GCShore

Support is the most important aspect of this post! When I started NA school, my oldest daughter was 5 and my youngest was 18 months. Currently in my last semester of classes and clinical ending in August, oldest is almost 7, middle is now 3 and I am currently 8 months pregnant! Yes, it can definitely be done......as RNLou pointed out, I definitely am not the parent I would like to be.....yet! But would I do it again? YOU BETCHA! My oldest tells everyone that she wants to be a CRNA when she grows up, so it gives me alot of opportunity to educate the public about us! No, the current pregnancy wasn't planned (it was supposed to happen next year), but my program is AWESOME in working with me! I haven't been sick, missed any days or took any PTO.....saving it all for April when this little booger arrives! Hang in there, do what you got to do and if you feel that your support system can handle it.......then GO FOR IT! Good Luck! GCShore

:yeahthat: I think that this is the first time I have been truly angered by a posting.....avlis, I hope that with time, you can be a little more open-minded and DO NOT FORGET your birth control pill!!:angryfire

Hi, I did CCU first, wound up in pediatric/general OR then CVOR, then went back to MICU to pursue CRNA school. The OR experience is priceless.....especially when starting clinicals. You know the environment, what to touch, and what not to. You also know instrumentation and equipment, not to mention positioning. Now, CRNA can be done without OR experience and is daily; however, for me, I can't imagine doing CRNA school without previous OR experience. I have been called "bilingual", because I know suture, instruments, how to adjust the cut and coag of the bovie, etc. Best of Luck GCShore

Our program (Wake Forest) gives us one day in the holding room to brush up on those skills. I felt that same way, Focker, and after a couple of hours in the holding room, my confidence was somewhat restored! Of course, I was still nervous about the kiddies, still get that way......I think I will always be nauseated in certain situations! :chuckle Best of Luck to you all! GCShore

:balloons: Well said! I am finishing up my first year of school with 6 year and 2 1/2 year old daughters! Yes, it can be done with an AWESOME partner! No, my children are not suffering....they see me daily! In the beginning, I thought that single people had an advantage.....I have since revised that thought.......I have a wonderful man who is doing laundry, cleaning my house, cooking us meals, doing homework with a kindergartener, potty training a toddler, and paying my bills! I have the advantage! When I get home and see my family.....doesn't matter if it was a good, great, or bad day.....I feel blessed! Not only that, but when your kid is telling everyone that they want to be a CRNA one day......talk about a conversation starter! Good luck to all! GCShore

I'll be there also.......completely understand the week off from clinical, AmiK25!

Wow! I was doing clinical last week and lost power....fortunately, the generators did function and my patient was spontaneously breathing......I asked my CRNA if I got an A for the day since I didn't void or defacate during the event.....

:lol2:

I agree! In the beginning of clinical, basic math (like for a drug calculation) was a challenge with certain instructors! I think that sometimes we are harder on ourselves than we need to be......my husband has to constantly tell me that "if I knew how to do anesthesia, then I wouldn't be in school"! The learning curve (at least mine) is steep!:smackingf Hang in there, it will come! GCShore

It definitely can be done! People have laughed when I compared these two things, but I promise, it is real! The feelings you had during your interview (catecholemine surge, nausea, diaphoresis, apprehension, etc) are the very feelings that you learn to live with in anesthesia school. Rayman, I will gladly inform you (since your kids are the same age) that my oldest told me last semester "that it really hasn't been that bad"! I was running errands with her (makes her think that it is "our" time) and praising her for being a new kindergartner and a big helper to her daddy with household chores.......of course, after she made that comment, she asked me if we were still going to be able to go to Disneyworld! My bribe for being "gone" for two years is a 10 day trip to Disneyworld......kids, they are priceless! And another great thing about them, they love you whether you got an A or B, whether you had a great day or a rotten one, and they think that you are awesome......especially if you take them to Mickey D's! Take care and God bless, GCS

BlakeS, I am sure that you will agree by your comment that you made regarding the "quality study time does suffer a wee bit" that seeing your family is high priority. I am okay with a high B (even a low one at times) if it means quality time with family! Do not mistake this comment for lack of commitment, but if I gain my CRNA status and lose my family.....I won't be gaining anything..... GCShore PS Best of luck to you!

