Why all the dislike for young nurses who already know they want to be a CRNA

[I_See_You_RN]

I see this theme on this site over and over again, and I really don't understand it. The only reason that I can think of is that some of the people who already made it would like to think of themselves as an "elite" group and therefore they scoff at anyone else who is trying to reach their ranks.

I for one KNEW very early on that I wanted to be a CRNA. Before I went to college I had to make a plan. Although my entire family was rooting for me to become a MD, I researched it non stop and remembered what I saw of them while volunteering and realized that that was not the career for me. I already knew just from my personality that critical care is where I wanted to be and culture wise I knew that my education would not and could not stop at a bachelors degree. After researching my options and falling in love with the idea that this career would not only incorporate critical care, but neurobiology in some sense, and a high turnover of patients, I knew that this career was for me.

While most nursing students in their first year (as can be seen on this board) was taking the easy chem classes, I petitioned to take orgo and physics. While so many people now are worried about their gpa,.. in school, every test was not about a semester grade, it was about getting into NA school...and therefore I'll never have to ask the question "are my grades good enough". As a junior, I spent my summer interning in the OR, only because all the ICU spots were filled. It took 1hr 30minutes for me to get to this hospital at 7am by bus, by train, and then by foot!! But i did it anyway. Monday-Friday I was in bed by 10pm so that I could get up by 5am.

For my final rotation I told my professors that no matter what I HAD to be put on an ICU floor. There was a hospital literally 2 blocks away from my house in college but instead I traveled 45minutes away to a hospital in PA that would place me in an ICU. I found out my placement right before christmas break and then I had to a buy a car in three weeks before classes began again so that I could get there. (Thankfully my mother chipped in :redbeathe)

I did all of this so that I would have a better chance on being immediately placed into an ICU after graduation... and guess what... it worked.

You can't get anywhere in life unless you have a dream and unless you have a plan. If your planning started three years later than someone else's, guess what,.. you'll probably be achieving your goals that much later.

If your 10yr old told you that they wanted to be a doctor, do you bash them and tell them "why? do you think its just like tv or something?" No, you encourage them. You don't have to spoon feed them information but you can direct them to sources that would better educate them, because it is important that they do some of the footwork themselves.

At 18-20 yrs old, there probably are a lot of immature ppl out there who are just looking at the dollar signs. But hopefully, if they took the time to sign up for this site with the hopes that a REAL CRNA would actually take the time out of their busy day to answer their little question,... hopefully they are serious enough. Just think how you would feel if 10yrs ago you found an opportunity to get information from the source, and then they just belittled you and dogged you out like that. I think it would just be more professional to ignore their question and let it go unanswered.

** I know not everyone is like this, but there are a few on this site***

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Why the dislike?...

Over the past 2-3 yrs, I see it as more frustration with posters who initiate "I want to be a CRNA" thread

a. without doing an research about nursing or CRNA profession "tell me all how to become a CRNA"

b. skip over the sticked threads that have tons of info about entering profession.

c. don't use our search engine to see if info they want is already posted .....then ask the SAME question that has been posted 3 times in past week and already responded too

d. desire quickest.shortest route to CRNA " to make the big bucks", no expression of learning all they can to become a proficient practitioner

e. posting a thread title which gives little inkling what info poster desires.

f. Lack of understanding all the nursing profession offers--- area one desires at start of education may not be one you choose upon graduation as another area tugs at your mind and heartstrings

This thread is an example

Nurse Anesthetists

You have done your homework...members are glad to give advice to help you acheive your dream....that's the reason Brian started AN: to share info and help members move up the nursing ladder!

[RN1980]

face it, you will just carry more wt. with the other nurses on this forum when or if you ever become a practicing intensive care nurse with the goal of becomming a srna candidate. the idea of people claiming they have researched this or that and declare they want to be a crna and many state this even without the slightest real world concept of what a nurse is to begin with. i'm not saying this is right or wrong but you'll find many feel this way. good luck.

[Crossfit SRNA2b]

I think both sides of the fence can take blame on this one. I, one who has researched the crap out of this profession, can definitely see where the poster is coming from. I can sense a subtle disdain from many of the nurses from this forum when an inquisitive poster is simply trying to gather information. Often times the saying "nurses eat their young" comes to mind.

However, with that being said i agree that people should not post fatuous threads such as "how do i become a crna" or "what is the easiest way to become a crna". There is a burden on the individual to explore, dig and research on their own before someone elses precious time and information is transfered upon them. Besides, if someone always has things handed to them they will never develope a proper work ethic to get the grades, gre score etc needed for anesthesia school.

At the end of the day, more so than not, it is the type A people, the go getters, the one's who already have researched endlessly, it is those ones that will most likely be filling up the slots per annum at the local crna schools. Not the ones looking for quick information without putting in any real effort.

On a side note i just took the GRE today and did really well, 1380, so im feelin great and jus got done watching the movie "to save a life". Worthwhile to see

[bread angel]

It all has to do with motivation and an understanding of what it takes to be a CRNA. I won't be negative to anyone who wants to enter my profession if they are sincere in their motives. Money can be a motivator, but realistically, the money may not be there in the future and the job market is in flux right now. Being a CRNA is the best thing I ever did, but it is not a profession for everyone. You MUST shadow a CRNA (the more the better) to fully understand the knowledge needed, the stressors present during every anesthetic and the politics of the operating room.

