dread_pirate_roberts

The thing about the CRNA profession is that membership in the AANA is highly encouraged, and it shows. Over 90% of CRNAs have paid a small fortune to be a part of this organization, as well as donating to the PAC in order to make the scope of CRNA pr...

48 hours is the recommendation, but as you might know - every person and patient is different. They metabolize differently, and have compounding comorbidities that will make them more susceptible to PIS. The best way to answer this question for yours...

I feel like I read this same type of question in a lot of areas, and my knee-jerk response will always be the same....Yes/No. There are days when I feel like the dumbest person in the room and I want to quit. There are days when my patient tells me t...

I agree with above. It never looks good to have that on your record, but these kinds of things are why admission is based on more than just prior grades. While there's no way for us to know how it will affect your chances, you can still contact the d...

It really depends on why you like Emergency so much! I found that, as long as things were going smoothly (knock on wood), adult ICU can be a very "boring" and death-ful place (that also depends on what ICU you work in - I worked in a general surgical...

Agree with all of the above - not to mention, you can record lectures on notability (provided you have permission from your instructors to do so). I love having my iPad Air for notetaking, it takes my notes down from an entire large 3-ring binder to ...

I loved doing CRRT, and used prismaflex. I agree with the previous assessment that the scales can be pretty annoying (literally, if access or return line is barely touching it, it alarms). You get good at it though, learn where to drape the lines so ...

For what it's worth - when I was in my second semester of nursing school, I was rejected from an internship on OB/L&D. I was heartbroken because I thought it was what I wanted to do. Regardless, I wanted some experience and the only open part tim...

The thing about CRNA school is that if you want it bad enough and you're passionate about a career in anesthesia, a GPA of 3.4 won't keep you out of school. If you want a higher GPA, go back and retake some classes that brought your GPA down. Otherwi...

I wanted to save more, but I started applying thinking there was no way I'd get in on my first application cycle but I did! We probably had $6,000 in savings when I started, but thankfully we don't have kids my husband has a steady government job wit...

JJ, you're right. That might be a little bit of an extreme way to say it, but in general nursing curriculum focuses on the patient in a holistic manner, whereas medical school curriculum focuses on cellular level processes and diagnosis, etc. Obvious...

CRNA school is science. It's heavy on physics, pharmacology, chemistry, clinicals etc... but it is also heavy on professionalism (>90% of CRNAs are members of AANA) and a holistic view of your patient with certain required base courses like advanc...

Even if CVRU doesn't have their patients for very long, they have them for the time when they are most likely to be hemodynamically unstable and require quick thinking and problem solving skills. You will get very good, very fast at titrating drips, ...

Know your job very well! While I agree with Hobberdog, I also got a few questions I wasn't expecting (another tip - don't over-prepare on specific questions, you might end up forgetting basic things *raises hand*). For instance, know what you would h...

I can't speak for sure to whether just "alumni" status would help you. What I can tell you is that I worked extremely hard in my BSN program, was Student Nurse of the Year for my school and Student Nurse of the Year for my state, and was vice preside...

Great video! Though I will speak up a little for MSN programs, we actually are a front-loaded didactic program. We spend 10 intense months in classroom and simulation learning, then go for 18 months of full-time clinicals, peppered with some classroo...

I can definitely see where you're coming from because whether to still scrub or not isn't readily available on their website. The informational booklet (from the manufacturer) my SICU received stated that we were still to scrub, but perhaps that info...

According to the manufacturer's recommendation AND the recommendation of the IV resource team at the hospital where I work, you still have to scrub with an alcohol wipe prior to accessing any port. We are currently only using Curos caps on our patien...

Things that show you're serious about the quality of your education can include asking about number of cases you'll see before graduation, the attrition rate, the pass rate on the licensure exam, percent of grads who find work quickly after graduatio...

"Your ventilator is peak pressure alarming - other than your patient biting down on the tube, what might be happening?" "Your patient needs to be intubated, not emergently but soon. What items do you want ready to go in your room?" "What are some rea...

I definitely don't disagree with your statements, and I surely don't think they're harsh. There are many reasons I decided to apply with my level of experience, and I understand why this timeline I've chosen isn't a popular one with experienced SRNAs...

That's ok! I applied to a school in the upper midwest and was granted an interview for the beginning of November. I'm nervous, but I've been studying practice CCRN questions and I'm taking a graduate pathophysiology class so I'm hopeful that the prep...

Stepbystep, did you apply this year? How much experience do you have? I applied and was granted an interview. I currently have 8 months of experience, but would have about 1.5 years by the time of matriculation if I'm accepted.

How were you able to sit for the CCRN so quickly? I did the calculations for myself and if I work even one extra shift a week it'll take me to 13 months to meet the hours requirements. Tell me your ways!

Without knowing anything more about your preceptor, it sounds like she's the kind of person who's forgotten how stressful the first few months of work on a critical care unit can be. We have a ton of autonomy to make nursing judgments and decisions, ...