I am a junior at the Wake Forest/UNCG program (which is an integrated program) and I will give you an example of my last 2 weeks: (My commute time is ~ 40 minutes to Baptist hospital and ~ 1 hour to UNCG. My longest clinical commute is 90 minutes.) next to last week: Sunday-church morning and evening with nap in between services and ~ 1 hour study time before bed Monday-class at Baptist hospital 8-4; anesthesia resident conference 4:30-5:30 pm (which is mandatory); ~2-3 hours study time before bed Tuesday-class at UNCG 8-12; ~6-8 hours study time since I am at a clinical site where I do not have to pre-op an do a careplan Wednesday-clinical 6:30-3pm (but I have to be there by 5:45 am to set up and the drive is an hour away); ~ 3 hours study time Thursday-same as Wednesday Friday-same as Wednesday Saturday-breakfast with family and then off to study ~ 5-7 hours; dinner with family and ~ 1-3 hours study time before bed last week: Spring Break Sunday-same as last week Monday-Friday-clinical at a site where I have to be there at 6:30 and the drive is only 35 minutes; ~ 4-6 hours study time each day without additional class material being added:D If you are in clinical at Baptist Hospital, you have to do a careplan for each day of clinical and that can add ~1-4 hours of time to your daily schedule. You also have to be at the hospital ~5ish in the morning to set up your room. Our clinical schedules vary with 8, 10, and 12 hour shifts. It also includes call, holiday, and weekend shifts. I haven't really calculated an hourly amount for the two weeks, but there is definitely no way to possibly work a part time job, much less a full time position......and these were 2 great weeks! Now, I have 2 children that have adjusted beautifully, but it is due to God's grace and an AWESOME hubby. Gracie is to be 6 in April and Chloe just turned 2 in January. They still go to bed at ~ 7 pm each night, so usually we can have a couple of hours of family time daily with me being able to get back to the books after their bedtime.....With all this being said, it is still very demanding and HARD! It stinks sometimes having to turn down "fun mommy things" to keep up with my material; however, I know that it will be worth it in the end. I am also being a great role model for my daughters, as is their dad, in showing them that you can have it all! I have given up a lot of roles in my church because of the time demands, but I still am able to maintain Sunday as a day of worship and rest! Anesthesia school is hard - regardless of your situation. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it! It doesn't take long though, once you start clinical for you to realize that no matter what you have to do, no matter what you have to do without - you can never go back! IT IS WORTH IT! Take care and God bless! GCShore

2nd semester at Wake with graduation in August of 2007. First test last week, another this week, and about one per week until May like JennieK. Loving clinical and honored to be here. Agree with Goose, the worst part of school is not seeing my girls (Gracie is 5 and Chloe is 2) or their daddy very much. Had a date with him last night and it was AWESOME but felt weird since I cannot remember the last date we had........... Don't drink, but I love to exercise and surf the web. Best of luck to all! GCShore

I agree with Pete495, let it come when it comes. I asked the same questions and regardless of what anyone tells you, anxiety will abound.:uhoh21: Preparation is essential and ATTITUDE is vital. What I mean by that is, you are there to learn, and that excitement and eagerness will spill over into your disposition.....also, remember that EVERYONE has had to be in your position at some point or another. I am in my second semester of an integrated program and I am loving it!:heartbeat No, I don't know it all, and yes, I am enjoying it at the same time that I am enduring it!:rotfl: Try not to beat yourself up worrying. There was a group of my classmates that spent several weekends prior to the start of clinical in the OR. We would scavenge hunt to locate supplies, practice machine checks, practice ploss cart setups, etc. It really helped especially in the desensitization realm......you know, when you walk through the OR door, your HR increases by about 30 bpm. After being in the OR environment for a little bit, the HR seems to stay WNL. Take care and God bless! GCShore Also remember, the seniors are always glad to see the juniors come into the OR because it takes most of the heat off of them!:wink2:

:rotfl: No, just blow him a kiss! :rotfl:

The lady in my case above had a hx of "severe nausea with Scop!" And even though we are not supposed to used Drop anymore......we do in OPD at WFUBMC and guess who my attending was? Phil Scuderi. We did load her up with fluid and we also used nitrous (because she had a hx of waking up slow, so we wanted to decrease the amount of volatile).

