blongor

I graduated in May (BSN) with a science GPA 3.7 and a nursing school GPA 3.44. I went to a top-rated nursing school, and got a nurse residency position at the #4 CTICU in the country (32 bed: ECMO, VAD's, IABP, etc). Sounds like a good start for someone wanting to be a CRNA, right? Well I need some advice, both personal and professional, and would be so thankful for any help you guys can give me. I didn't mean to sound pretentious with my first few sentences, quite the opposite. I started college pre-med, always wanting to be an anesthesia provider because I truly enjoy the field. However, I deduced to change to the CRNA route after shadowing a few options because I like patient care and felt that it would be more suited to the type of anesthesia I wanted to provide. So, I made a big switch and moved to go to nursing school- all and all, I spend 5 years getting my BSN after switching majors and am in 32K of debt. After graduation, I landed this nurse residency job and took it, but I had to move again. I have stabilized the moving costs and three months later have balanced out my credit cards and can now start paying down my 32k debt, although I make the lowest hourly wage I've ever heard of for new grads (about $22/hour). I had to leave my family, my partner of four years, and all of my friends and family. Naturally, I am feeling a bit down. I like my ICU job, but it is so much work with all of the classes, tests, and certifications I have been required to do for it. I spend at least five days a week at the hospital. I have gotten to the point that I am homesick, miss my family (my mother is fighting cancer and I feel guilty and awful for moving), and am wondering if this is all worth it. Best case scenario, I will probably have to work for two years as an ICU nurse here (although my contract only requires a one year commitment) and then I can start CRNA school, though presumably I will have to move again, as I highly doubt I will get into the program at the University where I currently work. I had originally thought I could get in there and have them pay for part of it (they offer about 10k a year toward it, although the total cost is almost 100k). I plan to get a DNP (because as I understand it, an MSN will not cut it for CRNA's anymore and I should just go ahead and do a BSN to DNP program). So, by the time this is all done, I will be 29 years old, with at least 100k worth of debt. A friend of mine who stayed pre-med at the college I started out at long ago has decided to become an AA (Anesthesiologist Assistant) and was recently telling me about her decision. Granted, I like the idea of more autonomy, broader scope of practice, and the job opportunity of CRNA, it sound like a solid choice. She is 24 (my age) and will be done is her masters degree in two years, with about 80k of debt, and start out at 26 with the same salary I would at nearly 30 years old. All the while, staying in our hometown city near her family and friends. I don't mean to downplay the fulfillment I get out of being and ICU nurse. I do enjoy it, to a degree. But most days I am just trying to tell myself that this will all have been worth it, and i just don't now if it is true anymore. I could spend about two more semesters catching up on AA prerequisites and start in a year or two in an AA program, or stay the course and hope that I have any chance in hell of becoming the CRNA I have always wanted to be. Does anybody have any advice on which path I should take? Personal or professional advice is welcome, because after all, we are all human. Money is NOT everything to me, my family is important to me. And I am so tired of starting over in a new city with new people and losing the friendships, relationships, and the lives I have had each step along the way. I feel like I am getting too old and that I will miss my opportunity to find a husband, have a family, and see my own. Thank you all for reading this long post, I really appreciate it if you have made it this far. Much love to my nursing community, you are incredible people and my respect for you grows more and more each day.

Hey DjgRN, I'm staring at 7W on Aug 25th too! Congrats on getting the position. I'm moving from out of state and trying to find a place in the area, have you had any luck or are you still looking for housing? Message me on here or email, [email protected]. It'd be great to get to know my future coworker! Thanks, have a great day.

I am graduating from nursing school in May with my BSN. There's a chance I can work for the University Hospital and get some tuition payed back, and I know I need ICU experience for CRNA school. It looks like my gpa will be around a 3.2 or 3.3, which I know is on the lower end of the spectrum. But I honestly believe that my school made the curriculum too hard, and a 3.2 was great comparatively, in my class. I will be doing role transition (last semester rotation) in a CVICU and am hoping to be hired on at the end, as many of my classmates find their jobs through role transition. So that would be excellent for CRNA applications; the alternative is a medical or surgical ICU at the same hospital and still get some tuition payed back. Another option I am looking at is doing a nurse residency program at the University hospital in ICU, but you end up rotating for a while in different ICU's then get placed in one, not necessarily the one you want, for the duration of the residency. My goal is to work for a year or two and go back to CRNA school as quickly as possible. So my questions are.. 1. What option for after graduation (CVICU, ICU nurse residency, or regular medical or surgical ICU) would help me the most in applications to CRNA school? 2. Because my gpa is lower and not as competitive, what else should I do to increase my chances of being accepted? 3. When should I plan to apply to CRNA school? I will have to move out of Georgia, as we only have one school. I was thinking Florida, the Carolinas, or worst case- AL/TN. Although I'd be willing to move for school pretty much anywhere. 4. That being said, is there any advantage to looking for a job now after graduation at the hospital of a school I would want to go to CRNA school at to gain in state tuition and/or an easier acceptance into their program as an employee? Thank you so much for any help you can provide. This site is an incredible place full of wonderful people who are so caring and supportive of each other; though, I've come to realize that that is what nursing is all about. I am so happy and excited to become a part of this amazing profession. Thank you again.

