MeTheRN

Passed boards!!!! Woohoo!!! Those buttholes made me take all 170 questions. I almost had an MI after 100 because I felt it was going very well and would without a doubt shut off at 100...not so much!

Wow reading this post was freaky because I got a lot of déjà vu! I was exactly in the same position as you my sophomore year in college wrestling with the idea of nursing for CRNA vs pre-med. I also had a 4.0 and could pretty much pick either route. As a guy, I was your typical ignorant prick and was uncomfortable with the idea of being a male nurse. I also craved more science-based classes versus the roles and practices of the community nurse (gag)! However meeting with and shadowing a CRNA is what got me to go that route. I'll be completely honest, nursing school was a chore. The nursing theory classes had me banging my head against a wall, but the pharmacology and pathophysiology classes were very interesting. I also took organic chemistry I and II in preparation for my eventual application to CRNA school. Once graduated, I worked on a step-down unit while getting every certification available to me and hounding the ICU for any openings for a new-grad. Finally the day came and I got the interview and the subsequent position. Originally I wasn't too thrilled about the 1 year required of acute care. I wanted to finish my career ASAP and didn't think I'd learn anything on the unit that I couldn't learn in a book or from a good teacher. Boy was I wrong. Due to the acuity of the unit I worked on, I literally got to play with the life and death of my patients, on a smaller scale of what I do now as a CRNA. I learned so much and surprisingly loved it, it was hard work but I went home feeling great about the work I did. I was almost wistful when I applied to CRNA school but I never lost sight of my goal. Trust me when I tell you anesthesia school will satisfy any science/medical itch you may have, and it will then give you rashes and welts. I chose a MSNA program vs MSN program, so the nursing theory was minimal and the science was forefront. The didactics were challenging as hell, but nothing compared to clinicals. I felt like I went through hell and back. But it was worth every second I endured. This is the best profession I could ever ask for. I've worked with AA's and find that they deliver fine quality anesthesia. I just wonder what will happen when FL eventually opts out. It'll be good to be a CRNA when that happens.

Make sure to take out the Stafford loans first, they're the lowest interest rates.

Yes your math is spot on. It's $1500/month for 25 years. With a 7-9% interest rate on $190k of loans, you will end up paying close to $500k if you take the full 25 years to repay it. Honesty it doesn't matter which repayment plan you choose as long as you plan to repay it in 5-6 years anyway.

Unless you're saavy with your money and have it invested really well, I'd use it over financial aid for school. Loans come with origination fees and compounding interest. My interest alone was $15k while I was in the program. It wouldn't make sense to pay any of that if you have the money. At the very least, pay for the first year and then see if you need financial aid for the following years. If so, you'll only be accruing interest for two years. Then use your money to pay your interest while in school. That's what I would do.

Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast. SRNA's are extremely cut throat. My class, for example, had students that would discover information and hoard it for themselves instead of passing it along. Things like moved test dates, specific topics to focus on for exams, and clinical pearls or references that made a big difference. I guess they thought they would shine if everyone else looked bad. Also when it came time to apply for jobs, I made the mistake of mentioning a few local jobs I was looking into. By that evening, several classmates had quickly applied for the same job and forced themselves into earlier interviews than me. Like I said, cut throat. And some of them can kiss a lot of a**, which makes them even more dangerous. Luckily I did find a few true friends in the program, and we remain friends after school. Hopefully you've made one or two genuine friends, it really makes the program go by much faster.

I just finished CRNA school and my student loans are approximately $157k. Based on my salary and the repayment programs I have researched through my school's financial aid, I can pay $2000/month for 20 years. The remainder of the loan will then be pardoned. It's a repayment plan that is tiered to your annual income (the name is escaping me right now). It applies to federal student loans. Another option is to take a high paying job in a rural state, live like a college student, and pay $5000/k per month and pay it back in 2-3 years.

