Gerlich8

Ryan, If you do decide to apply to LSU make sure to turn your application in as soon as possible. I turned mine in in Nov. and was accepted in early Jan. before interviews were even suppose to begin. The interview is formal but still relaxed. Make sure to know your Swan Cath, Vent setting and how to change the settings to treat what ever. Know at least 3 current events or legislation related to CRNA's. They are going to ask you why you want to be a CRNA and why LSU (LSU has a great research department), are you willing to travel, and what have you done to prepare yourself for the program. Ex. developed good study habits, saved money, yoga to relax, or what ever. They like to see that you have your CCRN and that you are involved in committees at work as well. Good luck

yes, i found that info and am picking up my physical tomorrow and mailing it off. i'm a bit paranoid when it comes to dead lines for paperwork, registration....and so on. (moderator edit of name/initials) told me the same thing so, i guess we just wait.

I'll be starting with you. Taking a trip to France for two weeks then moving to New Orleans. See you in class!

I'm moving from Houston in the next couple of weeks to attend LSU in NO and I wanted to meet as many classmates as possible. There doesn't seem to be to many of us on this site. I've been searching for feed back on the program but have not had much luck. Nice to meet you and I'll see you in class. Any idea when we register?

Hello, I will be starting the CRNA program at LSU in New Orleans 2010! We get time off for Mardi Gras . Got to love it!

I've been accepted to the CRNA program at LSU and start this August, and I like you failed a class, Med Surg II. I applied to 9 schools, was granted 7 interviews, and only Wesleyan Univ. asked about the class I failed. They wait listed me but I was immediatly accepted to LSU, so that's were I'm going. My GPA was 3.21, GRE 1150, with my CCRN and 3 yrs CV ICU experience. When the pannel asked why I failed, I was honest with them and told them that my last semester of school I wasn't sure nursing was what I wanted to do and once I failed the class I had a big wake up call. I spun the incident into a positive and told them that I wasn't a quiter and I always finish what I start. They seemed to appreciate my honesty. Best of luck!

In Houston: we closed down our CV ICU on Sunday and Monday morning because of a low census. This is the first time this has happened in the three years I've been here. I must say, it was nice to be off for the International Fest.:)

Just finished my statistics course and waiting for August to roll around for school to start. Anyone else get in to LSU CRNA program 2010?

I work in a CV ICU and I have never seen a Doc yell at a nurse or been yelled at. I've heard of Doc's yelling, but I've never seen it in the ICU. I have had incidents where a Doc got mouthy with me but I did not let them get away with it. I stood my ground and looked him in the eyes and didn't leave his side until he wrote the orders I wanted and he walked off the unit. I once had an encounter with a CV doc who came on to our unit late at night and was already upset with the care his patient was receiving because the nurse had "let" the pt pull out a chest tube. The pt was 89, confused, Cab X 4, Alz, and only spoke spanish. He wanted me to walk the patien, when the patient was not able to support his own weight and was confused and pulling out lines. I told him it wasn't safe and I would not get him out of bed for safety issues but if he wanted to we could get a PT consult. He then proceded to call nurses lazy and accuse the day nurse of letting the pt pull his lines out. I defended the day nurse and explained that nurses are not lazy but we are pt advocates and we will not endanger our pt's by gettig them out of bed when they are confused, weak, and may hurt themselves. We then had a little back and forth argument over third spacing and he said I didn't know what I was talking about so I asked him to break it down for me because " I want to be educated on the matter if I am missinformed" he said he didn't have time to explain it and I told him he should consider and inservice for the staff. In the end he wrote me the orders for PT,Albumine and lasix like I wanted and signed my restraint orders.:) Before he left the unit he mumbled under his breath that the pt wasn't third spacing...... What ever; thanks for the lasix Doc. Since then I've made it a point to ask him whats up? when he walks on to the unit, and I always make recomendations on patient care issues, and I engage him every oportunity I get. Now he eats out of my hand. With that said, you better believe I wrote a strongly worded letter to my Nurse manager about his behavior towards me, and how obstinate, an hostile his reactions were to my patient care recommendations. The letter ended up being forwarded to his head and he was talked to about the insident. To this day he has never brought up the letter. I stuck to the facts and there was nothing he could say to rebuke it. What really works for me is engaging the docs, and staff at work. I make sure they know my name and who I am and that my number one concern is my pt. And I also make sure to know their names and I keep a note pad full of their prefrences so I know what to do for their patients if I can't get them on the phone. It works for me.

I agree with all previous post and would like to add that when your NM is writing a letter for you you can also give her a copy of your updated resume and copies of other recomendation letters from charge nurses, staff, instructors and so on. I did this for my NM who wasn't very familiar with my work and she included some of the positive info in my letter. And remember to be positive.

Good luck to you and I would recommend trying to find a job in MICU or SICU at night. The pt ratio is 1:3 or 1:2 and the night shift allows you to acclimate to your new job. Once you find the right place, you will be happier.:)

Suit and tie is the way to go. You want to look professional and confident. And make sure to shave and get a hair cut, and polish your shoes.

The attractive students do have an advantage because they are nice to look at but conducting yourself in a positive, confident manner and remembering to smile goes a long way. Make sure to prepare before you go on your interview ( "knock em dead" book is good), ask questions, and give the interviewer a sense of who you are and why they should pick you.

I think you should go speak with the manager from the baby unit at the hospital that is 20 miles away and let them know that you are interested in working on their unit even if there isn't an opening yet and that you will be taking a position at the LTAC until a position opens up. You might have to work at the LTAC for a few months but you would eventualy get the position you want. A 60 mile drive is too long, it would be about 2-3hrs of your life wasted. Stick it out for a while until you get what you want. You'll be happier in the long run.

I received my BSN through Jacksonville university online and highly recommend it. I also was missing some classes like statistics, chem, and nutrition and they still allowed me to start the program. Hope this helps.

When I was getting ready to inteview I checked out the book "knock em dead" and read over how to prepare for an interview and found that they had great recomendations including wardrobe tips.:)

I agree with the previous post. All BS programs for nursing are in Science, so they are all BSN and that is all you need to go to CRNA school.:)

I'm pretty sure you have to have a BSN to apply for all the CRNA programs. When I interviewed with LSU they noticed I had a BS in Theatre and Fine Arts and they thought it was interesting. I did get accepted.

I was accepted in Jan. into the LSU CRNA program for 2010.

I completely agree with the previous post and would like to add, that if something feels wrong in the pitt of your stomach, you should go with it. When I was a new nurse there were many times that I saw things I didn't "feel" were right and I spoke my mind. I felt good at the end of the day that I did the right thing by being my patient's advocate and protecting them and their families wishes when others wanted to do what was easy. Kudos to you.:)

When I was interviewing at LSU for the CRNA program we discussed the big push to make CRNA entry level a doctoral, but they said it wouldn't happen till 2025. In preperation for that change they now offer a Doctorate in Nursing Anesthesia. I also heard the same thing when I interviewed with Wesleyan in Texas.

I am about to start CRNA school and am not deterred by the prospect of pay cuts. I enjoyed working in the OR and felt that I had more to contribute to the care of patients in surgery. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to persue this career and being payed well for it is a bonus.

I completely agree with the previous posts. Having your CCRN before you apply for CRNA school makes you more attractive to the schools and it also alowed me to become an RN III and receive a pay raise at my hospital. Totaly worth the study time and taking the test.

Had a patient call me in his room to change the channel on the TV. I showed him how to use the call bell to change the channel and then left. A few minutes later he called me in again to change the channel.

I am also starting the CRNA program at LSU in August of 2010. Geaux Tigers!