I am currently finishing my junior year in my BSN program. Many of the students in my class are going for externships and tech jobs this summer, and my question is this: because my end goal is to become a CRNA, would becoming an anesthesia tech be better experience? I know that they have certifications of their own, but most of the students in my class doing nurse tech jobs are just being allowed to do it without completing tech training. Has anyone ever heard of a nursing student working part time/prn over the summer and during their last year of school to gain OR and anesthesia experience in preparation for CRNA school applications? Would it benefit me with my application to grad school? Any advice would be great. Thank you!

I know. It's the CDC, a far more reliable source for actual research-based information. OSHA works with the legal implications of mandatory industry standards; if you want information on the research behind the reason for getting vaccines for health care workers, refer to the CDC. And refer your patients to the CDC for any kind of epidemiological data.

Vaccines: Spec-Grps/Healthcare Workers

Alright, well it honestly is my dream to become a CRNA. I cannot wait for the day when I get that acceptance letter. You've helped me out a lot, and I think the AA path would be settling for me. Thanks again.

If this is honestly your biggest hesitation to you education, do us all a favor and don't become a nurse.

I don't mean to be rude, but the flu shot is really not even for your benefit. It is for the patients. We work in areas where people are incredibly compromised (at least most of us do at some point) and just like the required immunizations and boosters, they serve to prevent you from transmitting a disease to someone who it could seriously injure. And anyhow, what reservations could you possibly have to getting one? You are in the healthcare industry! Please don't tell me that you think vaccines are not safe, cause some kind of obscure disease, or have any negative effects for a healthy individual. You need to be advocating the same information to your patients and the people in your community as well. Don't spread the detrimental rumor that people shouldn't get vaccines.

Hey! Well great so far, sounds like you've been on top of it! I agree with the above comments, but when I took A&P I found that the best way to study was to do it separately. I KNOW, that sounds crazy. But learn the patho first, then the organs and tissues it applies too. Use sample tests to quiz yourself on patho, and teaching the concepts to a classmate, friend, or even your dog will be good for you. Just need to explain it, verbally, to anyone or anything you want so that you can really master the material. As for the anatomy part, sorry but that's mostly memorization. Make flashcards (study blue is great for that, it's a free flashcard app for your phone), or go into the lab and take pictures of the models- print them out and label EVERYTHING. I think that application through practice quizzes and tests, and verbalizing the information by talking it through will really help. Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great :)

Is that your overall GPA from undergrad, or only the nursing school aspect? Also, in your opinion, is any type of ICU more advantageous to have experience in that another? I know the general rules of thumb, but I mean, CV vs NEURO vs SURGICAL vs MEDICAL. et. c. Also, any advice on the profession of AA? My current school (Emory) offers a program that I can go straight into without ICU experience, and I think I would have a pretty good chance of getting in here. Would you say take the gamble and continue onto CRNA (hopefully getting accepted to a good school) or just stay local and finish my education years earlier for a similar paying job?

Thanks for the advice, wtbcrna. May I ask you what you do? Any experience in anesthesia? I understand that the AA path is uncertain, but I feel that my chances of getting into CRNA school are too. I will be taking the GRE this summer, and hopefully work at Emory University Hospital after graduation, which will require a two year agreement. Do you think that with my GPA and this experience I would be a sufficient candidate?

I am currently a student at Emory University in the BSN program. I have a year left, and ultimately I want to become a CRNA. That means that after graduation I will need to find an ICU job, sign a two year contract to get trained there (at least at Emory), and work for (realistically) 3-4 years in the ICU before I can get into CRNA school. The thing is, I'm from Georgia, and I like it here. Eventually, I'd like to relocate, but I'm 22 and all my family is here so I'm just not looking to go out of state anytime soon. My current GPA is 3.2, and honestly it'll probably stay around that by the time of graduation. Emory is hard and they use a grading scale that makes my average of a 3.2 about a 86/87 overall average. I would love to become a CRNA and it really is my goal, but another option has recently become apparent to me. Emory has a PA program that trains students to become AA's (Master of Medical Science). A current student that is graduating that program this year reported a job offer (though in a more rural area of Georgia) paying $150,000 plus overtime/yr. THAT'S HUGE! I'm becoming tempted to just go straight into the AA program here at Emory so that I can start making that kind of money in two more years after graduation, instead of working ICU and MAYBE getting into CRNA school somewhere far from home. The only thing is, I know AA's are fairly limited in job opportunities and 150k sounds like the max one can really make. I originally wanted to work independently one day as a CRNA in an outpatient plastic or orthopedic surgery center, ideally. But AA's, it seems, only work in larger hospitals under constant supervision. I'm looking at the pro's and con's, and I think I would have an easier time getting into AA school here. It feels like less of a risk to take then going out and working full time for an indefinite number of years while waiting to get into CRNA school. But will I regret it? I don't want to feel like I've settled in the end but that salary and the possibility of being done and earning it way sooner is, again, very tempting. Any insight would be great, I've shadowed a CRNA before and loved it, and plan to shadow an AA soon, possibly over spring break. But lately I've just been so excited that the light at the end of the tunnel seems so much closer now! However, I don't want to let this excitement cloud my judgement for a long-term career choice. Thanks everybody! I sincerely appreciate it.