Well...I graduate on Saturday! Clinicals were officially done on Friday. I looked at my last patient as he was falling asleep and told him "Congratulations! You're the last person I anesthetize as a student!" He smiled that droopy propofol smile and told me "good jooooooob!" LOL! It is a surreal feeling. I feel like I just survived a really bad car accident. My sympathetic nervous system is revved up, and I'm wondering around aimlessly just excited to be alive. I wake up early in the morning with a cold sweat thinking I'm late to clincials! I still check the daily schedule, trying to figure out which rooms will run late and which assignments will be rearranged by morning. It's so weird to be DONE. I still need to study for and pass boards, but my clinical obligations are OVER. NO MORE FREE ANESTHESIA FROM ME! EVER! God that's a good feeling. Now onto credentialing. Already having a tough time with all the damn paperwork, and it's only going to get crazier once I start applying for liability insurance and hospital privileges. My estimated start date is in two months. Hopefully I'll be able to take the boards within the next 3-4 weeks. I just need a date so I can start making up a study plan. Because as of now, I've just been sleeping. A lot. Like 12-14 hours a day! But I deserve it after all of that. I think I'll start a forum posting in the CRNA section called "Just started my first CRNA job, ask me anything!" That might be an interesting perspective. I'll keep posting on here until I've graduated though, and I have those four precious letters after my name!

The ASA hired scientists to conduct a study, and the results concluded that the general public viewed the term "nurse anesthetist" less favorably than "certified registered nurse anesthetist." Ever since then, I'm wary of anyone referring to CRNA's as nurses or anesthesia nurses. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I reintroduce myself as a CRNA and spend some time explaining exactly what my role is.

My mistake, I meant to write I'd pick Union.

I'm not sure if you've made a decision yet, but I'd like to weigh in. I'm just finishing my anesthesia program, so my perspective might be something you'd like. I personally would chose UAB. I don't know a thing about the school, but I can tell by your writing that you really liked it and were impressed by what you saw. Anesthesia school is already extremely difficult, I wouldn't want it to be any harder than it needed to be by adding disorganization and bad office staff. If you're having issues getting your application material reviewed, just imagine what it'll be like when you need to get credentialing done or you need to correct your case counts. Unless you want to live where you are currently living after you graduate anesthesia school, don't be afraid to relocate. If, however, you do want to stay and work in the same place you live now, then by all means attend the local program and get your foot in the door. The DNAP would not be my deciding factor. You can get one online in 1-2 years. I'd much rather be working at the same time to minimize the loss of income rather than prolong my entry into the workforce any longer. If UAB has an option to leave after getting the MSN, I'd do that to be completely honest. I'm sure others will argue to just stay the course and power through another two semesters, but that's my personal opinion. I cannot imagine going through another two semesters at this point in the game...good luck on whatever you decide!

Monday - Friday 7AM-3PM. No, you are not guaranteed to leave at 3PM. Usually closer to 4-5PM, but you do get to leave early sometimes. Of course there's OT for 40+ hours worked. Weekends are optional where I work, but you get paid more to work them. You usually have PTO that you can use for personal days off. It's only a big hassle if you abuse the privilege I guess. Holidays are also handled on a rotational basis but you can easily have someone cover you. You get holiday differential at most places, so it's a good time to make some extra money.

I just wanted to stop in real quick and update. I am done with clincials in 39 days! Honestly it still hasn't hit me yet that this whirlwind ride will be over soon and I will graduate in 46 days! I already have a job lined up and am just finishing up a few numbers I still need. Just one more round of exams and I'll be a free man! Well at least until the certification exam. But enough about me, let's talk about you. Ever since starting my journey into nursing and eventually anesthesia, there has always been someone along the way to tell me how bad of an idea it was. Whether it was CRNA's telling me about the stress of the job or other RN's talking about the impossibly saturated market, there's no short supply of nay-sayers in regards to becoming a CRNA. The best advice I have for you is completely ignore them. Almost every nurse anesthetist I know loves his or her job, and most disgruntled workers are annoyed with political/facility drama, not the profession of anesthesia itself. There are jobs out there, even in a saturated market like Florida. Yes the program is extremely tough, yes clinicals are grueling and at times discouraging, yes your life will be on pause for the next 28 months. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and dare I say it wasn't as bad as some people made it out to be. I'll revisit this topic when I'm actually a CRNA, but that's my opinion for now. If you want to make this your career, go forth and take it. Shadow first, watch videos online, make sure you have a legitimate interest in the profession and not just the paycheck. I have some classmates that are obviously just here to collect a paycheck and man does it show... I look forward to some time off to consolidate what I've learned and get boards out of the way. I see a lot of vegging out on the couch in front of the TV in my near future though. I never had gray hairs until I started this program LOL! I need some major R&R after I graduate. Staying strong until then! Take care!

I thought so!! Thanks for the confirmation

Wasn't this a similar contributing factor for STP no longer being produced?