This is how it really is for this new CRNA

Published

I can only speak for myself as a recent graduate. I took a rural Iowa position right of school (CRNA only). I am salaried with benefits at 190K per year. I work with another CRNA in a small rural town we split the call a week at a time. We average 44 call backs a year so about one every 9 days or so. I get 6 weeks of vacation which includes 1 week of CME which I am allowed an additional $4000 per year to utilize for my training. My AANA dues are paid for by the hospital and doescome out of my CME money. We rotate the work schedule a week at a time, but must be available throughout the week if needed. When I am on call and the primary CRNA I work about 15-20 hours per week. The next week when I am secondary (but not on call) I am off unless we have a heavy case load or the surgeon wants to swap rooms (which sometimes happens with ortho and ENT) I usually have to work about 10 hours on my week "off" when it is ENT or cataracts or ortho doc has three or 4 cases scheduled. When surgery is done I restock my carts check the schedule and hit the door. most days out by 11 or noon. The OBs seem to run in streaks and I will come in and place an intrathecal or epidural; bolus it hang around do some charting and check on my earlier patients make sure the OB is doing okay and then I am gone. While the other staff has to stay around and "keep busy" every day till 3pm I am at home kicking back watching TV planning the fall hunting trips or a really expensive week long vacation (CME Training). As for retirement I have a 403B plan that I sock away my 15K a year. The hospital also matches 5% of my gross which is another $9500. I do pay about $150/month for my family health insurance. Not sure how it is for other new grads out there but this my current happy situation.

I know what you mean by the boredom, but I like the small town and always planned on working a rural assignment in the end. Teh biggest draw back is the lack of adequate housing everything is really old and really cheap, so buildoing will begin hopefully in the summer.

As amazing as that is Pay/Benefit wise... I just personally don't know how i'd feel about "rural Iowa" lol.. Not meant as an insult or anything, i know a lot of people like small towns. but i think there are too many people out there that don't which is why it's so beneficial to work in one. I mean i know you could work there (with probably a rediculously low cost of living making your paycheck even greater than it seems as compared to a large city) for a few years and leave somewhere else with great savings, but I just think i'd be too bored working so little and having nothing around to do.

Regardless though.. Nice job, i would be bragging too lol.

So, i guess my only question is, aside from the pay, how are you enjoying yourself so far?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I did not go into a CRNA only group. We are hospital employees but there are only 2 CRNAs here. I don't mind missing out on the big cases I did a lot of big cases as a student and to tell you the truth this is a lot more challenging. Now I have to review the chart order labs find out why the patient had an EKG 6 months ago showing A-fib but not currently treated by the primary doc. So I have to cancel general surgery (I would probably go ahead with a MAC for a colonoscopy) have the patient follow-up with the primary physician and be cleared medically for their surgery.

Many times I find labs that were not ordered for patient's with bleeding issues, on diuretics, kidney problems and what not that were not caught by the primary physician or surgeon. Or I will find patient's that have parkinson's that the surgeon has ordered reglan postoperatively that I cancel the order and use zofran.

It's been a challenge and I really come to appreciate having the anesthesiologist looking at the chart previously before surgery when I was a student. It can be a lot more challenging in the rural area but we are treated the same as physicians we get to know the staff very well and best of all I choose the anesthetic. I will run straight TIVAs (Total IntraVenous Anesthestics) on my patients with a sever history of N&V with surgery and then run into them at the local wal-mart only to have them thank me for the great anesthetic that I provided them.

I go into work on my days off just to do cases because I enjoy it so much. After having about 15 different jobs in my lifetime this is the first that I really enjoy doing and look forward to every day of my life. I highly recommend this career to any of you evening questioning advance practice nursing. I too was worried about not having enough experience going straight to a rural practice, but I am really loving it. What is really nice about being a new grad is the fact that you seen so many different techniques/equipment that the old salts have never seen or heard of before.

How did you feel going straight from school to a CRNA only group? Also, do you feel that you might be missing out on the big cases that help develop new CRNAs when fresh out of school? I ask because I might be in the same boat as you in a year....
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in N/A.

:balloons: I envy you right now CRNA2007! I am currently just a pre-nursing student in a BSN program. My ultimate goal is to become a CRNA. But at times, I don't think I will even finish my BSN program, so I have been discouraged alot as of late. I started school late because I didn't know what I wanted to do fresh out of school. I got caught up in the daily grind of working, and before I knew it, I was 28 years old. So, I just made a sacrifice for myself, to commit to school. I know that I want to be in your shoes one day. But the current RN salary is even looking good to me.

I want to ask you if you ever feel nervous right before a surgery? Do you ever have time to spend with your family? Would you change anything about your schedule? How competitive are the CRNA programs? How long were you an RN before getting admitted into the program?

