pigtails

Trial Lawyers! How do they sleep at night. There are no more accidents, everything is always someone else's fault. How do we prevent ourselves from winding up in the same boat as the OB-GYN's? Ugh! This crap is my soapbox! Sorry, I had to vent. Keep up the great work everyone is doing. I agree with the person who documents that they warned those, who just have to be present, of the "dangers of watching."

Oh, and about the CCC, I doubt this will mean a whole lot, (may not be worth the money). I would suggest obtaining your CCRN, if you do not already have it. They were very pleased I had this on my CV. Receiving a national exam certification says alot about a prospective student.

Hi BB, I am currently a student in the VCU CRNA program. I am not positive but, I heard this program is going to start accepting only students who have a BSN. I have also heard this about several other schools. I would suggest contacting Dr. Hartland, our director of education, and speaking with him. All of our faculty and staff are helpful and generous with their time. Best to you!

Stay away from the parents. They are more often than not still using and very angry. I had one baby who needed an IV. Her veins were difficult, probably due to the drugs. The mother was crazed outside of the nursery screaming, "What are you doing to my baby!" All I could think was, " It's not what we are doing, it's what you did!"

Chemistry is a very big part of becoming a competent clinician. If you don't like the physical science, you may not enjoy anesthesia. Remember, nothing worth doing is ever easy. The salary is appealing, but there is a reason for it. Nursing school and anesthesia school are incomparable. If you are new nurse, in an ICU, expect to be overwhelmed. I would not add chemistry at this point.

Yes, there is a new focus on doctoral prepared CRNA's. If it makes us better clinicians, so be it. I personally believe it is always wise to follow the money and decide for yourself, who the winner will be when it comes to new proposals such as this one. The last I heard, there is a shortage of CRNA's. Extra time spent in school is going to help this in what way? It sounds like to me, consumers will be the losers here. One of the highlights of our profession has always been that we are quality trained professionals at a significantly reduced cost. Some folks will try and try to defend their position as a CRNA by claiming they are equivalent to an MDA. The titles alone should tell any lay individual you are comparing apples and oranges. One is a nurse and one is a doctor. It is that simple. If you want to be called doctor, for no other reason than to annoy your co-worker, you should be ashamed. Nurse Anesthesia is a noble profession. For those of you out there, who feel the need to continue defending your title, you may have lost sight of what your profession is all about, or maybe you are to wrapped up in feeling important and having your head enlarged by believing you should be called Doctor." We are nurses. If you introduce yourself to a patient as Dr. whoever, you are misleading a person who has just instantaneously trusted a total stranger with their life. All of you know their are some CRNA's who are much better clinicians than some of the MD co-workers, and vice-versa. For those of you who need that title to feel appreciated, I hope and pray you are never at the head of the table I myself or anyone I know is on. A PhD may be postitive for our profession, I just hope it is not implemented for the wrong reasons.

If your school requires or suggests a PDA, find out if they are buying them in bulk first. You will get it cheaper. It seems it is personal preference for the most part. I have a PALM and find it to be adequate; although, several of my friends are recently raving about the SONY clie.

Hi Yoga! Three Questions. A 9 hour face lift! Holy Crap! My SO is a well regarded PS who performs only cosmetic surgery and does facelift revisions averaging 2 hours. How are the results? What state are you in? Third, I am ultimately interested in getting into office based anesthesia after school. Would you please offer some pearls regarding getting the most out of my education to best prepare for autonomy in practice? I am a self starter and will enjoy the responsibility and fulfillment this type of practice can allow. Thank you, Pigtails

Hi to you! I applied to ODU last year. I was acceped to VCU for the Fall 2005. All I can say is, if you really want this, keep trying! I was denied 5 times before acceptance. I have a great GPA, GRE, and I have been working in a cardiac surgery ICU for only 1.5 years. I wasn't accepted last year and I am glad. I was not ready! And , I realized it in my interview. Please let me know if I can help!

Thanks Skip, I have a file of references I am saving for clinical and this sounds helpful. Especially after an email where I read someone was excited they had inubated and forgot to ventilate. Thanks, PT

I think that if you explain this to any board, they will understand. If any grad school applications ask about this, just provide a thorough explanation. It sounds as though you have a strong personality. Use this experience to show you are tough and have learned from this experience. Wisdom makes a stronger provider.

