ICUDOUCME?

I graduated last month and will take boards at the end of this month. The schools in your area sound great. It really would make the difference between do-able and impossible if you could be home every night. Good luck with everything.

All the following is my own opinion of course and I don't mean to be harsh. It's just the first thing that I thought of when I read your post. I was 46 when I entered nurse anesthesia school. I would have done it sooner but I was still raising a family. You could put off school. It's a matter of timing. Yes, people have gone to CRNA school with small children. None of them will tell you that it was ideal, I'm sure. They must have had their reasons for pushing it. Why do you want to do it all at once? Unless your husband stays home to be with them, you will be putting them in some kind of childcare situation. If that is grandma or grandpa, I guess that's one thing. But church people or siblings watching them will put a strain on relationships. I worked a part time job when my kids were little and I had no end of childcare hassles! I think you are letting yourself in for a wild ride and I think you would do better to complete your family as planned. Then, when they are in school, you can go to anesthesia school. You will still have a very hard go of it but it will be a little more managable. Are you living near a school? That's another thing. People in my program, who had kids, were away from them for weeks at a time, living in another state for months and only getting home every other week. If the program is in your city and the clinical sites are there as well, then that's another thing. Maybe try to find a school near you or move to a city with a school.

Hi Nick, In many hospitals, but not all (especially rural areas) the anesthesiologist will do the pre-op interview and then turn the case over to the nurse anesthetist. The doc can then charge for supervising the case. He/She is also required to be available throughout the case if needed. This is called the "anesthesia care team" approach. From the anesthesiologist's viewpoint, this ensures a thorough evaluation of a patient's readiness to undergo surgery and safety of the patient throughout the case. From the nurse anesthetist's view, the involvement of the doc is unnecessary since we are trained to do the pre-op evaluation ourselves and monitor the patient's safety and respond to problems on our own. So, as you can see, there is a conflict and a controversy here. Bottom line is that nurse anesthetists provide approx. 65% of the anesthetics in the country and a much higher percentage of the rural anesthetics. It's cool to work in an environment where you can call on a collegue in the middle of a case (be it an anesthesiologist or another nurse anesthetist) for help if needed. So it just depends on the attitudes of the people involved as to how they work together. Common drugs given before surgery are typically to calm you down. So the fact that you got "lit up" is a puzzle. I really can't guess what they gave you.

It's hard to answer this question in general terms. Everyone's situation is SO different. For me, my excitment mellowed into determination to succeed. It has been a hard road, but when you get it into your head that you are going to do it, no matter what, then the anxiety or whatever negative emotions (lonliness, etc) just fit into your determination to get through it. I have heard of others going through anesthesia school that have hit brick walls in clinicals, at home, at school..and have just not been able to continue for one reason or another. This will occur no matter what profession you are seeking. I'm sure many people that start out in nursing school or medical school fight the same challenges. For me, it was all about the timing. My kids are grown and my husband has a good job (at least for now) so it was optimal timing for me. I think some people make it harder on themselves by launching into this with other than workable circumstances. That is a totally personal decision and they are doing it for good reasons, I'm sure. But it does make for a harder time.

I interviewed at Wolford and was accepted but ended up at another school for various reasons. It's true that a high percentage of those INTERVIEWED are accepted but I'm sure that is not the case with the majority of applicants to the school. You will have to take the previous posters at their word I think. Some have had a terrible time there and others think it's a great school. Take your pick. There are pros and cons to every school I've every heard about on these forums.

I can only speak to my particular school. But I imagine that every school, just as every individual that failed out, is different. In my school, the class started with 15 and four "failed out" or didn't make the 83% overall during a given semester. Two of these students are continuing on with the next class and I have every confidence that they will succeed. These were acedemic reasons. Clinical competence was up to par with the students that made it to the clinical portion (one student did not make it to clinicals). In fact, three of the students I'm talking about were within a few tenths of a point from the cutoff. So it was a matter of a few questions one way or another on some tests that semester. I have only heard anecdotally that some clinical mistakes will get you kicked out, like injecting too much phenyephrine because they didn't dilute it at all. I think others drop out due to pressure but this differs with the individual as well as how lucky they are in their preceptor assignments. My advice in clinicals is to prepare as much as you can for the next day's cases (if you have the information ahead of time, which isn't always the case) and keep your nose clean. Be mature in handling stress (don't yell at anyone). Ask questions even if you think it's a dumb question. You might get ridiculed for asking but it's better than making a mistake with a patient. Be proactive in seeking out information on your own also. You WILL work with difficult personalities and you WILL be frustrated and embarassed in some situations. Figure out how to deal with it in a constructive manner and you will be fine.

