Questions about schooling

Alpha13 · Jul 6, 2005

Ok it appears from the lack of responses I asked too many questions so I reduced it just one. Hope someone doesn't mind sharing their day :)

heartICU · Jul 6, 2005

Hey guys, what is a typical day like for an SRNA? I'd like to hear what its like for you guys.
Thanks

A typical clinical day for me is like this:

Get to the OR at 6am, set up room, get drugs ready. Patient shows up outside room at approx 7am, interview them. (Have already looked them up the night before and reviewed labs/meds/etc). Make sure they were NPO since midnight, stopped meds appropriately, etc. Reinforce the anesthesia type (general vs regional, sedation, whatever). Bring them into the room, put them on OR table, apply monitors. Give a little versed or fentanyl if patient needs/warrants. Page staff to let him/her know we are ready to induce. When staff gets there, induce or do regional block, insert additional lines if necessary/indicated. Staff leaves. Finish positioning patient, inserting OG if needed, esophageal steth, etc. Monitor patient carefully, frequent vitals, labs if necessary, TOF if relaxing, etc. Intervene when necessary. Call staff when case is done and patient is ready to wake up, or if patient becomes unstable at any time during the case. Staff usually pops head in once or twice, or calls OR to check progress/patient condition.

If I have another case, same thing. If not, I look up the next day's assignments. What time I get to go home depends on my rrom's schedule for the day and how many people the anesthesia dept staffed that day. Soemtimes 3pm, other not till 8. Sorry for the short response - I am on hold in between cases right now actually - patient has not arrived yet, so I am trying to kill some time.

Alpha13 · Jul 6, 2005

Thanks, GL with your case. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but no actual surgery goes on during the case? The patient is there strictly for you to practice gasing him?

skipaway · Jul 6, 2005

Thanks, GL with your case. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but no actual surgery goes on during the case? The patient is there strictly for you to practice gasing him?

No, Surgery is being done while he's "gassing" the patient.

heartICU · Jul 6, 2005

Thanks, GL with your case. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but no actual surgery goes on during the case? The patient is there strictly for you to practice gasing him?

Haha, forgot t mention that part. The surgical team then does their part after I have induced and the patient is deep enough. When surgery is over, the case is over, and we wake them up, or take them intubated to PACU or ICU if indicated.

utahliz · Jul 9, 2005

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heartICU · Jul 9, 2005

What is the atmosphere like among the SRNA students? I'm in an accelerated BSN program where 8 of the 24 students (including me) want to be CRNA's. The competitiveness is really dragging me down. I'm holding onto my 4.0 GPA by working my a** off, but every time there's a group project or an exam, several of the CRNA hopefuls end up bashing colleagues or otherwise behaving badly out of fear of losing that all-important A. (It's especially ironic that the last episode occurred in a Community Health class where dealing with the homeless, teen moms and the persistent mentally ill ought to have put an A- in its proper perspective.) I'm just wondering whether I'm facing another 2+ years of that in CRNA school, or whether it wears off after starting a program because "you're in".... Any comments?

Ir probably depends on what program you are in. I will say, though, that in the beginning of my program, almost half of us said that we wanted to be CRNAs. Half! Of course, many didn't know what this entailed, or only wanted to be a CRNA because we had heard about the lucrative career options. And two years after my class graduated, guess how many students are currently SRNAs: one. And you are talking to her. (One of my classmates will be a CRNA in the fall, so she will make two).

My program is very collegial - my classmates are extremely supportive of each other. While there is some competition to get the best grades possible, I think it's more of a competition against ourselves rather than each other. If things are really as bad as you say in your class, don't be surprised if admission committees see right through that. My admissions committee at my program looks to see how you will fit in personally as well as academically. If you are not flexible and supportive to each other, how can you be flexible and supportive for your patient? Many prospective applicants have been denied a spot because of poor attitudes. So I wouldn't worry about it at this point. Those who would not be appropriate in the CRNA role will weed themselves out. Don't forget, everyone still needs to do their time in the ICU, and "life" often happens. People get pregnant, married, divorced, etc and school becomes a distant option instead of the foremost concern. Just concentrate on doing the best you can, and forget about all the bull***i! :-)