We had a patient today with a significant hx of PONV and she let us know up front that her pain threshold was extremely low. We gave 5 mg Decadron and 0.625 mg Droperidol at the beginning of the procedure, and 1 mg Zofran at the end. We also used low dose Propofol for its antiemetic properties. She did great! My attending stated that for each agent used, it decreased to potential for nausea by say 50%. So basically, the chance of her becoming nauseated should have been around ~6.25%. Her husband was impressed.....said she had always hurled for at least 2 days...... Glad to see that it is not just in my facility that different opinions exist. It makes anesthesia more interesting to shake it up, but it also makes it hard on those of us who are trying to establish protocols/routines. Hang in there...... GCShore

I agree with JennieK regarding that OR experience will help. Sometimes, I take for granted all that I learned in the OR......best of luck to you! GCShore

It is a headache; however, the "high" or feeling of elation/accomplishment after completing a case is definitely a motivational tool! Yes, it is frustrating to encounter things you haven't studied yet, but I really am pleased with my choice. GCShore:wink2:

My age is 35 and my commute to Baptist Hospital is 35 minutes from drive way to parking deck. My commute to classes at UNCG is 1 hour and 5 minutes......I have tape recorder and also use the time to catch up with friends on the phone.......don't let age stand in your way...... Big Dave, you are an inspiration! We have 5 and 2 year old daughters and "toy" with the idea of a third after anesthesia school.....and to think I was concerned with age..... Congrats on finishing up the first semester.....after my final tomorrow, I will have finished my first as well! Tell SW in your class that I said congrats and hello! Merry Christmas everyone! GC

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: I love reading this board! GC

:balloons: :balloons: :balloons: CONGRATS on finishing so soon! YOU are my hero! Thanks for giving encouragement.....I, too, think that anesthesia school is "doable"; however, the part about the supportive hubby that takes great care of the kids is an absolute necessity (if not a hubby, another person who you feel does as good of a job, if not better in taking on that responsibility). Sprout, I am just finishing up the first semester in my program and it is supposed to be the hardest! It is an integrated program and I agree with your statement that clinical does seem to allow more time with my family. The main focus is that although the quantity may TEMPORARILY decrease, the quality should be there! As I sit here typing this, I have just finished my careplan for tomorrow's shift, enjoyed a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving day with my family, and am now going to sleep since I was on call last night and got about 4 hours sleep! :zzzzz God Bless and Take Care! GC Shore

Amber, Hang in there! I still find myself crying sometimes and my child would have been 8 now.....usually it is when my oldest daughter, 5 years old, gets upset because she can't see him now:crying2: ......it gets complicated but it does get easier..... ((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))) God Bless and take care, Renea

Actually, waiting until after school would be a smart move. In my situation, I already had children when this desire remanifested itself (I had orginally planned to do CRNA, then met my hubby, and got sidetracked.....no regrets). I think that in my situation, I am a better student now than I would have been 6-7 years ago. And yes, believe me, kids are definitely aware of the time spent studying or away.....my smallest (21 months) will never remember; however, my 5 year old may.....so that is where the Disney World bribe comes in:chuckle ......she puts up with me being "gone" for 2 years, then she gets to meet Mickey up close and personal! Best of Luck, GCShore PS The comforting part (for me) is that she noted last week that she thought that "it hasn't been that bad so far!"

Hello, I am currently 11 weeks into CRNA school with a 21 month old daughter and a 5 year old daughter that just started kindergarten. Yes, it can be done with children; however, let me elaborate just a bit: My hubby of 10 years is AWESOME! :kiss He now wears all hats (mom, dad, cook, housekeeper, bill payer, etc). Our children are also very used to schedules. What I mean is that if my schedule allows, I am usually home by 6pm to eat the meal that my hubby has fixed. I bathe our girls, while he does the dishes, and we put them to bed at 7pm. Then I am back to the books, careplans, etc til about 10. The clinical aspect is challenging because if you are at the hospital by 5am and then have clinical 8 or 12 hours, you are exhausted! But, you have to also postop and preop for the next day's clinical if you are back the next day. So it does sometimes make for LONG days and when they are back to back......sleep is like GOLD! My children have adjusted beautifully and so has my hubby (but then I knew he would.....I can't sing his praises enough!) Serious conversations regarding finances, your personal relationships (with spouse, family and friends), and the amount of dedication it takes are needed in order to plan for something like this, but IT CAN BE DONE! I am not the first mommy, nor will I be the last! Everyone that I talked with said that the older my children got, the more they would need me.....so now is my chance to get school done! My youngest will never remember, and the oldest is chomping at the bit for me to get finished so that the bribe of a week at Disney World can be accomplished! Best of luck to you in your endeavors! Take care, GCShore;)