CRNA or MD Help Please, I'm so confused!

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MDorCRNA

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Hi there!

I am 26 years old and am thinking should I attend medical school or CRNA. I'm a critical care nurse and have my BSN. I am happy with my career but I want more. I want the respect, autonomy, and want to be able to do more for my patients. I also want to have children and think its going to be too late when I'm able too if I attend med school. I am getting married this year and although my fiance is very supportive I know kids is something that he really wants as well and I don't want it to be too late when I'm ready to have children. Would it be beneficially for me to attend med school or should I just become a CRNA?

Thank you!

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I struggled with the same issue weighing the pros and cons but ultimately I've decided to pursue the MD. The main factor that led to my decision was the knowledge base an MD has over a CRNA. CRNA's get compensated very well for what they do have decent hours, etc. But the amount of knowledge around the human body really fascinates me which is why I ended up choosing that route. Ultimately, you know yourself best and you'll have to make the decision on your own. With all that said if you don't know already you'll likely be doing 2 years of pre-requisite education (1 year bio/1 year physics/1 year gen chem/1 year orgo) to be ready for the MCAT so the time its going to take before matriculation to med school is likely in the vicinity of 2-3 years from now at best (unless you've already met these requirements). Whereas, if you've been a critical care nurse for over a year you are already eligible for CRNA school and by the time you could have started your first year of med school you would have been close to finishing your CRNA education. Keep in mind CRNA schools are very competitive and CCRN, PALS, ACLS certifications are nearly the standard these days alongside undergraduate GPA's > 3.6 from my research. Both are very rewarding careers good luck in your future endeavors!
 
Hi there!

I am 26 years old and am thinking should I attend medical school or CRNA. I'm a critical care nurse and have my BSN. I am happy with my career but I want more. I want the respect, autonomy, and want to be able to do more for my patients. I also want to have children and think its going to be too late when I'm able too if I attend med school. I am getting married this year and although my fiance is very supportive I know kids is something that he really wants as well and I don't want it to be too late when I'm ready to have children. Would it be beneficially for me to attend med school or should I just become a CRNA?

Thank you!

...

what're your stats like? :smuggrin:

At 26 you're looking at matriculating at about 28, graduating at 32, and practicing at 36ish. Some people have had children during residency but it's tough to say the least.
 
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I understand, I've done some research on my own and have come up with the same stats as you did regarding CRNA. However being an MD is something I would like to be but having kids are something I want as well. Do you have children?
 
...

what're your stats like? :smuggrin:

At 26 you're looking at matriculating at about 28, graduating at 32, and practicing at 36ish. Some people have had children during residency but it's tough to say the least.

Yeah I got the same thing stats wise....yeah gym I guess will be the only way to keep healthy I suppose if I decide to go to med school.
 
I understand, I've done some research on my own and have come up with the same stats as you did regarding CRNA. However being an MD is something I would like to be but having kids are something I want as well. Do you have children?

You could really go either way with this one. I'm going for the MD, but, honestly, if I were in your situation I'd do the CRNA. Its a little different for me as I do not have a nice job, a partner, etc. You're already a nurse and you probably have a pretty posh job and salary and you could begin to have a kid tomorrow if you want without detriment to your lifestyle. It makes more sense financially for you since CRNAs net a salary around that which most doctors do. Add to this the huge debt you would have to incur in medical school, the free time which you will not have, and the low pay of residency and the decision is a no-brainer, IMO.

If you really wanted to have a kid in medical school, you could do it in probably year 1 or 2, but I doubt you'll have time to be there when he or she really needs you in years 3-4 and in residency, and probably even after residency.

If you really want the responsibility that comes along with being a doctor you could always come back to it 7-10 years down the road. Hopefully the debt won't be so onerous by then, too. Why are you even giving this so much thought? Be there for your family.
 
Hi there!

I am 26 years old and am thinking should I attend medical school or CRNA. I'm a critical care nurse and have my BSN. I am happy with my career but I want more. I want the respect, autonomy, and want to be able to do more for my patients. I also want to have children and think its going to be too late when I'm able too if I attend med school. I am getting married this year and although my fiance is very supportive I know kids is something that he really wants as well and I don't want it to be too late when I'm ready to have children. Would it be beneficially for me to attend med school or should I just become a CRNA?

