Would love to become an RN and possibly a CRNA :)

loveanesthesia · Dec 17, 2008

if i'm working as a full time RN, would it still be possible for me to go to school to become a CRNA?
Also, do you think an employer could/ would pay for this degree?

You should plan to NOT work during a CRNA program, it is too demanding. It will consume 60-80 hours a week to be a student, especially during the clinical phase. You may be able to find an employer to pay some expenses, you want to be careful of that though, sometimes people have figured out later that they really got a bad deal. Lots of questions to ask, What is your committment in exchange for the money? What if the committment was to work for the employer, but then the employer doesn't have a position? Do you have to pay the money back with interest? If you work for them will you get the same pay and benifits as the other CRNAs? What if you don't want to work for them? What if you don't finish the nurse anesthesia program? or pass boards? You have a long way to go, so if I were you, I'd say concentrate on your grades and getting good experience.

allnurses Guide · Dec 18, 2008

It's not usually recommended to work while doing CRNA I believe. You definitely couldn't work fulltime and do it.

pH7.40, LPN · Dec 20, 2008

One step at a time. First just get into an associates program and see if you

even like nursing.

MB37 · Dec 22, 2008

A lot of people will tell you that you can't work during nursing school even, or that you should severely limit your hours. The truth is that while some people can't handle it or their grades suffer as a result, there are tons out there who do well in ADN or BSN programs while working FT or close to it. Anesthesia programs, from everything I've been able to learn so far, are a different animal. The SRNAs that I've met in real life as well as those I've talked to online universally agree that the most any successful SRNA can ever work is POSSIBLY a PRN shift every month or so, during the didactic portion of the program only. There may be a few people who out there who don't need to sleep who can swing a bit more, but I wouldn't plan my life assuming that I'd be one of those people. Do well in your undergrad program so you have a shot to get in, then start saving your money.

want to do good 86 · Dec 28, 2008

Thank you everyone for your advice and for answering my post! I really appreciate you taking time out to do so! :)