Awesome!!!!! Congratulations! What a relief you must be feeling. I take boards in January. Did you take Valley and do you think it was right on? Did you use Prodigy software? If so, was it helpful? I took Valley and I also have the prodigy questions. Thanks

Wow, Optimistic...that's terrible. I feel so bad for you and others in your situation. Of course we don't know what we are doing sometimes, we are learning (pssstt...it's because we are STUDENTS!). What a load of horse crap that they are dumping on you! They are arrogant to think that they know everything. I've heard experienced (20+ yrs) CRNAs tell me that they still see stuff that they've never seen before. I've had MDAs tell me that they still learn things all the time. That's how it should be. Something is going to bite them sooner or later, whether they admit it to anyone or not. And in that moment, they will be surprised that they didn't know something.

Well, some questions for you...have you met any CRNAs? Or only wanna-bes like this guy you described? Have any of these CRNAs been decent people? Do you know of anyone else in your nursing class (who wants to be a CRNA) with determination and brains but doesn't act like this guy? Have you met any successful people in any walk of life that is not a jerk??? Well then, you have your answer. There are successful people with drive and determination, who are smart, who are decent, nice people, who do not brag about accomplishments, who do not try to make you feel inferior. Model your path after them. It's one thing to talk a lot about being a CRNA, it's another to shadow some real CRNAs, study for the GRE like your life depends on it, get great experience in a high acuity ICU for at least two years (to be competitive and get a good knowledge base), fill out all the applications, pay all the fees, pray like hell for an interview, fly all over the country attending interviews, selling yourself, praying like hell for an acceptance letter....and then...working like hell for two-three years and then....taking the certification exam...then being a CRNA! A word about this guy...INSECURE. Stay away from him. Know yourself. Don't talk. Do.

I know this post was originally made in March but it's a good one to keep going. I must say, (and I only say this to give people hope), that I have not suffered abuse, physical or emotional, in my clinical rotations. The worst preceptors I had (only two of the many) were just emotionally and socially weird and could not communicate effectively. Fortunately I only worked with them a handfull of times. I hope your outlook improved Fungirl if you are still watching this post. Maybe just getting that much closer to graduation was enough to help you.

I totally agree with the above post. In my opinion, all these topics are good questions to ask a prospective school. Some schools have 1 or 2 primary clinical sites and you don't travel beyond that. Therefore, whatever that site's philosophy is regarding allowing students to do things will be constant. So if you land in a school that won't let you do the lines, the regional, the other technical stuff, you will not be proficient in those skills when you graduate. Schools that send you to several sites will lessen the risk that you will be pigeon-holed.

Mike, As far as I'm concerned, you sound competitive, esp if you do as well or better than 1000 on the GRE. It's not necessary to take additional chemistry or physics if the schools you want to apply to don't require them. The actual chemistry and physics portion of the individual school varies widely. At my program, we were taught some general physics principles and reviewed chemistry but it was not a huge deal. They taought us what we needed to know as a base for pharmacology and understanding gas laws and then we moved on. The thing I think is important to keep in mind is that most schools are looking at the total picture, your grades, your GRE, your experience, etc. all rolled into one. This stuff gets you an interview. The interview is very important! And some schools are easier to interview at than others. Read some archives here and search for the schools you want to apply to. Find out what different interviews are like at these schools. Then put your best foot forward and gp for it. Lots of interview tips in the archives as well. Good luck.

You know, this is an interesting question. I don't think all programs are created equal, nor are all the students in a given program created equal. In my experience with my own school and talking to many different CRNAs from other programs over these two years, there are many variables in the mix. These include the teaching styles of the professors, perceived levels of difficulty, time in class vs time in the OR, testing philosophies, etc. One thing only is constant and never based on subjective variables...the board exam. All SRNAs have to take the same test nationwide...(just like the NCLEX. Doesn't matter what nursing school you went to, if you passed the NCLEX, you are an RN). Some programs are longer because they add a teaching component. Some are shorter because they don't require some of the graduate nursing classes that other programs do. But the standard number of cases that you have to have in clinicals is the same for everyone. Pick a school based on what is important to you. Do some research about the schools you are interested in. Then be the best that you can be personally. Believe me, the quality of practitioner you become is entirely up to you and within your control.

I've never heard of any clinical site that pays the SRNAs. I have heard about anesthesia groups that will give a potential employee some money during school in exchange for a committment when they get out though. I would think that paying a clinical student while teaching them would be kind of getting close to the edge of legality...just my opinion.

Well,it sounds like you know a lot about many different aspects of critical care...it's all good! The interviewers will want to know what types of patients you cared for and then they may ask questions related to that type of patient. So don't mention anything you don't want to discuss in detail. But it also depends on the school. They are all very different when it comes to interview styles. Some schools will grill you on hemodynamics and invasive line monitoring...others will mostly focus on your motivations and support systems for going to school. Search this board for your particular school of interest. Believe me, this subject is covered here for a great many schools. Good luck with the process.