EmTrauma

Hey everyone! I am a trauma ICU nurse interested in going back to school! I have just had a little over a year experience and have decided to begin thinking about the route I want to take. I am fairly certain it will be CRNA or ACNP. The unit I come from is known for cranking out CRNAs which has made me very interested in the field. I am planning to apply for next fall so I need to begin studying for GRE, CCRN, etc. Mainly, I love the ICU setting, I don't mind 12 hour shifts, or the occasional holiday. I am used to working nights with 2 on call every 6 weeks, and mandatory summer/winter holidays so it can only get better. I love challenges my favorite part of the job is having an unstable/crashing patient and having to rapid infuse, titrate drips and collaborate with doctors to stabilize and regain homeostasis. I feel like CRNA has my favorite aspects of my job but I also can see the field being a bore (sitting through 4 hour orthopedic surgery documenting vital signs) I would LOVE an honest opinion of both fields: why did you chose one over the other? what do you like/dislike about the field? was the amount of school / clinical experience enough to prepare you for the job? how stressful is your job and do you feel you are you compensated monetarily for the amount of stress? YES I plan on following both and I am so excited and hope this helps as well, thank you so much for the help!