dkbmcclellan

Aaron, What state are you in. I'm interested as well. Deborah

Well, this is just my opinion: 1) $$$$$ 2) no poop/melena 3) it's hard...way hard. you have no life and I mean NO life for anywhere from 2.25 - 2.5 years. Depending on your program you can be away from home for months-years at a time and if there are children in the picture, most moms either can't or aren't willing to do this. And if you are home you have to "just say no" to anything that takes you away from your studies. 4) anesthesia is the pinnacle of nursing; you generally (and I say generally, this isn't the case everywhere) are treated with more respect than in other nursing roles. Again, don't anyone blast me, this is just my observation and opinion. It stresses relationships of all types, e.g. kids, spouses and again, many women aren't willing to sacrifice....it's just a chance you have to take and keep in mind why you are doing this and the end result.

We also anticipate postop needs such as nausea/vomiting prophylaxis and pain management; monitor urinary output; ensure safe patient positioning is maintained; manage the vent ensuring the patient receives adequate tidal volume and peak pressures in conjunction with end tidal CO2 values...however if it is a MAC case where the pt is breathing spontaneously (no vent) then we may end up putting in an oral airway or do some head manipulation to ensure the pt isn't obstructing their airway, or if it's a general case where the pt has an LMA as opposed to an ETT then we bag the pt until they starting spontaneously breathing, or for peds if it's a quick, short case we will mask the pt thru the case; respond to VS changes which could trigger us to do a number of things such as increase/decrease iv fluids; give more narcs (or not);administer vasopressors/vasodilators in response to extreme BP changes; administer beta-blockers to address BP and HR.....(this could go on and on so I'm stopping here :0)~. We monitor the TOF (train of four) to determine receptor blockade of NMBAs (neuromuscular blocking agents) if used....this also tells us if we need to admin more during a surgery if necessary; listen to heart and lung sounds through a fantastic device called a precordial stethoscope....many times, if something is going to go wrong we can here it here long before it can show on the monitor; monitor temperature; if it's a surgery that involves invasive monitors (i.e. arterial line, central venous line, PCWP....these allow for more precise measurements of BP, preload, afterload, and filling pressures; pulmonary artery pressure, etc...). Planning for the extubation is super important.....you have to think, OK, so if the patient doesn't wake up the way I want them to then what will I do???? So as someone already mentioned most of what we do is in our head...planning for things that won't happen or being ready if they do.....being vigilant. Oh yea, the charting, I forgot to mention the charting....if you're in a facility where you have to do manual charting we do a lot of this Hope this helps...

My favorite is SOTA--Sota Omoigui's Anesthesia Drugs Handbook..I use it every day. I also on occasion use the Manual of Anesthesia Practice. I have Lexi-Comp and use it on occassion but don't particularly like it. My initial go-to however is SOTA. I use a separate PDA (Palm) for all my anesthesia/medical softwares in an aluminum case as it gets pretty banged up throughout the day...not a good environment for a phone if you ask me but just my opinion

Other than the software in my Palm I REALLY love these and use them pretty much all the time: 1) Handbook of Anesthesiology by Ezekiel 2) Pharmacology & Physiology in Anesthetic Practice Handbook by Stoelting & Hillier 3) Nurse Anesthesia Pocket Guide by Macksey Can't remember the prices on these but I think they are within your budget.

Ditto. Before I decided to go to nursing school I had already spent two years getting an associates in general science cuz I thought I wanted to go to med school. This was AFTER getting a BS in management and working in the investment world for 10 years. I even taught some gen chem & physics for one of the MCAT prep companies over the summer just before I started packing for med school but then I thought LONG and HARD. I knew I wanted to do anesthesia and I didn't want to spend the next 10-12 years in school when I knew what I wanted to do and I wasn't a "spring chicken" anymore (30-something). Actually, I wasn't even aware of CRNAs til I was going under myself for an ortho surgery one day and a really cool guy wearing an awesome grateful deadish tie-dyed scrub top introduced himself to me as "my nurse anesthetist". We talked some and I didn my own research. Long story short, I knew right then I would be taking that route. So I skipped med school, did the RN (ASN) thing, I'm finishing up my BSN at the end of this year while getting my critical care experience (yes, I have no life but my husband calls me his retirement plan). Anyway, bottom line is you gotta reach deep down and ask youself what it is you really want to do. It is a good idea to spend some time with a CRNA or in the OR. There's a great deal of autonomy as a CRNA and that's one of the big attractions for me as well as my love for chem & physics.

Just an FYI, I have seen MANY DO anesthesiologists, especially in less urban areas.

What type of questions were you asked during the interview(s). What are they looking for? I finish up my BSN this December, will only have one year ICU experience (surgical) by then but I have about 30 science credits besides my nursing stuff, e.g. 1 yr college physics, 1 yr gen chem, 1 yr O chem, etc. Do you think this will be enough?

I am planning on applying to Old Dominion University & Virginia Commonwealth University programs next year. Anyone out there with any feedback on what to anticipate at the interview?? Any input greatly appreaciated. Hopeful future CRNA Deb :)