toobemall

http://www.mainlinemedical.com/en-us/dept_1024.html Try this dude........scroll down and find microstim plus. I think, however I paid only $100 for mine.........class ordered in bulk.

Other than being tired, I am really having a good time. I am in an integrated program that puts you in clinical pretty quick. I mean we started last August and were in the OR three days a week by the end of October. I cannot speak for front loaded programs, but being able to get into clinical early has been better for me, I think. I don't learn tasks by reading about them, I have to see it done and then learn it myself. Being able to see concepts that you read about in the text quicker helps me get a better handle on them. Definitely something to consider when looking at the various programs.

Flight nursing was the best job I ever had. In fact, I actually visited my former program last night and started having withdrawls......If for whatever reason CRNA school ended tomorrow, I would have to go back on the helo. You are right......autonomy is certainly a byproduct of flight nursing and it will serve you well in school. Absolutely. Again, I have had to bite my tongue several times in clinical situations and jusy say yes sir, yes ma'am, thank you, never thought of that, that's a great idea..........you know........a$$ kissing. You have docs grabbing the scope from your hand and what not. You will not know how to put on a BP cuff. You will not know how to mask ventilate a patient.You will not know how to tape an ETT. One person wants you to set up airway stuff on the ploss cart, one wants you to put it on the gas machine. Just wanted you know get a little idea of what to expect. Fly safe. Mike

Mike, I know how you feel. I have been a nurse for 14 years- ER, flight, cath lab, CICU/MICU, CVICU. Also did EMS before nursing school. Dude, you are going to have to, as another post said, "bite the bullet" and do what these schools want you to do in order to become a CRNA. If you won't there are about 4-6 others competing for your slot who will. Also, a piece of tough advice. The attitude reflected in your posts ( I also read flightweb) will kill you in anesthesia school. You would be lucky to get thru the interview process. Flight nursing is great, but I must disagree with your belief that it is the "most advanced critical care nursing". Yeah, you get to do alot of skills, but you could probably teach a monkey how to intubate. While these skills are important, they don't make up the whole package. If you think ICU nurses don't manage CVLs and chest tubes, then you need to think again. Really, when you are flying, are you with the patient more than an hour? I doubt it. Flight nurses are there to stabilize as best as possible and provide rapid transport. When I was flying, we didnt shoot C.O.s and adjust gtts based on values, we didnt autotransfuse from chest tubes, we didnt draw labs and adjust vent/gtts accordingly. The management expereince that you get in an ICU is goona help you manage you patients during surgery. Certainly I came into anesthesia school ahead of some what with having intubation skills and being used to working independently. I chose, however, to let my clinical skills speak for themselves instead of offering up what I had already learned to do or done a different way. Anesthesia school includes biting your tonuge and being a peon for a couple years. I would probably not even apply to the program that was the basis of this post either becuase if the director caught wind of your attitude you have already lost points and you have'nt even interviewed. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don't cross it. Good luck. Mike

I tell you folks, our kids are more resiliant than we give them credit for sometimes. I think I "suffered" more than they did-being away from home, guilt, etc. Their routine did not change, I just was out of town now. Initially, my wife and I didn't thnk school in Raleigh would work logistically, but it really hasn't been bad. I drive up Sun pm or Mon am depending on whether or not I have a test Mon, and come back Fri after clinical. Wife goes to work Fri and Sat pm,I have the kids, and then it starts over again. Family and friends fill in the gaps with the kids when I have weekend clinical. I tell you, I cannot believe I am halfway through my second semester. No regrets at all for making the investment. It will be worth it in the end.

As Jennie said, it depends on the size and the acuity of the CCU. After spending a year or so in a CCU, I transferred to CVICU because people that come out of CABG, MVR, etc must go to a unit.......they are all vented, most have swans and numerous drips. Alot of CCU patients might need ICU, but they are awake, talking, etc. I learned more about hemodynamics during my CVICU orientation than I did the entire time in the CCU, simply becuase I was shooting outputs and manipulating gtts/blood products/whatever around those values to stabilize the patient. When they are stable and off the vent, they move to step down and you get fresh, acute patients to work with again. We are just getting into CV lectures, so I hope that experience will serve me well.

I would go for the CVICU. All of your pts will come up on the vent, all of them will have a-lines and chest tubes, most if not all should have swans, and temporary pacers. I enjoy hearts so I guess I am biased. Having said that, it really all comes out in the wash as adult ICU. I have classmates with MICU backgrounds, SICU backgrounds and they are doing fine. Pick the population you want to deal with. One last soapbox.......magnet status is a joke. Hospitals pay to "achieve" this and I havent seen where it changes anything within the institution. Good luck!

Back in my flight nurse days the long 14 Jelcos were nice for needle chest decompression and well as for those "in a pinch" femoral IVs.

send me a PM with specifics and i'll attempt to answer them.

Although you get some good experience in the ER, I must agree that ICU experience is the experience that will get you into CRNA school. You are going to need to be familiar with vasoactive gtts, ventilators, hemodynamics. You may start ntg or dopamine in the ER, you may assist with placing patients on the vents in the ER, but you will not get the long term management skills that come with these things without spending AT LEAST a year in the ICU. Good luck.

Try telling that to the nursing coordinator who only sees the open bed and doesnt care if you are in charge with patients. I not sure 1:1 is in their vocabulary.

I guess my first question is do you have to commit to the PACU for 2 years? I ask this because you must keep in mind that one year ICU experience is the minimum requirement for many CRNA programs, and as the competition for seats increases, so may this minimum requirement. Hoepfully, you will get in after one year, but you should plan for another. I myself, am 38, so I understand your time issues. If, however, the CRNA program is affiliated in any way with the univeristy hospital, it may be to your advantage to take the PACU job. Certainly there you can become a familiar face to CRNAs, MDAs......some of which you may interview in front of at a later time. I would certanily examine the ICU at the county hospital to see just how sick your patients will be and what kind of experience you will take away from the unit. I believed you mentioned that there were not alot of resources at the county hospital. Good luck.

I think you need to introduce Chris to your barber.........

-Interviewed at East Carolina and flat out rejected. -Interviewed at Raleigh and got third alternate. Offered position after the new year and I start in August. Location was a big issue for me and my family, which is why I did not venture anywhere west of Raleigh. I know a fair amount of graduates from Raleigh and I feel like their integrated style will be a good fit for me.

I had one program director basically tell me that all of my experience outside of ICU (flight nursing, ED nursing, interventional cath lab nursing) was not even figured into the equation. Hence, I would tell you that anything other than ICU in preparation for CRNA school is nothing but a waste of your time and energy.