Ava's mom

BSN: 3.7 Exp: 5 years general ICU/ER at 150 bed hospital (Medical/Neuro/Trauma ICU; no hearts). EMS 2 years (prior to nursing school). Certs: CCRN, ACLS, TNCC, ENPC, PALS, CATN GRE: 1000, writing 5/6 Maria

I will be starting with WAC Jan 3rd. I will tell them that you said "Hello". I am glad to hear they are student friendly!! Thanks to everyone for the excellent and comical advice!!! I will take it all to the OR with me!! Maria

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the great advice!!!! I will take it all to the OR with me. You guys are the best (and quite comical too!!) I will be doing my first rotation at Wesley Medical Center. I am oscillating between pure excitement and the urge to vomit!!! :rotfl: Again, thanks everyone!!! Keep the advice and funny stories coming!!! Maria

My first day in the OR is Jan 2nd and I was wondering if you all could give me a little advice for the upcoming day. I would appreciate anything you have to offer! Have a great holiday!! Maria

Happy Holidays!!! I just finished finals of my 1st semester and am happy for Christmas break! I am really looking forward to starting clinicals in January, but am feeling nervous as well! The semester has flown by and I am happy to see my family again (although they live in the same house, I feel like I have been gone for the entire semester)!!!! Have a very warm and merry holiday season!!! Maria

Congratulations!!!!!

I agree, it was a good math review for me! Ava's Mom

:balloons: :balloons: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU DESERVE A PAT ON THE BACK!!!!! Ava's mom

To answer some of your questions... During call you are the only one there unless there are two cases, etc. During regular OR hours there are many resources with the other CRNA's. You cover OB and surgery while on call. This is why I am wondering if it is unrealistic. The head CRNA stated that help is never more than a phone call away (and a quick drive). I would be part of a group and not an indepentent contractor. Hope this helps. Also, we don't do any major planned vascular surgery, no neuro or hearts, lots of ortho, some GYN and general surgeries.

I agree that there are some 4.0 gpa individuals out there that are terrible at patient care. But typically, when someone uses the phrase "C=RN" it is not used in the context of really working your buns off and only making "C's". Usually the phrase is used by people justifying the C they received. Just MHO.

I was just curious if any of you practicing CRNA's started your career without supervision in an independent practice or know someone who did this? I am just wondering b/c I am looking at the possibility of joining a rural independent practice upon graduation. This practice has 4 CRNA's (no MDA's) and serves a small 30,000 population college town. The hospital has approximately 50 beds and there is a brand new ambulatory surgery center as well. There is a lot of call involved as you might imagine, occasional trauma, and emergency surgeries. I used to work as a tech in the ER of this facility and know the area well (have family there, etc.). The current group of CRNA's are all well seasoned with greater than 10 years or more a piece. They are all really cool and very helpful. They also have a small pain practice which I would really like to do as well. I shadowed with the group several times and know them from previous employment (as stated earlier). Personality wise, I feel I would be a good match with this group. Is this unrealistic as a new grad? I would love some input!!! Thanks!!!!

I too went straight to ICU after graduation and felt the same learning pains as described!!! I have been an ICU nurse for five years and a CCRN for four. The book that I think is invaluable is the Core Curriculum for critical care nursing, published by AACN (available for purchase on the AACN website). It is an outline formated book with all pertinent information outlined by disease process. INVALUABLE!! I start anesthesia school in two weeks and am so excited! And just think, I felt like quitting my first two weeks of orientation in ICU too!!!! (stick to it!!) Good luck to you all, Ava's mom :) :)

I just finnished reading Jeannette Liska's book entitled Silenced Screams and found her book to be an eye opener! I am so glad that I read her book prior to starting my anesthesia career (which starts in two weeks!!!). I also saw the program that aired on the Discovery channel about awareness. I thought the program was informative but I was, however, a little concerned about the promotion of the BIS monitor. I could see how patients could get the wrong idea about it's effectiveness. I do agree with wernota#werpeople that bickering about numbers is irrelevent, especially to those individuals who have lived through a horrible experience such as awareness. My questions to those in practice are: How often do you ask your patients what the last thing they remember is? Have you ever had someone experience awareness after you have cared for them? Reading Liska's book really impacted me as a human being and definately has given me a healthy respect for my new career. Thanks for everyone's imput. Ava's Mom

sonessrna- Thank you so much for the information!!! They sound like must have references! I'll get them ordered so that they are here before clinical start in a couple weeks!!!!!! Thank you!! Maria

:balloons: :balloons: :rotfl: :rotfl: :balloons: :balloons: Congratulations!!!!!!!!! :balloons: :balloons: :rotfl: :rotfl: :balloons: :balloons:

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the "Mass General Book"?

:balloons: :balloons: Ava's Mom

I second that amen!!!!! Ava's Mom

I was just wondering...those of you that are speaking up against taking time away from family to further your career. Have you completed anesthesia school and regret the time you spent away from family? If this is the case, are you not satisfied with your career choice and that is why you regret the time away? If not, what on earth would motivate you to respond to this thread? I am a mother of a two year old and am having plenty of mommy guilt about the time in the next two years that I will spend away from her. However, I must remind myself that she will not remember this and it will only make her life easier later on. Plus, I will be a mother who is fulfilled in her work life, as well as in my family life. Ava's Mom

Skyscrmer- Enrollment is totally program dependent. I applied to 4 programs with 12, 15, 6, and 34 seats. It all depends on the program, some have more-some less. I'm not sure what the largest program is, but I think there are a few over 100. Ava's mom

TexacCCRN- Interview questions vary as much as the schools do. I interviewed at two different schools and both interviews were very different. One was filled with clinical scenarios and the other with more "touchy-feely" questions. Where are you applying? Once you know where you are applying, it will be much easier to get more definitive information on the particular interviews of interest. Good Luck! Ava's Mom

My family and I are moving to Wichita, KS June 21st. I'm not exactly looking foreward to the 1500 mile drive with a 2 &1/2 year old. Once we get there, I am just going to take the rest of the summer to swim, play, and get my house in order. It will be nice to have a couple of months to figure the town out as well. I only have 5 shifts left before I am no longer an ICU nurse...Woohoo!!!! Anesthesia, here I come!!! Ava's mom :rotfl:

I disagree with your statement that "funding school is a huge financial risk". IMHO education debt is about the only "good" debt there is. To answer your question, I took the full amount offered by the federal government, as well as around $6K in private loans to cover books,fees, etc. Ava's mom :)

LouNurse- A colleague of mine that primarily works ER and moonlights in the ICU I work in just applied to four schools this last go 'round. He was suprised to learn upon his rejection, to the 2 schools he got interviews with, that he did not have enough ICU experience (the apps for these schools said some ER o.k.). He did end up getting accepted to Midwestern (Glendale, AZ). So, my point is to really investigate the school and talk directly with the director before you put all the time and energy into applying. Good Luck!!!!! Ava's Mom :)

Newman University - Wichita, KS Start orientation Aug 30th. Last day of work June 4th!!! Heading out to Wichita from Idaho on June 21st!!!!!! :balloons: