focker14

agree with Wtbcrna....enjoy your freedom...Miller is a great book....read when bored and nothing better to do....work some overtime....drink a few....but in all honesty...just enjoy your free time...

Acutally pulling the midiastinal CT would make one be more cautious....pleural CT are not an issue whatsoever!

Hey there...I hate to burst your bubble but there are no Nurse Anesthesia programs that allow non-nurses in, even with your background. As a CRNA, your liscense is through your states Nursing Board. You must first have a nursing liscense prior to becoming an advanced practice nurse such as a CRNA, NP, etc.... There is a profession called Anesthesia Assistant (AA) which is similar to that of a PA and requires similar classes to that of which you have undertaken, however your scope is limited to the OR (i think). I don't know too much about their profession so i will refrain from talking about it. You are right though, there are in-fact accelerated programs to obtain your BSN in usually 16months....I believe you must have a prior 4 year degree though in something. Good luck in your path...

hahaha...get a plastic binder for it? Just remember the most important rule for an ICU nurse.....LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES and pray you don't make one that really harms a patient....In my 8 year career as an ICU nurse, I have made many mistakes and as a soon-to-be CRNA i'm sure i will make more. However, it's what you take from them that will allow you to practice safely....few other things to remember......keep em alive to 0645....you have to swell to get well....and when your crazy patient tells you he sees bugs in the room, look around just to make sure..

For starters...don't think you could have done more. Doesn't appear the patient was going to make it from the get go. Also people with anoxic brain injuries can develop cerebral edema enough to cause herniation which could have very well happened...The situation you described fits the symptoms...I know you said this was only your second patient to pass but I can tell you that even after your 100th, you still ask that question, it doesn't get easier.

That has been a debate for quite awhile. There are times when it is appropriate and times when it is not. If you need to buy yourself time until you can get a pressor started then by all means I would do it as long as it wasn't contraindicated such as increased ICP's, ARDS, etc...It is beneficial in practice when used appropriately. Doing open heart cases you can immediately seen an increase or decrease in BP and that is why it is used BUT it isn't used for more than a few minutes. I've sat there and argued with residents about NOT placing my patient in t-bird as the hypotension WAS NOT going to be fixed by just position alone! Your not "fixing" the problem just a temporary solution. Remember your body releases endogenous catecholamines in response to hypotension which is a good thing most of the time. Fooling your barorecptors into thinking everything is "ok" usually isn't the best option and regardless, the benefit of t-bird won't last but a few mintues anyways... Also as another poster mentioned T-bird is used A LOT in surgeries not just hernia repair though. Many laparoscopic cases utilize the position to get better views within the abdominal cavity....In robotic lap cases, sometimes our patients are in t-bird for over 6-7 hrs..... jus my 5cents!

Most places do not practice like that espeically in a SICU....If you need some backup there are numerous articles about post-op pain and length of stay in ICU on both intubated and non-intubated patients....I'd much rather have the pain meds vs the sedation...Wow..however it seems as if that is the norm for you place and most likley won't get changed soon....I am a SRNA and have been to over 10 different clinical sites and can tell you that every one of them allowed more than adequate pain meds for their intubated patients, not just surgical....Sorry you even have to deal with that!

That's wrong. However, what were the patient's vitals like? If they were stable and he/she was intubated why not load up on narcs and sedation, especially if he/she was writhing in pain. Knock me out please! Understand the frustration as I know how long all that can take as well as the ignorance of the attending not understanding what just entailed. Unfortunately, not much you can do other than let the MD know what they just put the patient through. Also did he/she know that a bath was just given? Maybe the MRI might have been able to put off till later.....just my 5 cents... But again that must have been painful on both of you!

also, they hire new grads into ICU's here in Raleigh. there is 6 area hospitals...my wife works in a MSCIU at one of them and precepts new grads all the time...