Congrats to your success and may all your dreams come true for you and your family! Thanks in advance for your response.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just keep trudging forward and it will happen. I didn't start nursing school until I was 31 years old. I don't feel nervous right before surgery unless it is a side lying spinal (for a fractured hip). But intraoperatively it can be a different stroy. We had a very sick bowel resection case the other day where the guy had extensive cardiac and respiratory history as well as leukemia and a myriad of other significant health problems, where I didn't know if he wold get off the vent or even make it out of surgery. Got to place arterial line, central line (surgeon's teaching me) intiate and manage a cardizem drip bringing the intraoperativ eheart rate from the 140's to the 80's by the time he was in recovery and then a few other inputs postoperatively that would have been the anesthesiologists call if I would not be working in a rural practice. I definitely know what it was like to be in your shoes and I just took it one step or class at a time until I found myself with a BSN then in the application and interview stage where the waiting and hand wringing starts all over again while waiting to get accepted. Then once you get accepted it starts all over again when you actually start the CRNA program. the programs are pretty competitive, but I look back at some of the students in my class and wonder what the heck they were even doing there whether it was there total lack of motivation while in the program or their decision to apply while not really knowing what CRNAs actually do. But that falls more on the admissions comitte for not doing a very good job of screening applicants. I was a nurse for 2 years before I was accepted. I have never had more time to spend to with my family. I will get home by 1pm most days and my wife will tell my kid that I was working all day. The one thing I would change about the schedule is hiring a third anesthetist and getting every third week completely off. Bump the pay down to about $140-150K but it then I could work lochums in other places every third week.

:balloons: I envy you right now CRNA2007! I am currently just a pre-nursing student in a BSN program. My ultimate goal is to become a CRNA. But at times, I don't think I will even finish my BSN program, so I have been discouraged alot as of late. I started school late because I didn't know what I wanted to do fresh out of school. I got caught up in the daily grind of working, and before I knew it, I was 28 years old. So, I just made a sacrifice for myself, to commit to school. I know that I want to be in your shoes one day. But the current RN salary is even looking good to me.

I want to ask you if you ever feel nervous right before a surgery? Do you ever have time to spend with your family? Would you change anything about your schedule? How competitive are the CRNA programs? How long were you an RN before getting admitted into the program?

Congrats to your success and may all your dreams come true for you and your family! Thanks in advance for your response.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MICU.

CRNA 2007

:bow:

Would you send me an application. I should graduate around 2010 :smokin:

LifeLONGstudent

Up Vote Up Vote ×

sounds like you need to be very flexible and nail your pre-ops...one question though, were you not exposed to central line placement opportunities while in anesthesia school? just wondering if other programs out there aren't getting chances to place lines...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No central lines in my CRNA program, some people might have had 1 or 2 in a rural site but that was it and then I only know of 1 student that got to place them. I'm

sounds like you need to be very flexible and nail your pre-ops...one question though, were you not exposed to central line placement opportunities while in anesthesia school? just wondering if other programs out there aren't getting chances to place lines...
Up Vote Up Vote ×

No central lines in my CRNA program, some people might have had 1 or 2 in a rural site but that was it and then I only know of 1 student that got to place them. I'm sure there are other programs out there where CRNAs are getting to place them but in general with the Docs that is there territory.

sounds like you need to be very flexible and nail your pre-ops...one question though, were you not exposed to central line placement opportunities while in anesthesia school? just wondering if other programs out there aren't getting chances to place lines...
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Anesthetist.

These type of positions are kinda rare. I suggest asking more CRNAs the type of work they do as well as types of cases, how much of their license they use as well as how much overtime they are forced to work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
No central lines in my CRNA program, some people might have had 1 or 2 in a rural site but that was it and then I only know of 1 student that got to place them. I'm sure there are other programs out there where CRNAs are getting to place them but in general with the Docs that is there territory.

Is there not a minimum requirement for central line placements? I could have sworn that students had to place a minimum of 5 to fulfill requirements.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I can only speak for myself as a recent graduate. I took a rural Iowa position right of school (CRNA only). I am salaried with benefits at 190K per year.

I posted this question on another CRNA thread but did not receive an answer, so I thought I'd try again here: Do you pay for your own and, if so, what percentage of your gross does the premium reflect? I hear about these fantastic jobs in rural parts of my state, but then I hear that liability coverage can cost $50,000 or more. Is any of that accurate?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Anesthetist.

Liability coverage: Check with the AANA website for details. But I think that starts at $5,000 for the first year and GOES UP for the next 5 years. (more cases to cover). You can figure out your own %.

Also, from the above, there is a minimum amount of central lines that need to be placed while in school to graduate. Your school may have "fudged" those figures, but be assured, this is not, "docs territory." It may be in your practice, but be careful what you say in general. CRNAs are licensed to perform line placement. It is up to your facility to determine if you are privileged to do so.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion