RNDude2012

Were you even reading what he was saying

Your post pretty much solidifies my decision to attend anesthesia school. Thanks!

Yeah, people with 3.5 GPAs get denied admission to CRNA programs, whereas my buddy with a 2.5 GPA had a NP program practically roll out the red carpet for him saying his bedside experience trumped his low GPA. Anesthesia is starting to have a problem with the # of schools opening though. However, it's more difficult to get a year of ICU experience, obtain CCRN, get > 300 on the GRE, and quit working for 2.5 years vs NP school which admits everyone and allows you to work full time.

did they elaborate on their COA visit yet?

youre a shoo-in at wolford, don't worry...

I'm in the exact same boat. I forfeit my spot in a program across the country because I decided moving that far for school was not worth it for me. The debt, and time away from friends and family just wasn't worth it to me. I figured I would do NP, . Anyways, long story short, I have an interview coming up with a local program, and I still sometimes question whether or not it's worth the time away from work, and debt, especially since the market is pretty saturated with CRNAs in my area. The field REALLY interests me, and I may do it just for that, because I would NEVER be happy being a bedside RN forever. I'm considering NP, but the fluffy nursing curriculum is very off-putting to me. I think shadowing is a good idea, since this is more of an emotional decision. You have to decide: 1) Will you be happy as a bedside RN, and if not will you be happy in a role away from the bedside (case management, management, etc.) 2) Will you be happy in with your role as an anesthetist? It's pretty specialized, and you can't hop around jobs or specialties the same way you can as a bedside RN. You have to really be interested in the field. It's a huge investment to not be. Don't let the "glamour and prestige" cloud your decision. If it's worth it to you emotionally, then you have decide whether or not it's financially feasible. You said you will owe 100k on top of your 50k debt. 150k paid back over 10 years: $1726/month or 20 years: $1145/month. FinAid | Calculators | Loan Calculator Take your local average salary (realize you will more than likely not start out at this amount), and plug the number into this calculator Salary Paycheck Calculator | Payroll Calculator | Paycheck City Also realize that when you're making as much as a CRNA does OT is HUGE This will give you a more realistic take on how higher pay affects increases your tax rate and affects net pay. Also, compare your current net pay as a RN vs average CRNA net pay MINUS your student loan payment. This will give you a realistic view of whether or not it's worth it for you financially from month to month or paycheck to paycheck. Bottom line is, make sure this is something you will be happy doing. Also, take into consideration whether or not you will regret NOT doing it 10-20 years from now. There ARE a lot of bitter bedside RNs who wish they did other things. Don't do it for other people. Good luck.

I constantly read that NPs are trained under "The Nursing Model," while PAs and MD/DOs are all trained under the "Medical Model." I understand what the medical model is. However, I do not understand what the nursing model is. Is it less science-based? Is it more "holistic?" Does the term "holistic" imply that NPs have science-based diagnostic skills that are lesser than, which leads to them focusing on the whole? Threads over on the "doctors" forum seem to think so. I'm proud to be a nurse, and I love science. I'm honestly just wondering what the differences between the nursing model and the medical model are.

Thanks for the reply. It seems that the CRNA market in Southern California is pretty saturated as well, but I guess only time will tell. I originally posted this thread in the NP section since I was really hoping to hear from more NPs who currently working in order find out how the job market has been from them. The thread was moved to the student section though :/ Hope I can hear more from working NPs...

Hey! I'm still trying to figure out if I want to take the CRNA vs NP route. I can see myself doing both. I was accepted to a CRNA program across the country, but decided the move wasn't worth it. I currently have an interview scheduled for a local CNRA program, but I'm still unsure of what I want to do. I've been working towards CRNA for awhile, but the job market for CRNAs in California is not so great, and I don't really want to leave friends and family for a job. Also, as a relatively well-paid California RN, not working while in school and racking up debt minimizes the return on investment for CRNA school. I love hemodynamics, patho, pharm, and critical care though. Graduating with 100k debt and being stuck in ANY career because you have to pay off debt is very off-putting. NP school seems great. You can work while you're doing it, and tuition is cheaper. After speaking with a few program representatives, I discovered I can easily be accepted to a few local schools without any problems. Class is only once a week, and less clinical hours are required to graduate. The focus on primary care would be a huge, but welcomed change (unless I did ACNP, but I'm still undecided). However, the focus on nursing theory, and the requirement of writing essays that are irrelevant to being provider are both HUGE cons in my eyes. The lack of consistency in the NP curriculum (along with NP programs making it difficult to find out board pass rates) also makes finding a program more difficult, but I digress..Online FOR-PROFIT schools also do a disservice to the perception of NPs in both the medical community and public IMHO. I'm still REALLY researching both fields to figure out which one I want to do. I can honestly see myself doing both. Both have pros and cons, and I'm not chasing money. I'm more so chasing professional satisfaction, ability to change jobs/location in California, and most importantly, taking the next step into an advanced practice role that allows me to grow as a professional. Although it would be nice to have the potential to work a PRN side job in addition to a FT gig for when I need more $$. However, this may be the thing that skews my decision toward NP: Job search website results for CRNAs in California: 81 Job search website results for NPs in California: 4192 Is the job market for NPs really this good? .....sorry for the long post

How many days a week are you in class?

