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

Way to go, Gooser. Congratulations and best of luck. bj

I sincerely hope that this is a rarity among students. I will be starting school this summer and personally, can barely sit still. I was the same way after graduating as a nurse. True, you get tired of the daily grind in school, but if you are in it for the right reasons, you'll be excited. If someone is afraid to work, afraid to be challenged, etc, I'd say they are in it simply for the money. And that is sad. I know several other students in other programs (Kaiser, Texas Wesleyan) and they are as excited as I am. They stay longer than anybody else. They want the difficult cases. In essence, they want to experience and learn as much as possible. I share their drive and passion and think most students do too. Yoga, don't throw away the whole bunch because of a few bad apples. There's plenty of students with a passion for providing high-quality care to the anesthetized patient. bj

I must say, that was an amazing read. I've been doing some research and have heard of the big conflict between MDAs and CRNAs. I've just never seen it with that much venom. I, personally, have never seen this type of animosity or anger in the real world. Every MD I've told about my acceptance to school has been supportive - this includes many MDAs. In fact, it was due to a few MDAs suggestion in the past that I look to Nurse Anesthesia as a possible career. I would imagine that this type of bias does occur, and I'm glad I've never personally run into it. The groups are eager to hire CRNAs and they are supportive with schooling, education, instruction, etc. I agree that we should just keep our heads high, study our asses off and do the best job we can do. You don't automatically get respect because you went through school, you earn it on a daily basis. Great post! bj

rhp123, in your response, your future life seems very important to you - especially your immediate future. please consider that from where you are, you are looking at 2-4 years for your BSN (depending on how much science, etc can transfer toward a nursing degree), at least 1 year critical experience, then another 2-3 years of anesthesia school depending on which program you choose. This also assumes that everything marches out exactly as you hope it will (it didn't in my life) Just something to consider. I wish you luck. bj

I have to agree with all of the responses here. In my interview, one of the interviewers keyed specifically on my science grades and wanted explanations for any less-than excellent grades. I've got friends in several different schools and they've said every program is heavily influenced by science, as you might guess. In short, doing well in chemistry, biology, physics, etc can only improve your chances in the interview phase as well as with success during school. Hope this helps. bj

For the first part, CRNAs provide 2/3 of the anesthesia in the country today. With the current trend for more cost-effective means of healthcare, the importance and prominence of anesthetists can only grow. There is a tremendous need in rural areas, and the demand is growing. Lately, we've seen legislation that is recognizing the work performed by anesthetists as equal to the work performed by anesthesiologists. CRNAs will always be needed in my opinion, and the need should continue to expand. For the second part, you need to decide what you would rather be. Is being a doctor important to you? Is being a nurse important to you? I guess it also depends on what your current situation is. If you are currently a nurse, going the CRNA route seems most logical.

From what I've gathered from this site, different schools interview in different ways. Some are heavily based on clinical situations, meds, etc. Some just want to know about you, and your experiences. Try to find out from people that have interviewed at the schools you plan to apply to for any particulars. Aside from that, be as prepared as possible for almost anything. Rely on your experience. If you are strong at what you do, you will probably know the answers. Just relax and try to answer them as best you can. Don't try to BS them, they'll see right through it. If I could suggest anything, find a school's program that you think you would do best in (front-loaded, clinical sites, travel, competition with MD's, etc.) Do as much research and studying as possible and enjoy. It's exciting to be chasing the dream. b

Congratulations! Where did you get in?

Congratulations. Best of luck on your "new" career. b

cue93, I took most of my prerequisites for my BSN at Louisiana State University. They have a distance learning section that you can take undergraduate classes, maybe some upper level stuff also. It's not online, but through proctors in your area. The good part is, if you are really good at making yourself work, each class can be completed in just 5 weeks (total of 15 assignments, 3 assignments per week). The work isn't that hard and the tests weren't too bad. As a bonus, it's pretty cheap. If memory serves, it was at least half the price of normal college courses. Check it out through LSU's website under Distance Learning. Hope this helps. B