Thank you!

Moving to the nontrad board as OP has already finished college.

The short answer is that it's never too late for med school, but balancing school and child-bearing is an age old question that totally depends on the individual and their support system. Certainly the CRNA path is the easier one, and to the extent you like anesthesiology, this certainly allows you to do a lot (but not all) of what you might have done as an anesthesiologist with an MD. Only you can decide if this is enough -- it might pay to find yourself a CRNA to shadow and she what s/he does each day, how s/he likes his/her job, whether s/he feels an MD would improve things, etc.
 
You could really go either way with this one. I'm going for the MD, but, honestly, if I were in your situation I'd do the CRNA. Its a little different for me as I do not have a nice job, a partner, etc. You're already a nurse and you probably have a pretty posh job and salary and you could begin to have a kid tomorrow if you want without detriment to your lifestyle. It makes more sense financially for you since CRNAs net a salary around that which most doctors do. Add to this the huge debt you would have to incur in medical school, the free time which you will not have, and the low pay of residency and the decision is a no-brainer, IMO.

If you really wanted to have a kid in medical school, you could do it in probably year 1 or 2, but I doubt you'll have time to be there when he or she really needs you in years 3-4 and in residency, and probably even after residency.

If you really want the responsibility that comes along with being a doctor you could always come back to it 7-10 years down the road. Hopefully the debt won't be so onerous by then, too. Why are you even giving this so much thought? Be there for your family.

Hi there! thank you for your advice. I was totally thinking the same thing. Right now I'm actually thinking of taking med school requirements and applying to CRNA school. Get married, have kids, travel get everything together at a good age and return to med school maybe when I'm about 35 or so...what are you thoughts? I mean I want kids and I have to have kids at a certain age by 35 I maybe able to get the traveling in, hubby time in, and have kids, have saved up enough and so forth....

I just didn't know if it would make sense to go to med school now or later?

I can do my premed classes as I apply to CRNA school and wait to get in!
 
Dont let med school or any school for that matter change your drams and goals because of kids. that mentality rests on the assumption that med school is not the perfect time for having children but that a perfect time exists. This is not true. You will never be prepared and have everything perfect for kids. You should follow your heart and make your own decisions, but I know many, many current med students and practicing physicians who had several children during med school, residency, etc.

Life is tough but you do what you love and enjoy your life. Dont put any of it aside (school or children) because of not seeing how it would work out smoothly. It doesn't have to be a choice between family (children) or med school.
 
Dont let med school or any school for that matter change your drams and goals because of kids. that mentality rests on the assumption that med school is not the perfect time for having children but that a perfect time exists. This is not true. You will never be prepared and have everything perfect for kids. You should follow your heart and make your own decisions, but I know many, many current med students and practicing physicians who had several children during med school, residency, etc.

Life is tough but you do what you love and enjoy your life. Dont put any of it aside (school or children) because of not seeing how it would work out smoothly. It doesn't have to be a choice between family (children) or med school.

While I agree that there is no perfect time for kids, there are conditions that make it easier and better than others. I was going to college and nursing school when my first was a baby and that entailed: Work plus school and I'll even add on the ridiculous amount of time it took to commute to school and clinicals, plus studying= a lot of day care time (and pink eye and sinus infections) but fortunately, help from family. Did it ruin my child? No, but I do wish I hadn't been stretched so thin. Then from a financial standpoint, holy crap, did I have a very, very tight budget and had to pay out of pocket for my daughter's health insurance and dental visits. With child number 2 (post college/nursing school), I work 3 12's, weekends (by choice), 10 min commute, no swine flu lovin daycare, awesome benefits, and pay. It's a no brainer which is better for mamma and baby.

Hi there! thank you for your advice. I was totally thinking the same thing. Right now I'm actually thinking of taking med school requirements and applying to CRNA school. Get married, have kids, travel get everything together at a good age and return to med school maybe when I'm about 35 or so...what are you thoughts? I mean I want kids and I have to have kids at a certain age by 35 I maybe able to get the traveling in, hubby time in, and have kids, have saved up enough and so forth....

I just didn't know if it would make sense to go to med school now or later?

I can do my premed classes as I apply to CRNA school and wait to get in!

