My journey from RN to CRNA

Aloha all

Well here I am 3 months of working and I love my job. Fun all the time, independent practice and a range of patients. Probably the only thing i dont like is working 5 days a week. I have never worked 5 days a week IN MY LIFE at one job. Very weird and now i understand the saying 'living for the weekend'.

I think that for next years contract neg. Ill be asking for a 4 day week. Something to consider when you are figuring out what you want to do.

Well hey!

I decided to wait and do a 2 month retrospective. See where I am.

Well, I can say that I have become much more comfortable much less stressed on a day to day basis. So it DOES get easier as you progress. The most difficult thing initially is not knowing the people, where anything is or even the resources avaliable. All of that simply takes time and I am getting more of a handle on it now.

After the last 2.5 years I have been feeling a little burnt ...

So here I am, a month into practice..


I have had a couple of emergencies happen which i was able to take care of, I dont get stomach cramping every morning before starting anymore (more like every second now :P) and I am getting to know where things are and who is who.

Im feeling alot better than when i started about everything!

No place to go but up!

Wow.

So much to learn and get used to when you are a brand new CRNA both clinically and just functionally in a new job... it is unreal.

The things that come to mind immediately.

- Where the F* is everything?
- Who can i trust to help?
- What is the 'system' of things here?
- How do i do that paperwork again?
- What surgeons are good/bad etc

So much to try and get up to speed on that isnt even vaguely clinical yet very important. ...

Hey all

Well let me tell you something. Working independent practice and being "the decider" results in an instant terror and excitement at the same time. You are hyper-vigilant!

There is a steep learning curve, especially for those trained in a very dependent environment. Let me tell you.... this experience has thoroughly reinforced my opinion that prior RN experience is not only a MUST, but MUST be excellent. There is no way I could do what I am doing without what I CAME ...