torn between law or CRNA

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Hi, all

I am new to this forum, but have been wavering back and forth between becoming a CRNA or going to law school. I find both fields

intellectually stimulating, both are rigorous, and both offer the opportunity to help others. However, I guess I am just scared of making one decision and sticking with it. I am having strong doubts about law school, as the field is oversaturated (unless you go to a top 10 school, which is very hard to do), wheree as on the other hand, becoming a CRNA seeems like a win win situation-I'd be helping people in a true sense, there is a demand for CRNA's, and the money is good no matter what school you attended. Has anyone else struggled with deciding between 2 careers? Any advice, caveats to this newbie?

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Hi, all

I am new to this forum, but have been wavering back and forth between becoming a CRNA or going to law school. I find both fields

intellectually stimulating, both are rigorous, and both offer the opportunity to help others. However, I guess I am just scared of making one decision and sticking with it. I am having strong doubts about law school, as the field is oversaturated (unless you go to a top 10 school, which is very hard to do), wheree as on the other hand, becoming a CRNA seeems like a win win situation-I'd be helping people in a true sense, there is a demand for CRNA's, and the money is good no matter what school you attended. Has anyone else struggled with deciding between 2 careers? Any advice, caveats to this newbie?

why don't you shadow a CRNA and an RN and see if you can picture yourself actually doing such a career...i would start there...good luck

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two totally different routes....i would become a nurse first (gives you a degree) see if you like nursing....then decide where to go....

and CRNA school is likely more difficult than law school to get into...very competative

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I agree that shadowing is essential, but I think you need to spend time with an ICU RN first! You can't get to be a CRNA without being an RN in critical care first for a minimum (and usually more than that) of 1 year.

I think it's normal to be considering a couple of different career options, but I would suggest truely finding out what is involved in reaching those goals. It will be a long road to become a CRNA since you are not even in nursing yet (4 years BSN, minimum 1-2 years ICU experience and then 2-3 years Grad school).

The upside is you can still work as a legal consultant as a CRNA if you want to keep a foot in the legal system. There are many nurses out there who consult for lawyers on medical cases. I have done a few cases myself and it is very interesting work.

Anyway, I think you can not make a decision on which career to go into based on current job market or salary. It's a long hard road to become a CRNA if you are only in it for the money. If you really want it...go for it! Just educate yourself first. Best of luck in your decision.

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If you become an RN at least you will be able to earn some sort of "living wage". I have a good friend who is an attorney, who worked as a mortgage broker for ten years because he couldn't find work as an attorney that would support him. Being an attorney seems to be very "tract orientated" which means that you need to go to the "right school" and graduate at the "right age" and then take the "right career path" to be optimally sucessful. In addition, there are rather rigid expectations of certain types of experience in an appropriate time frame. In my friend's case he went into private practice right out of law school. When he couldn't make it on his own and tried to work for a firm he found the going quite difficult since he was considered to be "off track". If you do decide to go into law, you might consider a specialty such as patent law which requires an engineering degree. These "sub-specialties" are in high demand as it is the rare individual who has both the requisite math/analytical ability of an engineer, and the verbal/reading comprehension required to be an effective attorney. Besides, you could become an RN and THEN go to law school (I'm not as certain about the demand for this sub-speacialty of law, but there is a forum here that can probably offer some insite).

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The market is saturated with attorneys, although there are areas of law that are in desperate need (but with little pay). It's getting more difficult to get into law school, even the 2nd tier schools these days, the LSAT scores are climbing. As another poster stated, law school is very regimented and is geared to getting the top 10% of the graduating class into jobs, the rest get jobs on their own. Having an RN and attaining a JD, I'm told is beneficial, but I haven't reaped the rewards of it yet :rotfl: and I don't plan a career in med mal. I didn't work my first year and worked 12 hours a week for my 2nd and 3rd years (against the advice of professors), and still have a lot of debt that will take at least 10 years to pay off. The state bar exams makes nursing boards seem like a walk in the park and the passing rates are in the 70th percentile and most take about 2 months to study for them and take the prep courses as well. There's only a couple of states that offer reciprocity and that's very limited (ie: must have been in practice for 5 years, etc.), most of the time, one has to take each state bar exam that he/she wants to practice. But you need to decide if that's what you want to do as the practice of law and nursing (in whatever capacity) are two entirely different disciplines and require two different modes of thinking about things.

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I have done both and have strong feelings about the two fields. The schooling is very different, anesthesia is science and law is reading and analysis. Anesthesia jobs are available everywhere. Practicing law is a slow start profession, unless you graduate in the top of your class from a top law school. Anesthesia takes away pain, law takes advantage of pain (generalization, of course). You make more money in the early years in anesthesia and have more opportunities than in law.

That being said, I am a better anesthetist because I have a law degree. I am good at contract negotiations, understand what needs to be on an anesthesia record, as opposed to over-charting, know that the nursing statement; "if it wasn't charted, it wasn't done" is a legal fallacy and know that consents are rather useless legally, but get them anyway. I really enjoy doing legal research and find it useful in winning arguments in the operating room. So what do I do with my law degree--I teach (Gonzaga students, beware), I write, I lecture to CRNA groups, I consult, I help CRNAs write and negotiate contracts, I assist Boards of Nursing with anesthesia related issues, I work with lawyers in sedation and anesthesia cases and mostly listen and advise CRNAs who lack legal and business understanding.

I think I have the best of both worlds, but I was first a CRNA and anesthesia will always be what I do.

YogaCRNA

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I say do both! You would make on intimidating anesthesia provider!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I faced the same dilemna in 1992, when I decided to return to school. Dude, go for anesthesia. There are far, far too many lawyers competing for a shrinking market. There are far too few CRNAs for the jobs available. Simple economics would logically guide this choice. However, I offer the additional incentive: I can sleep at night. 8)

But, I do think I might go back to law school, just so I can mess with the lawyers out there who annoy the hell out of me . . . .

John Zitzelberger, CRNA

Columbus, Georgia

Hi, all

I am new to this forum, but have been wavering back and forth between becoming a CRNA or going to law school. I find both fields

intellectually stimulating, both are rigorous, and both offer the opportunity to help others. However, I guess I am just scared of making one decision and sticking with it. I am having strong doubts about law school, as the field is oversaturated (unless you go to a top 10 school, which is very hard to do), wheree as on the other hand, becoming a CRNA seeems like a win win situation-I'd be helping people in a true sense, there is a demand for CRNA's, and the money is good no matter what school you attended. Has anyone else struggled with deciding between 2 careers? Any advice, caveats to this newbie?

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
...I am new to this forum, but have been wavering back and forth between becoming a CRNA or going to law school...

For a better answer think we need more info about your background.

You're absolutely correct that the law field is nearly totally saturated. And it's expected to continue in that direction based on the projected economy. (Also agree with many of the points in Roland's response.)

From an economics point of view, the CRNA path is the sure winner in this race.

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