Since you're asking for opinions, I say you either make the med school run now, and start your family after residency, or go for CRNA and then have kids, and then later do the med school run.

The pros that I see for doing the med school run now is that you can git 'er done without trying to also be a mom at the same time and relying on only one income. You will still be plenty young to enjoy your family and traveling afterward. Personally, I would say that this is the best option.

If you do the CRNA route first, you will be able to improve your income sooner and have kids and travel sooner. I suppose you could do your post bac pre-reqs now as well, however, you would need to take the MCAT much closer to when you actually apply for medical school, and by 7-10 years after you've done physics, organic, biochem, etc, you'll need refreshing in those areas to do well on MCAT. In theory, you'll be able to put away some money for med school, however, you'll still also have to finance the CRNA and post bac education, and children are spendy little critters. And still, even when they are older, med school will compete heavily with your time with them.

One more thing to think about before deciding is- will you really enjoy being a CRNA? All the CRNAs that I've talked to have tried to sell it to me. So there must be something to it. However, I personally don't see the draw- well other than the income and the relief of some of the bedside critical care scut (lactulose enema anyone?). I think the only way that you would know for certain whether you could put any time in as a CRNA is if you shadowed a CRNA for long enough to get a really good perspective.


Good luck whatever pathway you choose!
 
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You could really go either way with this one. I'm going for the MD, but, honestly, if I were in your situation I'd do the CRNA. Its a little different for me as I do not have a nice job, a partner, etc. You're already a nurse and you probably have a pretty posh job and salary and you could begin to have a kid tomorrow if you want without detriment to your lifestyle. It makes more sense financially for you since CRNAs net a salary around that which most doctors do. Add to this the huge debt you would have to incur in medical school, the free time which you will not have, and the low pay of residency and the decision is a no-brainer, IMO.

If you really wanted to have a kid in medical school, you could do it in probably year 1 or 2, but I doubt you'll have time to be there when he or she really needs you in years 3-4 and in residency, and probably even after residency.

If you really want the responsibility that comes along with being a doctor you could always come back to it 7-10 years down the road. Hopefully the debt won't be so onerous by then, too. Why are you even giving this so much thought? Be there for your family.


I think because this is what I want to be happy in my career but when I look at it I want a happy married life and family life as well. I love being a nurse but I'm not totally happy. Thank you, your advice made sense though.
 
have the background and had the same struggle, started at age 33.....now a 4th yr med student, absolutely no regrets!

Are you serious? So when did you have kids? were you able to have kids during med school?
 
While I agree that there is no perfect time for kids, there are conditions that make it easier and better than others. I was going to college and nursing school when my first was a baby and that entailed: Work plus school and I'll even add on the ridiculous amount of time it took to commute to school and clinicals, plus studying= a lot of day care time (and pink eye and sinus infections) but fortunately, help from family. Did it ruin my child? No, but I do wish I hadn't been stretched so thin. Then from a financial standpoint, holy crap, did I have a very, very tight budget and had to pay out of pocket for my daughter's health insurance and dental visits. With child number 2 (post college/nursing school), I work 3 12's, weekends (by choice), 10 min commute, no swine flu lovin daycare, awesome benefits, and pay. It's a no brainer which is better for mamma and baby.



Since you're asking for opinions, I say you either make the med school run now, and start your family after residency, or go for CRNA and then have kids, and then later do the med school run.

The pros that I see for doing the med school run now is that you can git 'er done without trying to also be a mom at the same time and relying on only one income. You will still be plenty young to enjoy your family and traveling afterward. Personally, I would say that this is the best option.

If you do the CRNA route first, you will be able to improve your income sooner and have kids and travel sooner. I suppose you could do your post bac pre-reqs now as well, however, you would need to take the MCAT much closer to when you actually apply for medical school, and by 7-10 years after you've done physics, organic, biochem, etc, you'll need refreshing in those areas to do well on MCAT. In theory, you'll be able to put away some money for med school, however, you'll still also have to finance the CRNA and post bac education, and children are spendy little critters. And still, even when they are older, med school will compete heavily with your time with them.

One more thing to think about before deciding is- will you really enjoy being a CRNA? All the CRNAs that I've talked to have tried to sell it to me. So there must be something to it. However, I personally don't see the draw- well other than the income and the relief of some of the bedside critical care scut (lactulose enema anyone?). I think the only way that you would know for certain whether you could put any time in as a CRNA is if you shadowed a CRNA for long enough to get a really good perspective.


