Single SRNAs..

I have to tell you, my friends and I, we have the hardest time living poor :chuckle. My classmates and I are always saying "That's it, I'm really gonna cut down on my spending" BULL. You get so used to a certain lifestyle as a nurse, and once you're in school you only concentrate on how long it wil be before making a ton of money so you don't really consider yourself poor. You think, shoot I'll be making plenty in a couple years so it really doesn't matter what I spend now. I don't go overboard on my spending, but I don't live without, it's just not worth the stress. If I need more money, I'll just take out more loans, simple. Just a reminder to all of those future SRNAs, anesthesia school is such a small portion of time in your life, you'll find the money you need, don't spend all this time worrying and working like a dog because it'll only make school worse. :)

I have to tell you, my friends and I, we have the hardest time living poor :chuckle. My classmates and I are always saying "That's it, I'm really gonna cut down on my spending" BULL. You get so used to a certain lifestyle as a nurse, and once you're in school you only concentrate on how long it wil be before making a ton of money so you don't really consider yourself poor. You think, shoot I'll be making plenty in a couple years so it really doesn't matter what I spend now. I don't go overboard on my spending, but I don't live without, it's just not worth the stress. If I need more money, I'll just take out more loans, simple. Just a reminder to all of those future SRNAs, anesthesia school is such a small portion of time in your life, you'll find the money you need, don't spend all this time worrying and working like a dog because it'll only make school worse. :)

My feelings exactly!

I guess the national average is that high..

:chuckle

Honey, that is no higher than the national average for "regular" folks! (Sad, but true, and I am one of those statistics).

I'm sure it is hard, but it can be done. (I think - don't ask ME for advice regarding how, though! )

I think the quality of your relationship, and your willingness (both of you) to continue to nurture the relationship matter more than geography ever could.

Jewelcutt, I hear you! I try to think of what I could give up without much pain and nothing comes to mind. We need the housekeeper twice a month, I won't be home to clean and my husband works full time. We won't be buying more whole foods and cooking, we'll be eating takeout because we have no time and energy. I'm not going to stop buying premium dog food. I don't know if I can stand cheap haircuts. Yup, I'm spoiled!

No more traveling though! No weekends in Montreal,, no week in Florida when the winter feels long. And I hate the idea of more loans, so probably I will be able to cut back on things I can't imagine now.

You're right, I've only been a nurse for about a year and a half and I'm already used to living a comfortable lifestyle! I don't plan on giving up cable or my gym membership when I start school just to save a few extra bucks. I guess what I'm worried about when I start school is the lack of social interaction-- I know I'll be so busy with school that I worry that I won't have time to spend with friends, go out on dates, etc..... NCgirl, how do you manage to find time to have fun?? I'm not one of those people who has to get straight A's, but I'm sure I'll still have to study a lot just to get by. Jewelcutt, I agree, this weather sucks a$$. All I want to do lately is hibernate.

Guys, it's all about good time management. I spend every afternoon with my kids (except call nights) until after dinner, then I study for a few hours, spend some more time tucking the little ones in bed and maybe back to the books or watch a little TV. I always take Fridays off school to either go out or just veg and watch a movie. I still make it to the gym 2-3 days/week, play a little guitar, and surf the net. I am doing very well in CRNA school and it's not because I am that smart, but I plan my weeks well and put the time in when I can. I refused to decrease my standard of living too much while in school so I still have cable internet, go out to eat a couple of times a week, pay my gym membership and lots of other little stuff I did not want to give up. I even bought a new big screen TV thanks to 2 years no interest, no payments! :chuckle

My point is, you can still have a life while in CRNA school. It is a rough ride at times and there are times you must sacrifice some things, but you can still enjoy life if you put in the effort. My classmates and I also make it a point to go out together on occassion after class just to blow off some steam and we had a great Christmas party together too! CRNA school is all about hard work, but you have to work hard at having fun too! :)

CRNA school is all about hard work, but you have to work hard at having fun too! :)

I'll remember that! Most graduate students I know, including medical and law, have lives outside of school. I don't know any SRNAs offline but if they can do it we certainly can.

Traumanurse, can you give us the outline of a typical week? How do you plan so everything (important) gets done?

apaisRN you will have plenty of time to get everything done. there were about 10 people in my class that worked the first semester. i noticed you are going to the same school that i am at. you only have class tue=thur so there is plenty of time to study on your days off and i found that i could take a day off each week for myself. each week will be different and your stress level will be high when you first begin but this semester i find myself with a lot of time for myself. it's nice but i know once clinicals start in april i won't have much free time so i'm taking advantage of it now. don't worry about your schedule for now. you will have enough time for you.

I'll remember that! Most graduate students I know, including medical and law, have lives outside of school. I don't know any SRNAs offline but if they can do it we certainly can.

Traumanurse, can you give us the outline of a typical week? How do you plan so everything (important) gets done?

I'll remember that! Most graduate students I know, including medical and law, have lives outside of school. I don't know any SRNAs offline but if they can do it we certainly can.

Traumanurse, can you give us the outline of a typical week? How do you plan so everything (important) gets done?

