When did you decide to be a CRNA?

I had no idea that I wanted to be a CRNA when I started nursing school. It wasn't until I'd worked ICU for a few years that I became interested but I waited 16 years to apply. I loved ICU and wanted to achieve all my goals there first before making the choice to move on. I let my boss know right from the start that I was applying. I didn't want her to feel that I was being sneaky, but I didn't tell my co-workers and asked her not to. I was working in a Level I trauma center & MANY of my co-workers were applying to the same schools. It was competitive crazy.

I knew right after starting nursing school because that's when I really started researching the CRNA profession. From that point on I was always up front about my career goal. During school, some nursing professors frowned heavily upon CRNAs because they didn't consider it nursing, but it certainly didn't affect my opportunities during school or my grades. I was open about my goals at work as well. I even mentioned it in every job interview when asked the question "what are your career goals?" Granted, I didn't say "my only reason for slogging through this next year of working in your ICU is so I can put it on my application" but it is fair for the manager to know that you have long term goals. When the subject came up, I didn't mind telling my colleagues as well. Perhaps some coworkers were jealous or thought less of me etc., but they were the ones that were pretty hard to get along with on the best of days. I have never regretted being open about it. In fact I think I would have felt a little bit deceitful or sneaky if I had kept it a secret. I do realize there might be job environments where the competition is so hostile that it might be the right thing to keep it a secret but I have certainly never come across such a place.

By being open about it, I also feel that I got a lot of great advice from people knowledgable about the path to becoming a CRNA.