kuhRN

My advice, having recently moved cross country. Price how much it will cost you to move and then value your stuff and decide how much it will cost you to replace it. We were lucky because my husbands job paid for our move BUT we kept a storage unit with stuff that wouldn't fit into our small apartment. After paying for the storage unit for a year we went back to move what was left and realized that, with the amount we were paying for the storage unit, we probably could have replaced almost everything in there. Just something to ponder on.

I am in a front loaded program. When I was looking at schools I really felt this was the better option. I liked the idea of having most of the "textbook stuff" out of the way. Honestly, now, I wish our program was at least integrated some. Getting ready to start clinical next month and there are so many things that I don't know and I feel like had I been in the OR from the start I would be more prepared. Most of the stuff is pretty simple (think starting in ICU and trying to decide when to titrate your drips) and I think it will be no problem once I actually start doing it. But, having only done classroom anesthesia up until this point I am really stressed about it.

There really is no way to prepare for the HRT, I think if you google it you may be able to find a practice test just to get an idea about it. The interviews are conducted in front of a very large panel, like 14 people or so, and you sit at the head of the table. Talking with my classmates everyone had very different questions. They will ask you some generic questions, like why do you want to be a CRNA. My best advice: if you said on your application that you know something, you had better know it inside and out. Did you say on your application that you use IABP, then know how those work, why they work, who they work for and which patient population they are contraindicated for. Hope this helps.

Don't forget about getting your CCRN. Also, take a graduate level stats course, admission committees like that. And get involved with a research project if you can.

As you already know ICU experience is a must, at least a year and a lot of programs require 2. Get CCRN certified before you apply to schools. The advice I give everyone who ask me about going to CRNA school it this: Hundred and hundred of people apply every year, you need to stand out. If you haven't even started working in ICU yet you have at least a year before you can even consider applying to CRNA school. If you are really serious use this time to be a stand out applicant. Take graduate classes! Yes, there is a lot of work involved with taking graduate classes but it shows you are serious and you can handle graduate level work. Statistics, pathophysiology, anatomy, and physiology are all great classes to take prior to applying to CRNA school. You don't have to be a full time student, just take 1 class a semester. It'll pay off. Also, research CRNA schools. Attend information session. Find the one that is the best fit for you. Study for and take the GRE, if you don't do great, take it again. So many new graduates get frustrated because they just want to apply to graduate school and get done. If your hospital offers classes, take them. For example, I took a course in reading 12-lead EKGs. Shadow a CRNA, most of them are more than happy to let you come in. If you in fact like it, then come back and shadow again. Create a relationship with that CRNA, they will make an invaluable recommendation. There is not a "fast path" but, as you can see, there are a ton of things for you to do while you are getting experience in the ICU. It is good that you want to start planning now, realistically you need a year or two for planning and preparation. Also, remember that you can't work while in CRNA school, start a savings account now so you don't have the stress of finances while you are in school. Good luck and remember to stay motivated, Rome wasn't built in a day, ya know!

I think that depends very heavily upon where you live. When I graduated from nursing school most people had ADN degrees, that was the norm in the area, so no one had difficulty getting a job. Now, I live in the LA area and most hospitals won't even consider a new grad nurse unless they have a BSN. I suggest checking out the job market in your area. Maybe call the nurse recruiter at a nearby hospital and ask how likely they are to hire a new grad ADN. And yes it is possible to work. It isn't always easy but it is doable! I did it.

I am in a similar situation. I decided to get a PRN job so I only work one day a week. This way, I keep up with my skills, I get to get out of the house a bit, and we have a little extra money to do all the fun stuff in our new area.

Congratulations on getting accepted! I will also be attending LLU in the fall, I am sure we will all get to know each other very well in the next several months.

As a new grad I started at 22.50 in Kentucky.

"AACN and other authorities believe that education has a strong impact on a nurse's ability to practice, and that patients deserve the best educated nursing workforce possible. A growing body of research reinforces this belief and shows a connection between baccalaureate education and lower mortality rates." This came straight from the AACNs webpage.Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, September 24, 2003, Aiken et al. 290 (12): 1617American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce(Scroll down to where it says "Research linking Nursing....") Both of these websites will provide you with the "proof" you requested. I can understand why you would think research from JAMA could be biased so I included the link from the AACN. If the research is good enough for them to publish it is good enough for me too.

I will be 23 when I start my CRNA program this fall. To my knowledge I am the youngest one in my class.

Sarah, I did the ADN with the RN-BSN completion. My school had both programs so I did the ADN and my last semester I took BSN courses as my electives. I didn't miss a single semester I went straight on and started working toward my BSN. I talked with the director of the RN-BSN program and I was admitted with the stipulation that I had to get my RN license within the first 2 months. This option was great for me because I was able to work as a nurse while I worked toward my BSN. I did both full time and while it was difficult at times it wasn't impossible by any means. My most important piece of advice "don't lose sight of your goal." When you finish your ADN and start working it is wonderful t have some cash flow but don't stop, finish your degree!!!

I am going to share my two cents on this subject. I think that it is very important for nurses to have BSN degrees. We are a group of professionals and I think that in order to be seen and respected as professionals we must have the level of education to reflect that. Furthermore, as you posted there is a proven correlation between death rates and education levels. With that said I think the design of nursing school should be altered. Nurses should be admitted to ADN programs, graduate, sit their boards, and begin working. From there each RN has 5 years to successfully complete their BSN. That is more than a sufficient amount of time even if you only go part time. If you don't finish the degree your license is suspended. This way all nurses have a BSN but they also gain experience. I did something similar to this but I finished my BSN as a full time student and also worked full time. It was difficult at times but not un-doable.

