Kason

Jill (UT Memphis's director) was my director in Virginia when I first started. She is very well organized and knows her stuff. I'm sure Memphis's program will improve due to her new arrival. Good luck!

Thanks for such a quick response guys. I'm glad there are people out there that get this stuff. Does the anticholinesterase block the Ach receptors pre or post synaptically? Don't they also decrease the amount of plasma cholinesterase to some extent?

I'm having a hard time figuring out why we shouldn't reverse a patient if we get 0 out of four twitches. I understand that if we do give a reversal in that situation, they can recurarize later, but I thought there was another reason why you shouldn't. Any takers?

I'm in my second semester and I most likely will want to practice in a rural setting when I finish school in 22 months (seems so far away). For those of you that currently work in a rural setting, what should I be focusing on in my studies and clinicals that will better prepare me for this? Is there you guys did, or wish you did that made you a better, autonomous, rural clinician?

School is what you make out of it! I agree with oldsalt, I feel that what you put in to it, is what you get out of it. As for MDAs visiting this chat site, I appreciate the MDAs (like Tenesma) that take the time to answer clinical questions.

I had 1 1/2 years of ICU experience. Spend some time studying for the GRE, as long as you get above 1500 you should be fine. Tey didn't drill me with questions. I sat at a table with 3 other individuals and felt very comfortable. They explained what the program intails and asked me what questions I had. If you are offered an interview you should feel that they already know your qualified, but they want to put your face with your name. Your personality if very important. Don't be cocky, and if they ask you any question, don't give them some bull@#% answer because they can see right through it. They are looking for people that can play well with others. If you having any more questions, let me know, I'd be glad to help you out. Good luck!

Both are great programs, I'm in the ODU program and of course I have my biased opinions. What specific questions do you have?

Thanks Tenesma, you always pull through.

Can anyone tell me the effect of a black widows venom has on the nervous system. I've read that the venom actually decreases the space in the synaptic gap from 20nm to 5-10nm, thus increasing acetylcholine availablity to the motor end plate. Does sound right? Would your anesthesia approach change with a balck widow bite? Any takers?

I'm a first year at ODU, let me know if you have any questions, glad to help you.

When is you interview with ODU?

I say do both! You would make on intimidating anesthesia provider!

First of all, congrats on achieving you ADN! Asking a CRNA discussion board about what field is better, don't be surprised if we a little biased. CRNA schools cost anywhere from 25,000 to 75,000 give er take a few bucks. School is very demanding and most school discourage the student from working at all. Programs are anywhere from 24-36 months. Geographically there are more progarms in the eastern states. If your in an area that doesn't have a program, I see moving van in your future. The future for CRNAs is very bright. In many instances you can write your on ticket. 30,000 dollar sign ons are not uncommon. Salary from 90,000 to 300,000/year depending on location, speciality, and time commitments. Right now you can pick and choose your schedule. Some hospitals offer straight m-f 7-3, no on-call, no weekens (usually for less money), others offer a 24 hour shift and a 16 hour shift and that's it. I've found that the majority of jobs require a certain amount of oncall and weekends, but you can in most instances, negotiate. Autonomy depends on location and hospital policies, there is a definite sense of pride, and their is an impact on pts. I'm personally in my 2nd semester of crna school, I'm married and have one 2 month old baby. I don't work, I'm living on love and a lot of caffeine, but it's fun and well worth the 2700+ mile trip from home. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Yeah, it's unbelievable. What freaks me out is that we are reliable for the mistakes the surgeon makes, because we allowed the surgeon to perform a procedure outside of the consent. It's all about CYA!

congrats, now comes the fun stuff. Along with FAFSA, selling lemonade, collecting cans, and setting up a donation at the local grocery store, the only other option is a BANK ONE loan. It's great because this bank doesn't care what you college sets as the limit of your loans, so you can get up to 30,000 dollars a year while in school. All you need to do is send them proof that you will be attending at UAB and they send you check 2 weeks later. I't's better to do this now while you are working, if you waint until you are in school you will need a cosigner. My interest rate is relatively high compared to the federal loans, but all loans can be paid off within a few years after school. Hope this helps.