I agree with TraumaNurse - it truly is in how you budget your time. I am part way through my second semester of an integrated CRNA program, (doing well), and I have to say that my stress level is not really all that high. I really do have a life outside school - I still have time/energy to cook dinner (most nights...some nights I do get takeout:chuckle ), go out with friends, take my puppy for a walk each day, watch my favorite TV shows, etc. I actually kept working PRN at my ICU job last semester. I have decided not to this semester because our clinical hours have increased, (we will be 2:1), so I won't be getting out of the OR at 4pm anymore (more like 6 or later). For me, the extra money I got from working PRN just isn't worth the extra time away from home - I would rather prepare for my cases the next day so I am not stressed out than make an extra few bucks.

The key is to keep up with coursework - if you get behind, you are screwed.

I agree totally! This semester I feel I haven't been studying as much because we simply have class less, clinical more, and more anesthesia plans to do. But you can't get behind with studying. It is making me feel very guilty but I just didn't realize how much the extra clinical load and prep time would take away from study time. I too get enough sleep everynight, go out firdays and saturdays, workout, catch up on favorite tv shows, run errands, and see friends, all because I appropriately manage my study time. I really think that 1st semester srnas do nothing but study because they're not used to the routine and it's totally new material. I think as you progress through school you'll find you've had the material before but it gets more in depth, and those anesthesia plans really do take a lot of time up.

Thanks, Coug, for the info. At the info/interview session they really emphasized how tough it was. Maybe to weed out less serious applicants? I know the work will be hard, but I'm more worried about the time commitment and staying (reasonably) sane. Oh, and I just realized you must be in the same class as a guy I graduated nursing school with - I'll PM you.

HeartICU, you have a PUPPY!? Puppies are sooo much work. But worth it. I have a mature but energetic dog and I do want to make sure he gets enough attention and exercise. Oh, and my husband needs a little attention too.

I'm glad I'm taking this pathophy course - although it won't fulfill any program requirements, I suspect I'll be seeing the material again soon.

I'll remember that! Most graduate students I know, including medical and law, have lives outside of school. I don't know any SRNAs offline but if they can do it we certainly can.

Traumanurse, can you give us the outline of a typical week? How do you plan so everything (important) gets done?

First of all it makes a difference of whether you are in an integrated program or a front loaded. My program is integrated so I can only give you an example of a typical week for me. Maybe someone from a front-loaded program can give an example of one of their weeks.

I get my schedule for each week on Friday afternoon prior. I usually look at what I have to do for school and figure out which days I can fit things in like the gym, errands, movies and study.

If I start my week on Sunday, it goes like this:

SUN: I play with the kids in the am (wife is sleeping since she gets home at 3 am). When wifey gets up, I will usually study/read for about 2 hours before she has to go to work again at 3pm. I make dinner for the kids, give them a bath and then they usually watch a movie before bed. In the hour that they watch a movie, I will often read or work on a project. After the kids are in bed by 8:30-9pm I will study more if I have a test or watch TV.

MON: This semester I am in class from 7:30 until 3pm. I try to get to the gym for an hour before dinner with the family. After dinner, I will either read for a couple of hours and/or prepare care plans for the next days cases. I try to go to bed by 11pm and I always wind down for an hour before bed with no study (Just to avoid anesthesia school nightmares! :chuckle )

TUES: Up at 4:45, in the OR by about 5:50am. Prepare my room, drugs, etc for 7 am start. I am usually out of OR by 3. This semester is a tough one because I then leave the hospital and drive over to the university for evening classes 4:30-7:30. I will either go to the gym after or go home and prepare for clinical.

WED: Same as Tuesday without evening class. I will put in 2-3 hours study in the evening. In the afternoon, I will play with the kids and hand out until after dinner.

THURS: We have 1 rotating day off so if it is today I would study for 3-4 hours in the morning. Evening classes at 4:30-7:30. Watch TV or spend time hanging out with the family.

FRI: Call day. I study in the am and maybe hit the gym again (If this is a good exercise week) Go to OR by 3pm and am in-house call until 7am sat. If I am not on-call, I take Fridays off and spend with the family. This is my "date night" so when we can get a babysitter, we will go out.

SAT: Sleep if I didn't get any on-call. I spend the day with the kids as the spouse is working again, study while they watch the pre-bed movie and kick back and relax for some "alone" time when everyone is tucked in.

Since I am in an integrated program, my weeks vary. Some I am busier than others. If I have a bunch of exams I may skip the gym to spend an extra few hours studying. Some weeks, I hardly study and watch a lot of movies. After this semester, I will have no more evening classes and only anesthesia classes 1 day/week with no rotating day off. I will be in the OR 4 days a week for the remainder of the program plus my call shifts (16 hr weekday and 24 hour weekend). The seniors from my program all say they have more leisure time now that they are getting into their last few months of the program.

My advice, take it week by week. Don't overwhelm yourself with the amount of work you have to do in the semester and plan your time well. As others have said, DO NOT get behind.

We had to complete "time studies" for school to assess our time committments. This semester I am averaging 10 hours/week study, 12 hours class time, 30 hours clinical. Some people in my class put a lot more time reading than I do, but then again, I am not obsessed over being a straight 'A' student. I like to find a good balance in my life between being successful in school, clinical, being a dad and husband, and finding some alone time for me whether to work out or just relax playing guitar or surfing the net (hanging out at allnurses). Sorry if this is lengthy, but I hope it helps.