I would say at least a 3.5 GPA to be "competitive". However, your GPA most certainly isn't the only thing admission committees look at. If you don't already have it get your CCRN. Take the GRE and if you don't do great take it again. Get in on a research project. Do other certifications (like stroke scale certification). Take some graduated classes at a local or online university (graduate level stats and patho are good ones). I think when evaluating candidates if Student A had a 3.9 GPA and a few years of ICU experience and Student B had a 3.3 GPA, few years of experience, CCRN, and had taken and done well in a couple graduate classes there would be no competition, Student B would be the more competitive candidate.

Nursing school is very difficult. I remember questioning my choice to become a nurse several times while in school. When the going got really tough I just reminded myself why I wanted to be a nurse in the first place. Everyone has their own reason for becoming a nurse. Let me emphasize to you that if the only reason you chose nursing was because you want to graduate and have a career that pays a decent salary then you are in for a rude awakening. Nurses work amazingly hard every day. You deal with difficult patients and there have been times when, at the end of the day, I swore I wouldn't go back. And there have been times when, at the end of the day, I felt like I had made a difference and remembered why I became a nurse in the first place. One of the great things about nursing is there are a ton of options. Good luck with your career!

If you only have 2 weeks before school starts I would suggest relaxing. You will spend the next 4 years with your nose in a book :-) If you plan on going to graduate school I encourage you to take advanced science classes and math (particularly statistics). Also, learn to write really good research papers. You will do a lot of writing in graduate school and you want to be prepared.

Is the CCRN preferred or required at these schools? If it is just "preferred" I would definitely go ahead and apply if you are scheduled to take the test. I would also let it be known that you are scheduled to test and provide the date. I believe everyone I know had their CCRN when they were accepted to CRNA school. Also, if the application deadlines are in March and April you may get to take the exam before you interview so you will want to make sure you bring that up in your interview. Good luck!

It sounds like you have good baseline knowledge. I have been in CVICU since I became a nurse and when I was still in nursing school I precepted on the CV-step down. The cultures of the 2 units are completely different. CVICU is an ICU so obviously the patients are more critical than those on step down. Even though it sounds like you know a lot the absolute best piece of advice I can give you is "do not act like you already know." Even if the RN you are working with is telling you something you already know just listen. First of all, you may not know and secondly, if you act like you already know then people won't want to take the time to teach you things. There was a new nurse in our unit and every time anyone tried to tell/teach him anything he acted like he already knew. He ended up loosing his job because of a very serious medication error. Show that you have a desire to learn and you'll do fine.

Hi utahskiier, Having a high GPA And GRE are great and they will help you get into CRNA school. As I am sure you have already found out you must have experience prior to being accepted to CRNA school. I must agree with a lot of the previous posters that "real" nursing is nothing like nursing school. You will learn so much your first year of work, you will be amazed! I understand you are anxious and excited to get started in your career so here's my advice. Apply to graduate school somewhere and take some classes (just a few because you will be working full time also). I suggest graduate level stats, patho, anatomy, pharmacology (classes that will prepare you for CRNA school and impress the admissions committee). Also, when you meet the required number of working hours take the CCRN certification (the laura gasparis-vonfrolio (sp?) DVDs are really helpful). By the time you do all of that you will have in a few years of experience and be ready to apply to CRNA school. This was my game plan and I just found out that I got accepted to school (only applied to one school, it was my first time applying, and I got in!). Best of luck!

Hi there. I have previously worked for KDMC. The pay scale for the area is pretty good. As a new grad RN you will probably make around 22.50 or 23.00/hour. If you have a BSN you will make $1.oo more an hour. Ashland is a nice place. Very quiet, not much to do other than movies, mall, or going out to eat. However, it has a very central location. 1.5 hours to Lexington, 2.5 hours to Columbus or Cincinnati and about half hour to Huntington. With that said I would never recommend KDMC to anyone. They treat their employees like crap. Since their lay offs last year all the units are understaffed which means the nurses are over worked. It isn't uncommon for floor nurses to have more than 6 patients at a time. In ICU there is supposed to be a 2:1 ratio but recently those nurses have been caring for 3 patients (which is ridiculous when you consider these are super critical patients). KD is amazing top-heavy. They have a director for every position under the sun. I know of one director that literally had 2 employees under her. They promote people who stay there a long time not those who are more qualified which leads to nurse managers who are in no way qualified or educated for the position. While there are a lot of great people that work at KDMC the organization is awful. I loved my co-workers and hated to leave but I couldn't continue to work for an organization that not only didn't appreciate me but also allowed nurses and patients to be put in unsafe working conditions. KD focuses on upper management and keeping those people happy (they also raises and bonuses when no one else does). As a nurse you will be seen as completely expendable. Good luck!

I am 21 years old (will be 22 when program starts) and will have like 18 months of experience in a 34 bed ICU (we take surgery, medical, neuro patients). My GPA is a 3.4 and my GRE combined is 1000. I am also involved in a pretty big research project in my area that is grant funded by the CDC. My biggest concern is my GRE score. Should I take it again?

I am applying to Case Western for Fall 2011, just wondering if anyone would feel comfortable sharing their age, GPA, GRE score and years/location of experience. Thanks!

I am an new RN and looking to finish my BSN next May (2011) and hoping to start grad school in August (2011). Everything I have read says to apply at least a year prior to when you plan to start so I am working on my applications. However, I am not sure who to use for references. I have only been an RN since January and we got a new manager in March so my manager doesn't really know me all that well and I don't know her. I am sure there are some co-workers, preceptors and professors at my University who would be excellent references but I am not sure if those references would be "good enough". So what is more important: a reference from someone who knows you better or from your manager? Do you think a lot of weight is put on who your references are?