I honestly think you should stay in state if you can. Save money. Especially if you want to stay in that area. Everyone takes the same exam. I truly beleive the quality of your education comes from what YOU put into it, not where you go. (I am at VCU in Virginia)

Remember, the COA requires 1 year. I honestly believe this is a personal matter. I often ask myself, " Would I let myself put me to sleep?" Get alot of crisis management experience. Get in the middle of codes. Know all of your drugs and why you are giving them & how they can affect your patient. Ask for the sickest patients in the unit and look for ways to improve their life. Always ask "WHY? " Be a leader! This is what you will be as a CRNA! Believe!

Agreed. Please use your own informative mind to figure this one out. I personally have found that; answering the question" Follow the Money," to be very helpful. Good Luck, Kelley

If any anesthesia professional is present, then thank god! If you like to run the show, then this is your chance. CRNA's and MDA's take you where should not be and bring you back. What a weird profession, but again, thank GOD. One thing I fear the most is FEAR, and I like the idea of rendering a person insensible to pain and fear. This is a humbling and rewarding profession. Follow your heart.

Hi, I actually apllied to Raleigh last year. I am currently enrolled at VCU. Good Luck!

Hey CougRN, where do you work so I can Make sure I never go there.HA!HA! Just kidding. I do believe this is a techical skill; however, I don't believe these people have the knowledge of nerve anatomy, paralysis,etc.

Maybe a 22G hurts less wihtout lido. What about and 18G? Most patients thank when I use the lido. I worl in an open heart surgery unit where, more often than not, patients are difficult ti stick:therefore, you somtimes have to "fish" for a vein, which can be painful. I have also had it done both ways, 22G. no need, anything bigger, go lido!

You can stereotype all you want, but hear it from the horse's mouth, socialized medicine does not work. http://www.larryelder.com/economics/healthcare.htm

And? http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2630298,00.html I read this and tort reform is not even the main topic. If you think it [tort reform] doesn't affect, you are not thinking outside the box. End of discussion. If you guys don't want political talk on this site, don't keep bringing it up. Otherwise, I feel it is my right to respond. I won't initiate it, but I will respond. Thank you & Happy New Year to everyone.

Supply and demand will prevail here. There are simply not enough MD's for every patient needing an anesthetic. This MDA vs. CRNA crap is getting old. The fact is they ARE two separate professions. If nothing else, their historical origin is different. Nurses filled a need 100 years ago, and they will continue to do so considering our increasingly older population and immigration, as well as many other factors. Addtionally, I believe many health care providers are whining about GWB being re-elceted and blaming all of their whoes on this fact. Think about this, Kerry would have pushed for socialized medicine, just as Hillary would have, and will continue to do so in her future endeavors. (Talk to a Canadian about how well this is working for them). And, Hillary believes Nurses are worth ~20,000/year. Can you imagine what this would do to CRNA's? Trial lawyers such as Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards are at the forefront of destroying our healthcare system and our professions.

75 mcg/min of levophed!? Its sounds as though some other pressor, in addition to vasopressin, should have been tried. Does the patient still have their extremities?

I'll bet most of the paperwork you are filling out is to avoid and/or lessen the cost of lawsuits. This is common in all areas of nursing today. I find myself dealing with this all the time. When you get frustrated becasue you are neglecting your patients in order to fill out all of these bogus, time-consuming forms, don't get pissed at your boss, they are simply enforcing the new so-called protocols to protect patients. These are written and enforced by personal injury lawyers. Case in point, John Edwards; he has made a multi-million dollar fortune sueing doctors and insurance companies over a condition which is NOT supported by medical research! I still wonder how nurses, knowing this information, could actually have voted for John Kerry. If you want to see nursing go completely in the hopper, elect Hillary Clinton in 2008, she thinks we should have goverment subsidized healthcare where nurses will average an unthinkable 20,000/ year. I would like to see that knucklehead try my job for even 3 hours for that kind of money. I feel confident she would not .

Hello! and Cheers to you! What an amazing accomplishment! When I saw your message after your interview, I knew you had been accepted. Lately,for some reason, everyone who has felt bad after their interview has been accepted. I know you will have a great experience at Wake and I hope to meet you at some of the AANA meetings. I am so excited about starting school in August. I continue to pinch myself! Oh, and happy holidays!

I have to turn in my vote for the GRE. This exam or the MAT are required for admission to graduate school. Get the minimum requirements out of the way first, then move on to the other stuff that simply improve yuor application. I know countless people who have been accepted without their CCRN, and no one who hasn't taken the GRE. Rememeber, it can take several months to get your ATT (authorization to test)to take these exams, so start several months sooner than what you have already planned.