Good luck whatever pathway you choose!

Question, was medical school kinda familiar to you since you were an ICU nurse?
 
While I agree that there is no perfect time for kids, there are conditions that make it easier and better than others. I was going to college and nursing school when my first was a baby and that entailed: Work plus school and I'll even add on the ridiculous amount of time it took to commute to school and clinicals, plus studying= a lot of day care time (and pink eye and sinus infections) but fortunately, help from family. Did it ruin my child? No, but I do wish I hadn't been stretched so thin. Then from a financial standpoint, holy crap, did I have a very, very tight budget and had to pay out of pocket for my daughter's health insurance and dental visits. With child number 2 (post college/nursing school), I work 3 12's, weekends (by choice), 10 min commute, no swine flu lovin daycare, awesome benefits, and pay. It's a no brainer which is better for mamma and baby.

I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I respect yours. I do however disagree. I dont buy this argument with respect to medical school. "Better" is a subjective term when dealing with med school, kids, future, etc. There are things to consider and weigh in accordance to your passion and determination but I dont think one should put off either school or kids for the other. But to each their own.

Either becoming a anesthesiologist or becoming a dermatologist

Both of these specialties are very competitive. Lots of hard work, more so than lots of other students probably, want to weigh all those issues as well.
 
Either becoming a anesthesiologist or becoming a dermatologist

In addition to the hardships of medical school, you should know that you are considering some of the most difficult specialties that exist.

While anesthesiology is easier to get than dermatology, it is known as being the most difficult residency around. You can't have kids in this field and be a resident

And as for dermatology, that's the most competitive field to get into. Matching in this specialty is incredibly difficult, and I know 2 people from different top 20 research schools who didn't match in derm.

But going to medical school doesn't have to to mean giving up having kids or having to be competitive for the rest of your life.

I'm a older nontrad in medical school who's going into psychiatry. For me, the competition is done. Unless I fail a year or get caught selling drugs, I'm going to match somewhere in my field of choice because I'm an American grad. I won't get UPenn, but honestly, I don't really care. My lifestyle is VERY different from some of peers who need to constantly be top of the class, and psych isn't the only field where where one can have a balanced life (peds, EM, FM, etc). So think about that

Also, not to state the obvious, but why not consider becoming an NP? They have tons of anatomy and you wouldn't be boxed in as you would with the CRNA. It sounds like with your med school interests, you don't really know what you'd like to do, and being an NP would allow you to change fields if you'd like

Good luck!!
 
While anesthesiology is easier to get than dermatology, it is known as being the most difficult residency around. You can't have kids in this field and be a resident

Ummm... what?
 
While anesthesiology is easier to get than dermatology, it is known as being the most difficult residency around. You can't have kids in this field and be a resident

Ummm... what?
 
For some reason, I thought surgery was worse....:rolleyes:



From my perspective--what I have seen up close, I'd say in general, surgery is much worse.



Oh and to answer the OP's question, well, from one critical care nurse to another, listen, what do you really want--CRNA or MD? If you want a nice six figure yearly income and more time for children, etc, and much less of a money, time, and aggravation investment, do CRNA. You've got the ICU background, and you've got the BSN. They are the two baseline things you need to gain entry into these programs--sure good GREs, GPA, and LOR help too. But you are pretty much in the bag for a 2.5 or so year commitment for a CRNA program.

The question that echos over and over is still this one. If you can see yourself doing anything other than medicine, do it! There is a reason that statement exists. Bottom line is that medicine is too expensive, too long all toll, and too much of a pain in the butt overall to do unless it is the only thing you truly want to do.
Sad but true. Can you have children in progress toward either, sure. People do it. But what do you really want to do?
 
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While anesthesiology is easier to get than dermatology, it is known as being the most difficult residency around. You can't have kids in this field and be a resident

This is just simply not true. You can do anything you can handle, its all about your goals, desires, dream, passions, etc. Yes, there are specialties that will be much much harder than others (the reason I commented on your two choices) but its not impossible. It also depends on your support structure as well.