I will give more credence and support to anyone who has done their due diligence on the profession and who has shadowed a CRNA. Anyone can ask me a question and I will be happy to answer; but the answer may not be the one you want to hear.

[loveanesthesia]

Karen really hit the 'nail on the head'. I've also thought many times that it's a cultural difference. CRNAs tend to be blunt and not very warm and fuzzy. It's just a different world in anesthesia, I think it's what happens when you work with surgeon's all day.

[mkhoaja]

Its the 80/20 rule. LOL it always applies to everything sadly. 20% of the dummies get 80% of the attention because they ask such retarded questions, and the other 80% of the serious people get 20% of the attention but are lost in all the other stuff.

80/20 - universal explanation for all walks of life lol

[I_See_You_RN]

I do see what many of you are saying and I completely agree with most of your points. I only raise this question because I often see ICU nurses as myself who have done the research get "barked" on (for lack of a better term) when asking a question that can't easily be answered by doing research. I've shadowed in the OR and I can see why many wannabe CRNA's still have questions that are more targeted towards how does it feel to blank,.. or how did or do you deal with this aspect of the job, what did you think about the financial strain during school,.. etc.

And as for the young posters who dream of the profession before even graduating with their BSN,.. why be so harsh,.. why not let them dream? As long as they know that it takes tons of hard work to reach your heights I would think you would be flattered instead of angered.

But anywho... I guess mkhoaja is right... maybe it has something to do with the 20/80 rule.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Agree totally with Karen's post. I'm an APN who did consider CRNA when I was looking to continue my education. Because I'm a pre-hospital RN, I have to do intubations in the OR in order to keep my license current. I knew a lot of the CRNAs because I've been around this particular hospital a long time and I worked with them in the ER or knew them from the helicopter transport service.

So...long story short: I shadowed a lot and on more than a few occasions over a period of years.

However, I realized in the end, this was not the career path for me.

The CRNAs that I know don't ever mind intelligent questions. However, the first question shouldn't be "so how much do you make?"

[kage_20]

You said you knew early on...that's a lie!! No one knows for sure early on what they want to do, you won't know anesthesia is right for you until you get into school. I have friends that got in and started and dropped out b/c it wasn't for them. I'm lucky enough to get into school and love what I'm studying so it makes it easy to study 7-8 hours a day everyday. You can all prepare to get into anesthesia school, but 70% of you won't, and if you do be prepared to make the biggest sacrifice of your life!

[rritter.rn]

I feel your frustration, but what you're saying is unusual compared with what many experienced nurses see...

Let me give you an example...

I had three nurse-wanna-bes approach me this summer, asking questions about the path to becoming a CRNA. These three individuals had not even started nursing school yet, but intended to begin in September. How do they truly know they want to be a CRNA? They don't even know if they like nursing yet. They may dream of it, think they'll like it, but it's hard to say for sure. As you get older, you realize that life is full of surprises and it is hardly ever what you expect.

In contrast, one of my staff is a motivated young man who is a senior in a BSN program this year. He has been working as a nursing assistant for two years now and is familiar with the ins and outs of critical care. He is a sponge for knowledge and goes far beyond his school requirements. He constantly asks me for additional reading, online tutorials, and journal articles. This is a kid who likes to be challenged! He is considering a number of different paths, including CRNA, but is working hard while learning what paths feels right for him. I've been quite supportive of him and have connected him to a CRNA (in addition to other APRNs) so that he can shadow and get a better feel for things.

It's great to have dreams and we all totally support that. However, the people on this forum are responding to the onslaught of people who read that CRNA's make lots of money. For example, when I asked the 3 people during the summer, they ALL mentioned an article about CRNA income that was featured on Yahoo.com last year.

On a personal note, I thought I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger. I attended an ADN program, then applied for pre-med. When I started working in a hospital and I saw what it was actually like to be an MD, I decided it was not for me. I had the youthful fervor that is common to all of us, though--if you had told me that I'd feel that way a few years prior, I would have denied it and become angry with you. "How dare you tell me what I want?!" I would have thought to myself indignantly. I worked on a med-surg floor for a couple of years, then progressed to an ICU. Initially I detested the ICU and missed talking to my patients. I grew to love it, though, and subsequently became the Assistant Nurse Manager and then the Educator of a critical care area. Through these experiences, I realized that CRNA would be a rewarding career choice for me. I've been accepted at two schools but haven't begun classes yet. Time has taught me that I may begin and discover that being a CRNA isn't the best thing for me--and if that happens, I'll be open to the possibilities. Age has taught me to be flexible--you never know what life will bring your way... and that, I think, is the sage advice and perspective offered by the voices in this forum.

Take everyone's advice for what it's worth, with a grain of salt perhaps, and follow your heart. You sound like an incredibly motivated, passionate person, and whether you end up a CRNA or not, your life will be rewarding and full and just right for you.

[jemommyRN]

Its so true when you said that if a kid comes up and says he/she wants to be a doctor..they are applauded and encouraged. Even as an 18 or 19 year old inquiring about the medical profession..they are encouraged to do it, but if a 19 year old inquires about the nurse anesthesia profession, they would probably be grilled about their research etc etc. I dont know what it is, thats just the feeling I get from alot of the posters on here. Thats why I barely post anymore. Just sit back and handle my business quietly.