msummar_smc

Congrats and good luck!

You may want to check with your local Farm Bureau also. You no longer have to 'own' (or a family member) a farm. Just pay the $15 membership fee. I have family health coverage through them and it is great (and very inexpensive).

You don't need my advice ... I need advice from you. You are definitely fast on your way. Study for the GRE and do well on it.

Contact the schools that you would be applying to for CRNA school. They will give you a better idea of who can and can not give you a reference. Also, visit the CRNA board here at allnurses ... it is a great resource for those looking to become a CRNA. https://allnurses.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=16 You are on the right path!

What kind of debt load did you or are you going to have once you complete CRNA school? I am in the process of getting my finances in order since I have 2 little ones and would like to get an idea of what I'm facing in the future. Thanks.

I would also check into your local Farm Bureau office. In a previous life, I was the eCommerce Marketing Manager for Service Merchandise. Service Merchandise liquidated and let go of most of their employees very hastily on 1/4/2002 - including me. Farm Bureau offered the best rates by far. There is a misconception that you need to own or have family members that own farmland ... untrue, you just have to be a member ... a ~$15 membership. If you have kids, this option might be cheaper than the school insurance policies.

Hi all! I just wanted to post a general question about the socialization of healthcare. Does anyone think it may happen in our lifetimes (or maybe in the next 10-20 years)? I follow politics very closely and the back-and-forth between the republicans and democrats on this topic is very odd. They have 2 completely different viewpoints, but act very differently in their actions. For instance, Bush is against socialization ... but he does not want to 'validate' the practice of advance practice nurses which would keep costs down. Back to the question: Does anyont think it may happen in our lifetimes? This post is not intended to be flamed ... I just want to here from other like-minded folks with the same career goals. Would it affect the scope of CRNA's practice or compensation levels?

If you don't mind me asking ... why haven't any of the other careers stuck? Master of Education and JD degree ... why not be an attorney? It seems like you like school and not necessarily work. Why don't you try to get a job teaching at the local university instead of nursing? You can do that easily with your credentials. Just my 2 cents.

Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but Rush Limbaugh didn't abuse Oxycodone because he was unhappy with his job. Rush became addicted to Oxycodone when it was originally perscribed to him for a back problem he developed. Oxycodone is highly addictive and addiction is a disease. Sorry about hijacking the thread ... now back to the discussion. I see the desire to become a CRNA kind of like you. I see a job that I will like a lot, if not love (I am not a CRNA yet). However, it is not my first love. My first love would be playing professional baseball. So you can see, sometimes it is not in the cards to always work at the job you would like above any other. But being a CRNA will afford the ability to help others, contribute to society, and give my family to security and 'fun' things in life that I dream about.

I have been reading several posts throughout this forum and absolutely love the amount of information that all the participants provide. I have a question that I hope people can provide some insight on. I have read that there is a CRNA shortage, but also that there are many schools opening or potentially in the works. Does anyone think that job saturation will ever be reached for CRNAs? Will that affect the amount of autonomy or the pay structures of CRNAs?

Just a few points to avoid any confusion. It is actually MTSA and it is not affiliated with a free-standing univeristy. MTSA is affiliated with a hospital (Tennessee Christian Medical Center). (MTSU is another school in the middle TN area called Middle Tennessee State University). I have a few friends that have graduated from MTSA and they absolutely rave about the school. I am aware that you may have to take a religion class that deals with practicing and religions role in anesthesia, but I'm not certain if it is required (but I think it is). All my friends felt more than prepared to enter the working world and I think they have had a nearly 100% board pass rate for the last several years. I wouldn't worry about the religion aspect of the school. My friends were all from different denomination and not a single one of them ever complained about the religious affiliation of the school. I want to attend school there one day after a little more work and life experience.

I have been accepted to a BSN program beginning in the fall and couldn't be more excited. My grandmother was in and out of critical care for a few years as she battled cancer (which she eventually succumb to). I was facinated (and very thankful) by the care and knowledge the critical care nurses had. My questions are this: What is a day in the life of a critical care nurse like? What are the things you love and hate about working in critical care? Is there any advice you wish you had been given before you began working in critical care?

cniro7, I have the same problem and also starting nursing school. The majority of people in my family have what are called something like vasovagal responses. For most in my family, the sight of blood, a needle, a painful act (like receiving stitches), will make them pass out. It is one of those slowly, tunnelling fainting spells where you know you are about to go down. I have a slightly less version of the vasovagal response ... it only happens to me in 1 or 2 situations. If I lose blood (even giving blood, giving plasma, a punched in the face 'bad' bloody nose) or if something is very painful (I've had a painful IV administered that dropped me and my wisdom teeth too). However, watching others doesn't bother me, at least yet. I worry too about what might happen when I get into clinicals. I am in the process of desensitizing myself though. I watch the heck out of the surgery shows on tv, reach med books, and am trying to get a job as a CNA. I am determined to beat my 'ailment' and think if I can do it so can you. Keep at it.

BS Psych, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I don't think you are cut out to be an MD or CRNA. Let's face it ... a 2.4 in psychology is pretty bad ... worse than a 2.4 in a major such as biology. A BSN is not an easy program, not to mention that most have a minimum GPA requirement just to get into upper division programs (the program I attend has a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 ... including a 3.0 in your science courses). My advice would be to get a job for a few years and REALLY figure out what your goals and objectives are. It seems as though you want a very lucrative job without the blood, sweat, and tears that must be sacrificed for the money. You have definitely dug one heck of a hole and it will be VERY difficult to dig yourself out of it for either option.

I agree with the idea of just going for it. A little background on me. I have a wife, 2 year old son, and a 3 month old baby girl. And I just went back to school full time to get my BSN. I have an undergraduate degree in another discipline and have 5+ years of corporate work, but I always found myself wishing that I had gotten my BSN my first time through college. My wife and I sat down and made a budget - tight, but livable. We applied for student loans and every scholarship/grant that I am eligible for and we are going to school. I am going full time this semester to get the few pre-reqs I didn't have and I start in the fall. I eventually want to get an MSN in Nurse Anesthesia, but you never know what you are going to fall in love with once you get into a program or job. If there is something you want bad enough, then just do it. It can be done, you just have to set your mind to it and do it.