However, I agree with one of the above posters. It seems from your post that you value your kids and family more. So go CRNA or even DNP or something. Dont let the "prestige thing" get you about being a MD. You can be totally fulfilled and happy as well as successful in any of those fields. The truth is you have to make the decision that right for you, no one can tell you what to do.
 
This is just simply not true. You can do anything you can handle, its all about your goals, desires, dream, passions, etc. Yes, there are specialties that will be much much harder than others (the reason I commented on your two choices) but its not impossible. It also depends on your support structure as well.

However, I agree with one of the above posters. It seems from your post that you value your kids and family more. So go CRNA or even DNP or something. Dont let the "prestige thing" get you about being a MD. You can be totally fulfilled and happy as well as successful in any of those fields. The truth is you have to make the decision that right for you, no one can tell you what to do.


I do love to have a family and I would love to get my MD as well...However, I think it will be hard to raise a family being in med school. At the same time I think being a doctor is what will make me happy career wise. My fiance is the nicest and sweetest guy in the world, he is very supportive of what I want but I don't want to crush his dreams of wanting children as I fulfill my dreams of being a doctor. He won't say anything but I have to think about it. I am ready for the hard work but I think having children in school maybe a lot of work esp being a female. But then by the time I get out of school, it will be too late to have children. I looked into becoming an NP but we have an NP at my work and her job is boring she can't line, intubate or anything and she's a ACNP, thats why I looked into CRNA instead of NP.

I think I'm going to do my med school requirements as I wait to get into CRNA school.
 
From my perspective--what I have seen up close, I'd say in general, surgery is much worse.



Oh and to answer the OP's question, well, from one critical care nurse to another, listen, what do you really want--CRNA or MD? If you want a nice six figure yearly income and more time for children, etc, and much less of a money, time, and aggravation investment, do CRNA. You've got the ICU background, and you've got the BSN. They are the two baseline things you need to gain entry into these programs--sure good GREs, GPA, and LOR help too. But you are pretty much in the bag for a 2.5 or so year commitment for a CRNA program.

The question that echos over and over is still this one. If you can see yourself doing anything other than medicine, do it! There is a reason that statement exists. Bottom line is that medicine is too expensive, too long all toll, and too much of a pain in the butt overall to do unless it is the only thing you truly want to do.
Sad but true. Can you have children in progress toward either, sure. People do it. But what do you really want to do?


I am ready for the hard work but I think having children in school maybe a lot of work esp being a female. But then by the time I get out of school, it will be too late to have children.

I think I'm going to do my med school requirements as I wait to get into CRNA school.
 
the main reason i decided against crna was because of my children, but that was with my situation only. i live in des moines, and des moines university is here, so there is a chance i could go there and not move my children. but i HAVE to move for CRNA school. and it is not long enough to sell my house and move my family only to return in 2 and a half years. And i don't want to spend 2-3 years away from my children.

I am a male though with a very supportive wife, and my kids will all be in school by the time i hit med school.

Another issue is don't underestimate the competitiveness of CRNA school. there are less applicants but less spots as well.

I also know that I want to go into health care. I also know I want to be a doctor. What i don't know is the exact specialty i want to pursue. Sure I have my sights set on certain specialties, but I don't have any in depth experience in any of them. And I really think I am going to listen to the med students on here when they say keep an open mind because it will probably change. if you are sure you want to go into anesthesia 100% without a shadow of a doubt, i would say go CRNA then. Because anesthesia is very competitive and with 3 children, I know I am going to have to make sacrifices in med school. it is possible i will be a middle of the road med student so i can spend time with the kids.
 
I am ready for the hard work but I think having children in school maybe a lot of work esp being a female. But then by the time I get out of school, it will be too late to have children.

I think I'm going to do my med school requirements as I wait to get into CRNA school.

Your right, having kids in med school will be hard work, I have a friend who just had their first in 3rd year of all times. It is work, it is hard, it is not impossible. Its all about priorities. Also, you should research into NP a little more than one anecdotal story. There are nearly completely autonomous NP's working in certain situations. With a lot more responsibility and "freedom" than CRNA's. Just a though.

However, it sounds like you made your decision though. Thats good, one piece of advice I always give friends in these kinds of situations is once you make the decision completely and you know its final, follow it with all your heart and never look back.

