Tell or DON'T tell colleagues/staff that you are pursuing CRNA?

[SIGMACHIGUY]

Hello everyone! So, I'm continuing my journey of pursuing nurse anesthesia...1st step: taking the NCLEX tomorrow!! :typing

I've been accepted to an ICU unit already but am looking to also get into a higher acuity trauma hospital. But before I start in the ICU, what are your thoughts/experiences about telling other colleagues especially other hospital staff and administration and managers that you are pursuing CRNA school? Do you think that may even hurt your temporary duration as an ICU nurse? I can see how it may negatively affect an ICU nurse if the hospital admin knows that you will be leaving in a year or two. But at the same time, I'm so passionate about anesthesia that I love just talking about it, shadowing CRNA's, etc.

So...ok to talk about my future plans or better to keep my mouth shut?

[jfk6668]

If you are just taking NCLEX.....I'd say keep your mouth shut for a while.....experienced nurses aren't always happy to hear someone who is not done with orientation is looking past their current position....build a rapport with them first

No matter what you do it won't stay a secret forever...you'll need references....also on my unit nurses suspect any male that comes there is probably trying to go to anesthesia school......

[tonyccrn]

this is just my opinion, but if I were you I would not tell anyone. and in my experience I wish I would not have told people. even if you think you can tell one or two people who you think you can trust. dude, everyone talks and it spreads like wildfire in units.

I ended up telling a couple of people, by the end of the week the whole unit knew and I feel at times I get bad (not good bad) assignments because im leaving shortly.

ok, reasons not to tell. especially if you are thinking of leaving that icu to go to a higher acuity icu. i know first hand of people who tried to get into the icu i work and their managers knew they wanted to go to crna school and their managers told our manager. who did not accept them for this reason. also some people get jelous, envious, feel your a traiter haha gotta love that one, and treat you differently. now this is not always the case there may be some supportive people, but man its just not worth it. the time I would tell is after you give your notice that you are leaving to attend school.

ok, thats my suggestions

tony.

[jfk6668]

Another reason not to tell is because you may need some education like PALS or IABP class....they may be disinclined to send you to a class if they know you won't be around for long

[Happy Halothane]

Your main focus after getting licensed should be getting the most diverse critical care experience you can. This may mean starting on the floor or basic ICU, and transferring into a surgical ICU after getting experience. Some hospitals offer extensive critical care training, others just need staff. Make sure you'll be at a place you can learn.

Eventually, you will need to be very experienced with ventilator management (not just calling the respiratory therapist), invasive lines (CVP, PAC), and titrating infusions to sedation and hemodynamic parameters. Ideally you'll have an aggressive intensivist that's willing to explain his/her rationale for treatment.

I wouldn't mention your intentions until you've been accepted into a program. A nurse anesthetist is a nurse (one of the valuable things that an anesthesiologist can't offer the patient). You should be focusing on learning to be the most competent and compassionate nurse in your department.

Additionally, I recommend you continue your education while you're working as an RN. Look into advanced chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology courses. Often, your hospital will pay for your education (usually after 1 year employment).

Good luck!

[focker-male nurse]

Be up front with your new employer especially you nurse manager and charge nurse. On einterviewer for CRNA school said she liked that I made my intentions known to my employer (which was mentioned in my reference letter). Otherwise if people ask be honest but don't go telling everyone they will know soon enough when you start interviewing. When you have made it to that level they will know you are serious and you will have their support.

[Zozo]

This sounds like a very tricky situation. It seems better to keep it to yourself. However, when you ask someone for a reference won't they be blindsided? How do you go about getting those great references if everyone including your manager is going to harbor bad feelings about it when you tell them you're off to get your masters in anesthesia?

[mikeyshox]

i didn't tell my colleagues until AFTER i got accepted into CRNA school. and even when i did tell my coworkers that i start this May, I have gotten very mixed messages. for the most part, they're proud of me. but a few are envious and it shows in how they treat me. i would say wait till you have a year of ICU under your belt and when you start the application process (IMO).