I've been considering making the move to the Sacramento area. I currently live in Redlands, and rent is getting crazy here.

Hey everybody. Just want to see how it's going in the program. I'm going to be applying to the ACNP program. Is the program manageable so far with work? Do they find preceptors for you?

Interesting thread. I always wonder where I fall. As an ICU nurse in California I made 127k last year before taxes. Solidly middle to upper middle income for my area since I live in an area where household income average is 60k per household. While I do feel that my job requires an extensive knowledge base, the things we're required to do as bedside nurses (wiping excrement, following orders, being required to fulfill the requests of homeless people that nobody would ever give a second look to) are not upper middle class traits. CRNA or NP are a little more white collar, but I think that as bedside RNs we are pink collar, and are grouped in with firefighters and cops. I grew up in a very working class household. However, My wife is from a VERY upper middle class background (father worked on wall street, and mother was an administrator for multiple hospitals and had multiple income properties). Whenever I go to some of their social events which includes bankers, physicians, lawyers, business owners, and let it be known I'm a nurse, I usually get that "why in the world would you do that" eyes glazed over stare. Conversely, another individual who's an engineer and make less $$ than I do is generally viewed in higher regard. Interesting world that we live in. Anyways, I guess I consider myself slightly upper middle based on income alone since the gap between upper class and lower class has widened so much. I don't group myself in with lawyers, executives, and physicians who make 400k+ though. Nursing has been good to me.

Thanks for replying everyone! I would like to do dual FNP/ACNP, but FNP, AGNP, and PMHNP are the only three concentrations offered in my area. I considered PMHNP because it seems there's a demand, but because I volunteer to float to psych at my per diem gig, I had to go to the psych unit's CE day. Studying the psych meds just didn't spark an interest for me, and it's just not for me. I think ACNP would be the way to go for me, but there isn't a program in my area, so I think FNP will be what I do. It also seems like all of the ED/Urgent care jobs in my area only require FNP. There are a ton of FNP jobs in Southern California. It just seems that the pay is only slightly above what I make at the bedside. The pay also seems to vary quite widely from position to position, and there's not much uniformity in pay. One job will pay $50/hr, while another offers $130k/year. For me, it's about better working conditions and advancing my career into a new role. I guess I just have to wait until clinicals to see which area sparks an interest for me. ICU is my comfort zone, but I'm not sure that the FNP concentration would prepare me for ICU. There are no CRNA jobs in my area. My buddy who got a job here started @ 130k/year. Sure, he can move around after a year and make more. The problem is that CRNA jobs here seem to be so few and far between. All of the good paying CRNA jobs are in Central California, which is an area I wouldn't really want to live if I didn't have to. That, along with moving across the country for school, not being able to work while in school, and graduating with $150k debt only to end up possibly having to work out of state away from friends and family just doesn't appeal to me. There are too many variables in my particular situation, which is why CRNA school doesn't appeal to me as much as it once did. I want to stay in Southern California. I was born and raised here. It's my home. At least with NP school I could still work (our program only requires 1 days/week of in class time), and will have a lot of options locally when I graduate. Will it pay all that great? Possibly not, but I'm fairly good with numbers, and I'm a business-minded person. I've been able to maximize my income working the bedside, and I have no doubt that I'll be able to do the same as a NP. In the meantime, I just may pick up OT in our ED, or volunteer to float there when needed. Or maybe as a FNP I could pick up one of those coveted "derm" jobs. Who knows? I would love to keep hearing from you guys!

Hello, I'm a California CCRN-CMC certified ICU nurse who has experience with medical, cardiac, surgical, trauma, and neurosurgical patients. I was recently accepted to a CRNA program out of state. After much soul searching and research, I've decided not to attend. As an ICU nurse, I am occasionally floated to the ED. Yesterday, I was able to witness an NP in the ED environment. The role definitely appeals to me. I like the fact that in the ED NPs can do shift work which allows for more days off or more overtime. Unfortunately, we were slammed, and I didn't get to ask the NP about his role, education, or job satisfaction. How does one become an ED NP? I live by a brick and mortar program that offers both FNP and AGNP. The program wouldn't require me to move out of state, would allow me to continue working full-time (they allow you to complete it in 2-5 years-most do it in 3 years), and I could pay half cash, which means I WOULDN'T be crippling myself with debt the same way I would for CRNA school. Would the FNP or AGNP degree be more beneficial? Also, does prior RN experience help with employment as a new grad NP? I would like to stay in ICU as a bedside RN because I love the critical thinking aspect of it, and I love my coworkers. Our trauma bay is connected, but has different staff than the ED. Trauma staff work in trauma only. I currently have an opportunity to transfer down to the trauma bays in our busy hospital with the 2nd busiest ED in the state(The trauma bay staff are all prior ICU nurses because our hospital is busy and our trauma bays have a lot of ICU holds). I think this may be AWESOME experience. Would this, or transferring to the ED be more beneficial? I think that ED proper may expose me to more of what I would be doing as a NP, but then again shouldn't school teach me what I need to know? Any former ICU nurses work in the ED as NPs? How was the transition? Should I stay in ICU where the residents love to teach and I can pick their brains, or transfer to trauma (and get cool experience) or ED (be exposed to the ED environment and patients more)? Thanks!