Real Talk

[CardiacDork]

My dreams for anesthesia began during nursing school. I've always been a nerdy, overachiever, type A sort of person.

Let us have some real talk though.

Do you generally enjoy being a CRNA? Do you enjoy it over being an ICU Nurse? What aspects of being a CRNA do you enjoy? Which do you dislike? Please be upfront! I ask myself if I'm making the right decision, and obviously your online comments won't be my determining factor. I however want to gather all forms of data. From personal shadowing experiences to experiences of CRNAs.

Lately I've been feeling burned out in the ICU, and I'm asking myself if CRNA will just be one big extension of that ICU suckiness. I think lately I've been getting a lot of mentally unstable, rude, and violent patients. I'm running low on my spirits and am asking myself... is CRNA gonna be this ten fold?

Please note, CRNA is and was never an escape route for me. It was a plan, but now that I'm feeling a little crusty and baked from ICU bedside nursing I'm wondering.

p.s I still get fulfillment from the sick puppies. It's exciting when I do get a sick patient. Vent, CRRT, multiple drips. It tires me but fulfills me a lot more than a withdrawing ETOH attempting to physically abuse me while pooping everywhere.

[jcam072515]

So. I am currently in an RN program. I have two semesters left until I receive my RN. My school is set up in a more non-traditional way where we do our RN in two years, you take a job, sit for your boards, and then do your BSN classes online.

I know that I still have quite a bit left before I can even consider the possibility of grad school but at the same time, I am the type of individual that functions off of the need to have a larger goal to work toward and the desire to know which direction I need to go.

When I did my OR rotation (which wasn't a lot of OR exposure but I sat in through several surgeries, GI lab procedures, spoke with several surgeons, and several CRNA's) I was absolutely enthralled and in love with the OR. Before nursing school, I worked as a CSA at an LTACH and I'm not going to lie, I have gotten fairly burned out on patient care...it scares me because I'm not even a nurse yet! Right now, I work in telemetry while in school and absolutely love it, although sometimes I kind of miss some patient care but not enough to take a different role. I do love people, but I am an INFJ so I just need a role that will give me contact with people and patients but be limited in order not to feel drained. Lol Anyway, I say that to say that I think personality-wise a CRNA is a good fit for me but there are some areas of major uncertainty. I do consider myself a good student, but I do have to work for my grades. As a nursing student, I put in a lot of study hours...as many as some of you who are in CRNA school. I honestly don't consider myself as talented in science but I am absolutely in love with medicine, which as I understand is not enough for CRNA school as it is heavy in science.

When I began college, I wanted to go to med school and ended up choosing the nursing path because I really struggled with the pre-med science courses. I guess that I am a bit down on myself and wonder if I'm even smart enough to do something like this. I can/do have the discipline to study and make studying my life but how am I so sure that that alone is enough?? Another point of concern is that I do have a family. I married and am a mother of an 8 month old and I know that those three years of intense schooling will be hard on them.

I love a good challenge and I do absolutely love the OR so I feel like the CRNA route would (if I could make it through school) be a great fit. I have also considered the NP role but am concerned that I will become bored and just not feel as fulfilled and just feel limited in my scope of practice. I know that NP generally take extremely basic cases and am not sure if that will make me happy. I would just like some HONEST feedback that might help me figure out which direction would be a good goal for me.

Also, how long would you wait to begin grad school? I know that there are hour requirements that have to be met (I think 2,000 hrs?) but those can generally be met in about 1-1.5 years of working full time.

Sorry for for the long post, but I have had so much on my mind lately and just want to be in a job that I love and that will be enough to help support my family and give my family a good, fulfilling life. 😊