[tonyccrn]

another thing, some schools do not require a letter from your manager. so there is another reason you do not have to say anything if this is the case for trhe school you are interested in. the school I applied to did not require it, just required 3 references from those who can attest to your abiliites. so I went with the critical care director, another doc, and a crna.

tony.

[SIGMACHIGUY]

Thanks for all your feedback guys!! I was naturally thinking that I should keep my mouth shut but thought I'd ask anyways. I actually talked to a CRNA who took the same route as me...BS then an ADN program and then anesthesia school. He told me not to say anything to any professors in my program because it would hurt my overall academic well-being. He said that when he went through his ADN program, that once professors found out he wanted to pursue anesthesia, that clincals, etc. seemed tougher than they were before and that their attitude towards him sort of changed. Of course not every professor was like this but I could see a few doing that. He said that hey personally thought perhaps that they were jealous since CRNAs are often viewed as the most specialized and highest demanding advanced nursing specialty which they should be IMO! He said that I should even tell professors that I wanted to pursue teaching and that they would love me for it and treat me better. In the end, I didn't mention it to any professors except for one and I felt that she never treated me any worse. She would actually try to find more challenging assignments because she wanted me to become more familiar with challenging patients, etc. I guess some may define that as worse but not I.

Anyhow, I think it just comes down to the person but like I heard from many people while working in the pharmaceutical field for 4 years before going back to complete nursing school.....never tell an employer about the possibility of you leaving a company until you have an offer in hand from another company because if your present employer found out that you may be leaving, it may not hurt you but it definitely WON'T help you...better safe than sorry, right?! Thanks for all your feedback guys!!

[MB37]

One of my classmates was told by the nurse recruiter at the hospital that hired me(at a job fair, while I was talking to the SRNAs at their booth) that mentioning CRNA aspirations in a job interview at that hospital is the "kiss of death." My friend, who is also considering CRNA eventually, promptly let me know. When I interviewed at this hospital and was asked about future plans, I said, "while I do see myself in grad school eventually, I also plan to be a nurse for more than just a year or two. I'm not planning to use this position as a springboard to get right back into school." I was honest, I expect to work for 3+ years before I go back. She didn't ask me to elaborate on what I wanted to go to grad school for. Later in the interview, I asked her what qualities make new grads successful or not when starting in critical care. Her response included her opinion that,"the people who are just using ICU nursing to get into CRNA school don't tend to do well here at all. Their heart is never in it." I really didn't want to lie in my interview, but I also made a point of not mentioning CRNA as a goal. If asked directly about it, I was going to give a similar answer - "while I do plan on going to grad school for something eventually, I haven't made a firm decision what for. I plan to focus on becoming the best critical care nurse I can be for the next few years, and then I'll do some shadowing and make a decision."

I did tell people in NS that I was planning on becoming a CRNA, including my clinical instructors. I actually got pretty negative reactions from a few of them - some nurses really resent CRNAs for whatever reason, even if they have graduate degrees and no longer work at the bedside themselves. Others were really supportive, and helped me get a great ICU experience while in school. I don't plan on telling my coworkers soon, if at all - I really am going to focus on learning critical care right now, and if it comes up in conversation next year I suppose if I'm comfortable I could mention that it's something I'm thinking about - or not.

[CCRN-CMC-CSC]

Yet another reason not to tell your co-workers........

We have a guy in our ICU that told everybody as soon as he came to work with us that he was going to CRNA school as soon as his minimum experience was in. At first everyone just thought he was a brash 20 something year old and smiled at him. Afterall he is charming, good looking and seemed rather bright. However after he applied to the CRNA program 3 years straight and was never accepted he has become the butt of many jokes at work. He definately gets less respect and less critical assignments now. I actually overheard out assistant manager telling one of our charge nurses that she had initially thought Todd was pretty bright but then again he couldnt get into CRNA school.