Vacation while in school?

[TraumaNurse]

Hi all,

This may seem like a dumb question, but does your CRNA school give you time for vacation? The school I have been accepted to allows for 4 weeks a year with certain stipulations. Another school, which I am still waiting to hear from, told me over the phone that even during academic breaks, I may be required to work in the OR. Does this sound right?

[Passin' Gas]

Yep, welcome to graduate school. Hate to tell you, ORs don't shut down for Columbus Day. Just like in the ICU, CRNAs work the holidays. Just like the real world, there are no semester breaks.

Actually, four weeks/year sounds generous. Once upon a time when I went to school, we got a holiday on the major holidays...New Year's, Memorial Day, etc but I may be on call January 1st and have my 'holiday' on Jan 23rd. Which was class day so I had to go into school at 1pm for a three hour class, on my 'holiday'. I think there were an additional 10 vacation days for 12 months. That included sick days, vacation days, personal disaster days (car died and couldn't get to clinical type thing), whatever kept me from showing up to clinical at 0550.

You're probably thinking "I bet you carried your patients uphill 8 miles, both ways, in the snow from the OR to PACU...." It was only 3 miles and I had shoes.

Seriously, I believe most schools run pretty much full time for the 24-36 months with few, if any, semester breaks. You have so much to learn in so little time.

PG

[Maximus]

I get five days off a year, 10 additional days at Christmas, and 5 educational days a year. No breaks between semesters.

[Passin' Gas]

5 educational days while in school??!! Sounds like an oxymoron. I'm guessing they're days to attend a professional conference e.g. AANA national convention or state meetings, &/or review course for boards.

PG