Good luck!! :luck: :D
 
Question, was medical school kinda familiar to you since you were an ICU nurse?


I'm not even there yet. I plan on applying to Mills to start post-bac classes in Fall 2011. I'm saving up for the tuition and reviewing my gen chem text.
 
I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I respect yours. I do however disagree. I dont buy this argument with respect to medical school. "Better" is a subjective term when dealing with med school, kids, future, etc. There are things to consider and weigh in accordance to your passion and determination but I dont think one should put off either school or kids for the other. But to each their own.


I can only speak from my own perspective. Having had the experience of not putting off school when I had a child, and then later having a child when I was through with school, I find the latter more satisfactory. Call me crazy. :laugh:
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with working on your pre-reqs, now etc. You will figure it out. Show me a decent critical care nurse that doesn't know how to prioritize and critically think. . .so I know you will figure it out.

But also, star's points are good too. I think we also have to work with what life hands us. If I had waited to successfully bring children to term through the process of getting in and going through med school, I don't know if it would have been doable. But I'm unusal b/c of my autoimmune diso. It took a lot to carry my children to term. It all depends on each person's own particulars.

Also, some people have excellent support systems. I know a peds ICU RN now that is in a CRNA program, but she and her husband were able to move in with her parents--she has small children. Sacrifices have been made, but it is all working out for them.

Some people have this kind of support through med school, or they can afford a full-time nanny, or something like that. I would say this is not typical for most, but there are people that have really good support systems in play--other than their primary, significant other. (I say this, b/c it's a lot to put--the major bulk of all the intensities of parenting--on one person, especially if that other person has to work. Plus, people need backup systems; b/c things happen.)

star, again, is so right, b/c it is something that only you can answer. Even your s.o. can't answer it. They can have input, but mostly it will come down to you and perhaps the Lord above, if you are a person of faith.

I will say that I've seen some people go through med school while their wives or husbands tried to play "mommy" for them--especially with also having kids. It was hard. Some didn't make it, and some stayed married, but they still often feel like they didn't get a balanced break in the whole deal--even if they are reticent to admit it.

One of my best friends is like that. Funny thing is, she played the mommy role, and the husband, who is now a physician, spends most of his time away by choice. (It's a complicated story.) She was stuck doing the bulk of raising the family--childrearing, dealing with medical problems, the whole nine yards. And after all of it, my friend's husband now resents her in the mommy role, even though that helped him get what he wanted. People think they want that--a mommy, or they want it for a while, but after a while it bothers them. So, like many they have a marriage of acceptance in terms of finances, staying together b/c of kids, and out of a sense of security. But my friend only wanted to see what she wanted to see from the get go. It was never truly both of them working together independently yet also collaboratively in balance. Mostly in usually came down to what he wanted, and he'd give in on certain things to make her think she is getting some balance in the relationship.

My point is either way, even in the best of truly honest, balanced relationships, the whole med school, residency, getting established process takes a toll on all involved. That's it.

Also, although physicians often collaborate, they have to be people that can make decisions from the core of who they are IMO, w/o a mommy back-up mentality going on. I think you have to be strong-minded and strongly independent as a physician, although, at the same time, a big portion of it does require collaboration and learning to work in a coalition approach as opposed to working with others in a cliques or fractions mentality.

(IMHO, this is one of nursing's major problems. They haven't learned enough of the approach that physicians take--that is, steer clear of forming cliques or fractions and work toward developing coalitions. This approach is more productive. Nursing unfortunately seems mostly stuck in clique or fraction mode.)

Working in true coalitions requires even more sacrifice at times. It's a core approach to leadership that requires cooperative autonomy and shared interdependence with others.


You are wise to take your time to think about this. You are also wise IMHO to consider reproduction and family aspects of this as well. You may have an amazingly supportive extended family, and so whichever way you choose, it will all work out well.

Still, there is ultilmately no getting around what you really want to do and what you may be more "built" for.
Medicine involves taking a leadership role, and even today, such leadership can be a particular challenge for women in medicine. You still get the whole, "You must be a b!tch thing" or some other nonsensical conclusions.