Hey Chris, Well for starters, most programs look at grades and GRE scores. It appears as if your wife would have no problem on that end. RSNA, I would say looks at those more highly than someone with years of ICU experience. As far as age, Im 35 and graduating in August. There are about 4 or 5 classmates that are older than I. It's a good mix. As far as ICU experience as long as she gets the basics down she'll be fine anywhere she goes. ICU is ICU. There are some students in my class who never worked with SWANZ catheters (bascially a catheter inserted into the heart for monitoring) however they are doing just fine in clinical and in class. Level 2 is just fine as long as she gets to know the basics. HAHA....one thing that will be funny is to see how she feels about spinals/and epidurals.....I have a great UC-CH that swears he would NEVER NEVER let a drug enter his spinal column..she is entering a realm that more or less (at least I think, correct me if I'm wrong) goes against her training as a CH... At any rate if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me. my email is [email protected]

34 when I started and will be 36 when I graduate. most in my class are 27-30 and have some outliers both ways though ie, 23yr old and a couple of 40+.

From an anesthesia point of view, No, most MDA/CRNA will not suture in the Aline as we only need it for the duration of the case. In addition, our patients are anesthetized so we do not have to worry about them moving around enough to dislodge it. We do tegaderm and tape the hell out it though..As a unit nurse I always wondered why they didn't suture them in, now being on the other side I see why...We do use 20g IV Caths at times however they typically are the type with a longer catheter. To my knowledge I don't know of any problem with those being placed as opposed to your common "radial" Aline Caths....

Chris, I heard that RSNA is going to $10,000 per year. That doesn't include UNCG fees, however I don't believe that it is close to $42 G. Thinking its about $9000-11,000 for UNCG for both years so that would put the cost around $29-31,000 total for two years.. The thing is though that you can take out student loans for the UNCG tuition/fees however that does not cover the $10,000 per year owed to RSNA. It is like a buisness school if you will. Goverment loans will not cover that cost as it goes to a "for-profit" organization. What some of my classmates do though is utilize the "refund" you get from your UNCG loans to help cover the amount owed to RSNA. Again, even the refund won't cover all the amount owed however it seems like you get around $4-5000 back each year. Hope this helps

Not a problem...Hint of advice though. In all honesty, ICU patients are NOT all on the brink of death, many of them are there to PREVENT bad things from happening to them. I might even say that "most" of them do just fine and eventually get transferred out, and I come from a Level 1 trauma center that has 5 ICU's. As a new nurse, yes, you will be overwhelmed but over time that will subside and as a new ICU nurse you will be overwhelmed and that too will subside over time. Great that you already have ACLS. Your med/surg experience will be great. There were many times that i had not been exposed to something in the ICU that the floor nurses dealt with on a daily basis. Ask an ICU nurse the last time they had to discharge a patient=clueless!! :) Good luck

Honestly don't wait a couple of years, I would suggest get a year on the floor you are at then start applying as soon as you can. I also would not recommend attempting to get into a smaller ICU first, I would attempt to get right into the SICU. Reason being is that you really don't want to have to go through 2 different orientations ie....you might not use as much equipment in the small ICU or utilize many gtts, swans, etc...whereas if you started out in the SICU then you would get exposed to a lot of equipment the first time around. The other reason, which I might get chastized for, is you don't want to pick up bad habits along the way in which your ICU preceptor will have to address. I've seen it too many times. That is why some new nurses get the ICU job over experienced nurses. They sometimes are easier to train. Again, go for what you want. They isn't any reason not too. I started out in the ICU right after school and worked for 7 years in a Surgical Trauma Neuro as did my wife. You will hear a lot of nurses say that you should get 1-2 years experience on the floor prior to going to the ICU----honestly that's a bunch of BS...Being a floor nurse doesn't make you a better ICU nurse just as being a ICU nurse doesn't make you a better floor nurse. Two different styles of nursing and each cannot survive without the other. Good luck with your decision. ICU nursing is great and rewarding. Large learning curve at first but once you get the basics down you'll be ok to take any patient. I'd suggest getting your ACLS/PALS/TNCC prior to applying. It would allow your application to be stronger.