aj111991

Hello everyone! I'm getting ready to schedule CRNA shadow hours, and I want to make the most of my time with the anesthesia providers and make a good impression. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to stand out?

Hi there. I graduated from high school in 2009 when I was 17, enrolled in community college the following semester, completed 18.5 units worth of prerequisites (at two different colleges), and was accepted to a 1-year vocation nurse program. I was 19 when I graduated, took the NCLEX-PN, and got my first LVN job. That said, I had a high school diploma and high enough grades so I could defer general ED courses until after I got my LVN. I'd recommend finding out what are the basic vocational nurse program requirements, see if you can dual-enroll in your local community college, and start taking those courses. Earning a nursing degree fresh out of high school is more common than people realize, and it's incredibly useful if you want to continue your education beyond vocation nursing. There are a lot of RN programs (associates and bachelors) that count the education gained in vocational nurse programs towards an RN degree, and reserve spaces so you can integrate halfway with an RN cohort. I wish you luck as you pursue your future goals!

I am a bachelors-prepared RN with a plan to go back to school for my CRNA in about 4 years. In the meantime, I going to get back into the ICU, complete my GRE, keep up on my certifications (ACLS, PALS, BLS, TCRN, CCRN), and complete the prerequisites for the program. However, since it's going to be a while before I actually get into a program, I've been considering going back to school for a degree in biochemistry. My thought process is that the prerequisites for CRNA are necessary for biochem and a thorough understanding of biochemistry may provide a solid foundation for CRNA. Has anyone else done something similar? Does anyone have any other thoughts on this? I've also posted this question under the SRNA heading. I just wanted to get some advice from those who have gone through CRNA school and have worked in the field.

I am a bachelors-prepared RN with a plan to go back to school for my CRNA in about 4 years. In the meantime, I going to get back into the ICU, complete my GRE, keep up on my certifications (ACLS, PALS, BLS, TCRN, CCRN), and complete the prerequisites for the program. However, since it's going to be a while before I actually get into a program, I've been considering going back to school for a degree in biochemistry. My thought process is that the prerequisites for CRNA are necessary for biochem and a thorough understanding of biochemistry may provide a solid foundation for CRNA. Has anyone else done something similar? Does anyone have any other thoughts on this?

I am trying to commission into the Air Force, and I am scheduled to go to MEPS in a couple weeks. I was wondering if there is anything I need to know prior to my processing. If anyone would like to share their experience, that would be great as well.

When I spoke to my recruiter, he had me list the top three specialties in order of preference that I would work. I'm not sure about applying for multiple positions thing, but it sounds like he'd review available positions for the upcoming year and see if there was space for me.

I'm sure that if you present your experience as a pediatric nurse to a recruiter, he/she might be able to help you figure out where you can fit in. They may have military hospitals that meet the needs of service member's families (such as NICU, L/D, peds ED, etc.), but that is information that only a recruiter can provide to you. In addition, if you were to transition to an adult trauma L1/L2 unit, they'd recommend you have at least 6 months of experience in the field you are attempting to enter. The thing about commission into the Air Force is that they often require some kind of experience in a specialized field (unless you want to try med/surg or OR). At least, this has been my experience thus far. It sounds like you have a great amount of experience across multiple health care platforms; it'll be pretty easy to fit you into military health care.

I definitely have enough experience to qualify for the CEN certification. I think I should be fine, as my experience comes from a larger trauma center.

That's the general impression I'm getting from my recruiter. He treated my history of shoulder pain, ankle sprain, and minor procedures like they were absolutely disqualifying conditions. He wants to submit my medical accessions packet to MEPS for their review, but states he is not confident they will select me based on the information provided. If I can get a specialist to review my medical record and perform an exam, it sounds like they'd be more apt to choose me. Your input is reassuring. Thank you.

Hey y'all! I am currently working on paperwork for Air Force Nursing Corps. I'm going through my medical history, and I'm wondering if anyone knows what conditions are considered disqualifiers for a commission. I've read a few articles, but they're over ten years old and some of the information is contradictory. Any information would help!

That's what I was afraid of. I have been an ER nurse for over two years now, so I'm hopeful I can receive a commission in this specialty. I'm assuming there are opportunities to transfer between specialties once I receive a commission. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Great thread with some great questions. I want to commission as a flight or critical care nurse, but I haven't gotten much in the way of answers from my recruiters. I'd just like to know what the general commissioning process looks like, what I'll have to do, and experience, etc.

I just recently graduated from a BSN program, and I want to pursue my doctorate as a CRNA within the next two or three years. Since I have so much time between now and then, I'd like to start doing to studying. I was told to start with advanced practice pharmacology. I'm borrowing my husband's book (Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice, Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013). Does anyone have any other recommendations for advanced pharmacology books or other subjects I can be reviewing?

I had a similar experience. My CNO had an ex-in-law rehabbing post-surgery. Every hour I asked if he needed anything, and he always denied pain and all other problems. However, when his wife showed up, that all changed. Instead of talking to me about it, she went straight to the CNO's office and complained about everything. The CNO called me into her office and accused me of willful patient neglect and suffering, failure to be an advocate and provide ADLs (holding a water glass up to his mouth when he was capable of doing so himself), and how I was less than the "normal" nurse. Not the best experience for a new grad on her first job.