Why CRNA? What type of nursing are you interesed in?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

I hear so much about future nurses on this board saying they want their CRNA. Whats the big attraction? The high pay wage? Always being in the surgery area? I now work at a level 1 trauma hospital as a nurses aide and I float the whole hospital. I know I don't want to be a psych nurse and OB and PEDS can be had by those who really want that speciality, not me. I think I want to work in the ICU. My best friend is a ICU nurse and is travel nursing in California right now. So I have had a dose of what I'm getting myself into here. My friend whos a travel nurse says its not worth it pay wise to get her BSN right now but she will when she's ready to move to a desk job she says. I know I at least want my BSN (I think I'll do it part-time after I graduate with my RN) so when my knees give out or I'm tired of floor nursing I have it. And I know I want it because I don't want to be turned down for a job I see in the future because I don't have it and someone else does.

Originally posted by agent

residency at 30k would be impossible to support my family. I make 40 now and barely get by

Wow.. see, I'm from rural nowheresville, so the cost of living here is SO much lower. (I'll put it this way - I make less than half what you do, and while we're certainly not living the high life - we get by).

My brother lives quite well as an FP resident in North Mississippi... just bought a semi-new truck, has a nice (but not huge) house.

There's always loans. :)

Yeah ive approached my wife about loans, but it would cost a load in loans to support us for 4 years or so

edit>> btw i think id be content being a nurse for awhile, but probably not forever

Originally posted by agent

Yeah ive approached my wife about loans, but it would cost a load in loans to support us for 4 years or so

edit>> btw i think id be content being a nurse for awhile, but probably not forever

Yeah, I know you were getting all kinds of family grief about the pre-med thing. :)

Well, the sky's the limit, educationally speaking. :)

Yep, I have lots of options, lets do the nursing thing for now.. thats my motto, I think ill learn a lot of what i want to do in the diverse field of healthcare at that point

Originally posted by agent

Yep, I have lots of options, lets do the nursing thing for now.. thats my motto, I think ill learn a lot of what i want to do in the diverse field of healthcare at that point

Yeah, absolutely. If nothing else, it'll be an incredibly valuable learning experience. :)

I've got to hit the books at lunch, but I find myself getting sucked back into this website. Argh! :o

Originally posted by agent

Yep, I have lots of options, lets do the nursing thing for now.. thats my motto, I think ill learn a lot of what i want to do in the diverse field of healthcare at that point

Good idea...do you already have a Bach degree, or will this be the first?

I have an AS going for the BS

Originally posted by agent

residency at 30k would be impossible to support my family. I make 40 now and barely get by

so what are you going to do when you're in anesthesia school and making 0 K for 2-3 years?

Gtotosleep has a very good point, I read some where that the average crna student comes out of school with around 75k of debt. I believe it, I am in a state university and will come out with at least that much. I was on the fence whether to pursue medicine or crna and went forward with the crna plan mainly b/c I have two small children and don't wont to miss their entire childhood. Having said that however, If I knew what I knew now and was younger I would pursue medicine and use the crna as a back up. Mainly b/c you are treated with much more respect in the medicine track especially compared to a bedside nurse. Now you do start to be treated more professsionally once you start crna school, but you have to put up with so much crap to get there i.e., undergrad. nursing school and the bedside that I would not go through it again; I would have went the medical route. You really can't compare the two professions or training models the doctors are at the top of the food chain and the RNs are taking the orders. I worked at teaching hospitals and was actually treated great by the residents for the most part. And was encourage by many to pursue medicine, belive me if you have a desire to practice medicine you will never be happy doing nursing unless you become an APN, but as I mentioned before the road is full of so much BS that you might as well go the medicine route to start with and bypass the BS.

Yes, being in that much debt will be a pain, but heck, I'm in debt now & I'm surviving. ;)

Seriously though...I realize that going the CRNA route is going to be a difficult one. It'll take a lot mentally, physically and monetarily. So would medical school. Personally...I don't want to be a doctor. Not at all. Anesthesia fascinates me & always has. If I was to be a doctor, I'd probably become and anesthesiologist...but I just don't want to be doctor amyliz. I am drawn more to the nursing side of it. Just my feelings & opinion on it...I'm sure others are different.

Not working for 2-3 years will stink as well, but if it's what I'm supposed to do, then that's what I'll do. I'll survive.

And, really, who knows if I really will go that route. I may find that my nitch is somewhere else. I won't know until I make it through this degree (and the BSN). And even then...I may not know. But for now, keeping the possibility of going the CRNA route is working for me. It's the carrot at the end of the stick, so to speak. ANd if I decide that I'd rather have a potato or celery instead of that carrot...so be it! :)

Sometimes we all need a big carrot!!!!

Originally posted by gotosleep

so what are you going to do when you're in anesthesia school and making 0 K for 2-3 years?

I never said I was going to CRNA school.. was that an attempt at attacking me?

Nice try.

+ Add a Comment