understand it. Tenesma, I would be interested for you to comment on this if you are so inclined. Trauma Tom

Deepz, Yes you are correct, one of the definitions of collaboration is: 1. act of cooperating traitorously with an enemy. However, a more thorough definition of collaboration includes the following definition as well: 2. The interaction among two or more individuals that can encompass a variety of actions, such as communication, information sharing, coordination, cooperation, problem solving, and negotiation. I prefer the positive definition of collaboration, as opposed to the negative. While I am fully aware of the ASA's history in dealing with CRNA's, I am hopeful that the future will be more positive and that the experiences of the past will not be repeated. I am not naive enough to think that the past could not happen again, however I am not going to limit my expectations on events of the past. I prefer to keep and open mind and work towards the goal of providing the best anesthesia care for our patients. I do not think collaboration with anesthesiologists, or for that matter, any healthcare provider is contrary to that goal. And while I recognize the ASA's history in dealing with CRNA's, that does not mean all anesthesiologists prescribe to or agree with the ASA's past actions. I do consider my self pro-CRNA, and I do recognize this is a CRNA forum. However, I do not think referring to "anesthesiologists as the dregs of medicine" makes you any more of a pro-CRNA activist, than a CRNA who wishes to collaborate with anyone willing to improve the anesthesia care of our patients.

Deepz, I always cringe a little when I see topics like these come up on the board because you can usually predict where they will end up going. As a current SRNA I always try to maintain my professionalism and hope that other SRNAs and CRNAs will do so as well. Whether as a CRNA, SRNA, MDA or AA we all at some time, more likely than not, be working together in a team environment or perhaps independently at the same hospital. In those situations hopefully we will work together collaboratively to deliver the best anesthesia care we can for our patients. As for the comment about the curdle zone: Anesthesia is, after all, the Curdle Zone, where the cream of nursing rises to mingle with the dregs of medicine. I feel that this does nothing to promote our collaboration and only serves to inflame one another. Deepz, I am not trying to pick on you, however I am only trying to use your comments as an example. As to comments like; (Nothing personal, Doctor.) I do not know how you can take those comments as anything but personal. I think it is much more beneficial to us all when we get on with professional discussions concerning the practice of our trade, not who is better, who spends more time in the OR, or who brings more practioners in from a foreign country. IMHO. I am climbing down off my soapbox now. Trauma Tom

Way to go. I look forward to seeing you in June. I sent you a PM. Tom

Akanarn, This is a post I posted to some time ago concering someone who asked a similar question to yours concerning their age and CRNA school. Hope this helps. After twenty years in the restaurant business, I changed careers and started Nursing school at 46. I had a previous bachelor's degree so I went through an ADN to finish and get working as fast as possible. After 4 semesters in an ADN program I passed my boards and started working in a SICU at a Level One Trauma center. While working full-time I worked on my BSN. I finish my BSN next month. I applied to 5 schools, interviewed at all five, was an alternate at 2 and accepted at 2. I will be starting my CRNA program a few months short of my 50th birthday! Can you do it? Absolutely! You just have to decide this is what you want to do. Forget worrying about your age. I was worried about it all during school until I interviewed. It was only an issue to me. They did not care. I have been in school for the last three years non stop and will soon be going full time for another 7 semesters. If this old .... can do it at 50, you can certainly do it at 43. Good luck!!! I am about to finish my 8th month of anesthesia school and love it. I do not consider my age to be a disadvantage at all.

JWK, I am presently in CRNA school in Alabama. I have plans on practicing in Atlanta when I finish school. I am from Atlanta and I am curious if you would mind sharing which hospitals that you are familiar with that allow their anesthetists, whether AA or CRNA, to place central lines as well as do their own regionals. Feel free to PM me. Thanks Trauma Tom

Craig, Best of luck to you in taking your boards and good luck as well in your job search. Please keep us posted as I am sure we all would like to hear about your experiences in your job search. Trauma Tom

Targa, This is a post I posted to some time ago concering someone who asked a similar question to yours concerning their age and CRNA school. Hope this helps. After twenty years in the restaurant business, I changed careers and started Nursing school at 46. I had a previous bachelor's degree so I went through an ADN to finish and get working as fast as possible. After 4 semesters in an ADN program I passed my boards and started working in a SICU at a Level One Trauma center. While working full-time I worked on my BSN. I finish my BSN next month. I applied to 5 schools, interviewed at all five, was an alternate at 2 and accepted at 2. I will be starting my CRNA program a few months short of my 50th birthday! Can you do it? Absolutely! You just have to decide this is what you want to do. Forget worrying about your age. I was worried about it all during school until I interviewed. It was only an issue to me. They did not care. I have been in school for the last three years non stop and will soon be going full time for another 7 semesters. If this old .... can do it at 50, you can certainly do it at 43. Good luck!!! I am about to finish my 7th month of anesthesia school and love it. I do not consider my age to be a disadvantage at all.

I just wanted to share the good news. I was able to take a 24 hour break from anesthesia school to enjoy the birth of my grandaughter. Noel Grace Pickel was born at 10:00 p.m. on December 7, 2004. My wife and I were able to be there for the birth. She weighed in at 8 lbs. and 10 oz. and was 21 inches long. Mom and Dad are doing well as is baby Noel. Well, back to the anesthesia grind. My first of three finals is this Friday and then two next Wednesday before I can go back home to visit and play with my grandaughter. Gods reward to parents who have raised their children well is the gift of grandchildren!! Good luck to everyone in school and have a blessed holiday and a joyous new year. Trauma Tom I hope you all get what you want for Christmas, my wife and I have already got want we wanted.

Thanks for inquiring. My daughter's due date is next Wednesday, the 8th of December. I am going home this weekend hoping she will deliver so I can be there. I have to be back at school on Monday the 6th and will not be able to go home again until finals are over on the 16th, so I am hoping the timing works out so I can be there.

My advice to all of you who are interviewing at Samford is too relax and get a good night's sleep the night before. You all are very qualified or you would not be invited to interview. The purpose of the interview is not only for the school to get to know you, but for you to get to know them as well. I interviewed at five schools and all of them were similar. Some schools focused more on clinical questions, whereas others asked more about personal questions about why you wanted to go to their school. You may be asked to talk about the last patient you cared for. This allows you to demonstrate your knowledge and critical thinking skills of a patient you have taken care of. No school is interested in quizing you on medications you have never used, or on types of equipment you have not used. If you have ten years of ICU experience you should expect more difficult questions than if you only have 1 year. They want to see if you possess good critical thinking skills. I absolutely love the program here. The staff is very supportive and fair to all of us and want us to succeed. The program is demanding and can be stressful, but I have time for a life as well. After interviewing at Samford, it became my first choice, even though I was accepted at another school and was an alternate at two others and an alternate at Samford. Samford offered me a position and I accepted and have never regretted my decision. Good luck. PM me and let me know when you are having your interview. The junior class is off that week from classes as the anesthesia staff will be interviewing all week. We will be in ACLS and PALS class so I should be available to meet with you when you visit. Take time while you are here to tour the campus. It is one of the most beautiful college campuses I have ever seen. Hope to see you in January. [