AnesthesiaBound

I have to agree with TraumaNurse. During my interview, they were more interested in the types of patients I took care of, not where I was working. If you can secure a job and cross-train in several different ICUs. This seems to be very important and can only improve your chances. Personally, I have really enjoyed working in Jersey. The location and people are great.

As to the rent, I would recommend working as a traveller. You get your rent paid for, plus you get paid a higher salary than your average joe. But, I assume from your quote you haven't starting your nursing career. If this is true, traveling wouldn't be the best option. You frequently are left hanging without a lot of support - you are expected to know your way around an ICU/patient, etc. To give you an idea of rent, I've got a friend that just bought a 1200 sq ft house in Somerset (40 min from NYC) and she paid about $300,000. Then, you have to add taxes, etc which could run $6-10,000 a year. It's crazy. As far a school's go, I don't think they care if you are from a different state. There might be some pressure from local anesthesia groups to accept locals, but I don't know. I've been working up in Jersey for the last 4 years and was just accepted to MTSA in Nashville, so I don't think it matters too much. hope this helps. bj

I'm not sure exactly what you're are looking for in a hospital, but I do a good bit of traveling up in New Jersey. Speaking from experience, they are unbelievably understaffed. There is probably no less than 15 or 20 well-respected hospitals within an hour's drive of central jersey and as far as I could tell, the pay is among the highest in the nation, if not the highest. Pros: good money close to big cities (new york and philly) for night life atlantic city lots of choices plenty of teaching assignments lots of overtime excellent agency pay cons: winter weather traffic cost of living lots of different cultures - communication can be tough The long and the short, it's worth a look. bj

Nilepoc had a semi-weekly thread I chanced upon where he talked about his experiences in anesthesia school. Nilepoc, this is really interesting for those of us about to start school. Any chance you'll go back to this thread, or are you still doing it somewhere I haven't seen. Anybody whose interested in reading it, go to: http://www.nilepoc.com/srnablog/blogger.html Nilepoc, thanks for the heads up on what to expect. BJ

deke, unfortunately i don't have any info on the laryngeal anomalies. i just wanted to say that my thoughts are with your dad. I hope he pulls through and comes out stronger than ever. bj

Congrats. I really thought you handled yourself well in the interview and I guess now it showed. I personally think you will have a lot less pressure in the next interview. If you could handle that first one without cracking, you can handle anything. Way to go. bj

I am lucky enough to have just been accepted into their program, starting in August. I know 2 people in the class ahead that say the school is incredible. The atmosphere is second to none. You are treated like a family from peers as well as staff/instructors. Their variety of clinical sites allows for a broad range of learning environments and their peds rotation seems to be one of the best. I've talked with MDAs and CRNAs that have worked with graduates from MTSA and they all said they come out exceptionally well trained - ready for work. Their success rate on boards is posted on their site for all to see. I can't wait to start and look forward to a rich and rewarding experience. bj

Congratulations and best of luck in school. Enjoy your freedom while you can. BJ

KESTRELL1121 congratulations on handling that interview well and standing your ground. Personally, I wouldn't have done so well. I've only had one interview (MTSA) and it was thankfully nothing like that. It would make me seriously wonder what the environment was like in school (If their teaching MDAs looked down on CRNAs). If you plan to interview at other schools, I wish you luck. If this school is the one you really wanted, I think you did well and showed backbone - that can only help. BJ

I honestly don't think that the nurses that are pushing propofol ( as well as other sedation meds) are listening to the arguments made by yoga, athomas, mchugh, etc. There's a lot to consider when using these drugs, not just to keep an eye on chest expansion, sats, vitals,etc. You need to #1 know what to be looking for in adverse reactions #2 how these should be treated and #3 have the knowledge, experience to treat the problem correctly the first time. The most important issue is liability. Not only to the patient's safety, but also legally. If you've got an endo doc screaming at you to push propofol and you do it against your nurse practice act, hospital's policy, etc, I guarantee you he won't stand up in court and take the blame ( even if this mattered - you are still liable for your actions). Be prepared to pay heavily for your mistakes if something happens and you and the doc can't handle it. The best way to empower nurses ( if this is what some of you are after), is to educate them (this means anesthesia school for the use of anesthetics). It's great to expand your horizons and make yourself valuable, but keep patient safety first and operate under your practice act. Remember, nobody is looking out for you, but you! BJ

Yoga, you are a true inspiration to all of us aspiring CRNAs Congrats on your anniversary and thanks for all of the words of wisdom. I have enjoyed all of your posts. BJ

I went through the online program at South Alabama. It worked out really well. You have to be highly self-motivated to do it and do it well. There's nobody pushing you along and you can easily get left behind. My advice would be to try an online prerequisite class or two that you'll probably need to see how you like it. It works out much better time-wise. I was even able to continue traveling while completing my degree. In my interview, the subject of online degree or regular degree never came up. If it did, I was prepared to explain how you were able to teach yourself as well as stay personally motivated. Good luck. bj

Good response Arkgolfer. In my experience, there are a multitude of older people on TCAs and/or BNDs - either for depression, itching, etc, etc. Something to think about. bj

Congratulations on your acceptance. I, luckily, just got accepted also. I'm currently looking over M&M. It's very good, detailed, but not over your head. I'm planning on reading over the basic meds and the cardiac and respiratory physiology chapters. I'll probably wait to get too involved in the paralytics, inhalation, etc until school starts. Good luck in school. bj

In my case, similar to yours, I think a poor start can prove to be a positive. Doing well from here out (straight A's if possible) will prove how much you want this. It shows that once you set your mind to something, you can do it. I started with a 1.0 or less at LSU over the first 3 semesters and rebounded with a 3.81 since then - I'm set to start Anesthesia school this summer. While it is tough to start out in such a big hole, you can come through it and look better for having done so. bj