Reasons NOT to be CRNA

Nursing Students SRNA

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I'm a student nurse in a BSN program in florida. I heard about CRNAs shortly after I decided to purse a nursing career. I thought I had my mind set on being a CRNA. However, so far in school, I'm not doing as well as I thought I would in the classroom. Compared to my classmates, I'm about average, but I had a high GPA before nursing school and I do well on standardized tests, so I know I can do well on the GRE. My performance in the classroom, along with other things has discouraged me from wanting to be a CRNA someday because I feel that maybe I'm not good enough to be competitive. I also feel like some other niches in nursing may be a better fit and more interesting for me. My point and question is, I'm not even sure if I want to CRNA because I've heard alot of good things, but nothing bad about it. Now I would like someone to educate me on woes of a CRNA/SNRA. I just want an honest opinion of both sides of the fence from people who have been there and done that. Not too much to ask right?:o

And in many facilities, it is the CRNA's responsibility for positioning of the patient. And many times the patient is much larger than the CRNA. There will be quite a bit of "back" work involved if you are planning to work with adults.

What are you talking about, I am a CRNA and have worked in several different setting from the big city (Denver) to the rinky dink (Raton) and the OR nurse handles this. Please do not overstep your knowledge base, if you don't know just say you don't know.

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I've not seen any of that in the facilities that I have worked in. Big patient? Call the techs! Code brown? Let PACU worry about it! Really bad code brown? Ooops - will have to reschedule this one! Surgeons get away with murder.

-S

I've seen that in the OR myself ... the attitude definitely was: let PACU worry about the code browns. Even if the patient went during surgery, they didn't want to clean them up ... they just wanted to dump it on PACU.

I'm sure this doesn't happen in all OR's but ... when I was there it was really sad, actually, that nobody was willing to clean up the patient. So I just offered to do it myself which, I did.

:typing

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What are you talking about, I am a CRNA and have worked in several different setting from the big city (Denver) to the rinky dink (Raton) and the OR nurse handles this. Please do not overstep your knowledge base, if you don't know just say you don't know.

I worked OR for about 20 years, and in many of the facilities it actually has been the responsibility of the CRNA for placement of the patient, padding of the arms and shoulders, etc. And I am still sticking by what I have said. And it states right in the charting of the OR nurse, that positioning was done by the CRNA or anesthesia team.

In some facilities it is a joint effort, but the CRNA is always going to be involved one way or another, and the CRNA role does not excuse them from moving the patient after the procedure to the gurney, or bed, etc. Being a CRNA still included physically moving and lifting, not the job for someone that has back issues.

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And working in the OR, you each need to be a team player. We work together to help the patient. And I have had surgeons assist in a Code Brown, they were happy to get their case done hours earlier, and did not have an issue with this.

Same way that I have started IVs under the drapes for anesthesia so that they could be doing something else.

OR is not a place for someone that has issues with moving patients, or are afraid of secretions from patients.

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And if a patient pooped on the OR table, it is quite messy to move them with all of that. Much easier and quicker just to clean it. And in all of my years of working OR and PACU, I never had one patient come out that had pooped in the OR and was not cleaned up first. No manager that I ever worked with would tolerate that.

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And my final comment on the topic:

Guess that I trained back in the day when you treated your patient as you would want to be treated, or would expect that your family members were treated like. Still stick by what I have done and will continue to do.

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I worked OR for about 20 years, and in many of the facilities it actually has been the responsibility of the CRNA for placement of the patient, padding of the arms and shoulders, etc. And I am still sticking by what I have said. And it states right in the charting of the OR nurse, that positioning was done by the CRNA or anesthesia team.

In some facilities it is a joint effort, but the CRNA is always going to be involved one way or another, and the CRNA role does not excuse them from moving the patient after the procedure to the gurney, or bed, etc. Being a CRNA still included physically moving and lifting, not the job for someone that has back issues.

The CRNA does check positioning but the when moving a patient, the CRNA's responsibility is at the head of the bed, that is the bottom line..... your scenario is not the norm... you can argue all you want to try and save face but the the reality is not what you describe.

Sorry, but that is just the way it is, I have been in nursing just as long (if not longer.. FYI)

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Specializes in Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.
.....

The title of the thread is: Reasons NOT to be a CRNA. There are upsides and downsides to every career path so, I'm not sure why it's wrong to consider the downside when becoming CRNA is such a big financial investment.

You also seem to be forgetting that I've agreed with you that it's probably worth it in the long run. But, again, for my particular situation, it would take quite awhile to recoup the lost income and debt.

:typing

I do not think it is wrong to consider the down side of being a CRNA. And there definitely ARE downsides, as there are with EVERY job. If one claims that there aren't any downsides, they are delusional, in the extreme minority, or just plain lying.

To me it makes no sense to go into "nursing" and then becoming a CRNA where your patient is mostly asleep. (but that is just my personal opinion)

I'm facing this same issue with just going to grad school to be ACNP. You figure the cost of education (estimated by school at $88K over 2 years) plus the ~ $100K I won't be making in income over those two years, and it equals $188K for education. Is that worth it? I honestly don't know. Am I really $188K miserable in my current position? I don't know.

If I decide not to pursue ACNP, that cost above will be the precise reason.

I don't know if you have the opportunity to shadow any CRNA's, but that would be my suggestion. You can then see for yourself what is good and bad about it. No one can tell you if this is right FOR YOU. It will be right for some, and not right for others.

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I'm facing this same issue with just going to grad school to be ACNP. You figure the cost of education (estimated by school at $88K over 2 years) plus the ~ $100K I won't be making in income over those two years, and it equals $188K for education. Is that worth it? I honestly don't know. Am I really $188K miserable in my current position? I don't know.

If I decide not to pursue ACNP, that cost above will be the precise reason.

This is exactly my point. I'm also looking at NP and, believe me, I will be doing the exact same cost/benefit analysis. It has nothing to do with discriminating against CRNA or any other career path ... and everything to do with whether or not it's a prudent investment.

:typing

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Suzanne4;

It is everybody's responsibility for positioning and not just anesthesia's responsibility. I do not position any pt without the surgeon in the room especially for positions other than supine. Granted I will make a final check to make sure the pt is in good alignment , however my notes always state that pt postioned by OR team and surgeon, and as stated to you above during positioning the CRNA's role is to manage the airway and the others in the room manage everything else.

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Camoflage; are you a CRNA in the Denver area? I see that you do not want to recieve emails. I live in Denver and I am looking to talk with a CRNA in this area. You can send me an email or private message, thanks a lot

SC

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I have heard from so many people in school and at my work that they want to be a CRNA because they make GREAT money. No job is worth it if you don't have the heart or passion for it. I stumbled into wanting to be a CRNA two ways. The first was a good experience at a bad time. When my father passed away suddenly during surgery the CRNA on his case stayed with my mom until I could make it to the hospital and consoled my mom, which she did not have to do. The second way that I came about wanting to become a CRNA was examining what setting I wanted to work in when I finish nursing school. I love the ICU and the monitoring, procedures and need for constant learning. I wanted to see where I could go from there and evolve my patient care, that is when I stumbled upon a position that I had seen in my hospital all along. I shadowed a CRNA at work and was hooked. I did the research and I will be pursuing my BSN after I graduate so that I can apply to anesthesia school :)

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