My husband and I are a lot alike in that we are both autonomous, leadership people. Most decisions are made pretty much mutually--although every relationship requires some gives and takes. But he's no moma's boy, and I'm do daddy's girl. LOL I don't run after him picking up after him or him me in the general sense of things; b/c doing that is enabling behavior, and it doesn't foster core responsibility and accountability--two things that are vital in our kind of nursing and in medicine. Our kids are strong-willed too, but they can think for themselves, and this is something my father taught me to value.

If your spouse understands you and you understand yourself, well, it seems the decision will be made for you, internally.


About CRNA programs, yes. There are less seats. Anecdotally I will tell you that every critical care RN I know that was determined to get accepted gained entrance to a CRNA program. And I know A LOT of critical care nurses that have successfully gone this route. There are always challenges, but I can't think of one out of no less than 20 over the years that didn't make in or through. If you want to get in, you will.

Good luck with your decision. And if you do CRNA or NP, you certainly can apply to MS later. It depends on where you are in your life and meeting your life goals and challenges. But many advanced practice nurses pursue medical school.
 
I do love to have a family and I would love to get my MD as well...However, I think it will be hard to raise a family being in med school. At the same time I think being a doctor is what will make me happy career wise. My fiance is the nicest and sweetest guy in the world, he is very supportive of what I want but I don't want to crush his dreams of wanting children as I fulfill my dreams of being a doctor. He won't say anything but I have to think about it. I am ready for the hard work but I think having children in school maybe a lot of work esp being a female. But then by the time I get out of school, it will be too late to have children. I looked into becoming an NP but we have an NP at my work and her job is boring she can't line, intubate or anything and she's a ACNP, thats why I looked into CRNA instead of NP.

I think I'm going to do my med school requirements as I wait to get into CRNA school.

Med school is not the hard time, residency is. With the exception of third year, most of med school is very manageable; most people even study at home first and second year. Having kids during medical school is usually the easiest route to go.

Many women opt to have kids in residency just because of timing.
More than half of med students are right out of college and a good quarter of those left are just a few years out. That means that when they are ready to start having kids they are already in residency. I will tell you it will be harder to have kids in residency. You will be working much longer hours and will be totally drained. Think that instead of working the 3 12 hours shifts a week you are used to, you will be working the equivalent of 6 or more shifts.

Now if you are serious about the whole medical school thing, in the years you are taking courses, think about getting pregnant. You could have your first child either early in med school or even before. That way, when they are really young you could take care of them and study at home and by the time you have to go to clinicals, they can be at day care.

You do not have to give up having kids or going to med school. They are by no means mutually exclusive.

In terms of derm- derm is INCREDIBLY competitive. The people who apply are at the very, very top of the med school class. Remember that most people coming into med school are at the top of their college class and half of them end up in the bottom half of the med school class. I am not saying that you wont have the stats but if that is why you are choosing medicine, you might want to rethink the decision.
 
Dont let med school or any school for that matter change your drams and goals because of kids. that mentality rests on the assumption that med school is not the perfect time for having children but that a perfect time exists. This is not true. You will never be prepared and have everything perfect for kids.

This line always seems to get trotted out in favor of having kids in med school or residency, as though the fact that there's no perfect time to have kids implies that you might as well have them when you've got an enormous and time-consuming professional and academic burden in your life. This is not sound logic. There may not be a perfect time to have kids, but there are better and worse times, and having them while you are still in your twenties, have a supportive husband, and a professional certification that will allow you to work a part-time job with flexible hours if you wish, is a heck of a lot better than having them when you're required to spend 12 or more hours per day in the hospital year in and year out.

You ask whether it would be beneficial for you to attend medical school. IMO, it is never beneficial attend medical school unless you want to become a doctor more than anything else in life. You sound like you hold family to be more important than specific choice of career. This argues against medical school. If I were you I would have your kids first, then once they're older and all in school full-time, you can go back to school and become a CRNA. You'll still have everything it sounds like you really want, and it will be easier on you and your family.
 
This line always seems to get trotted out in favor of having kids in med school or residency, as though the fact that there's no perfect time to have kids implies that you might as well have them when you've got an enormous and time-consuming professional and academic burden in your life. This is not sound logic. There may not be a perfect time to have kids, but there are better and worse times, and having them while you are still in your twenties, have a supportive husband, and a professional certification that will allow you to work a part-time job with flexible hours if you wish, is a heck of a lot better than having them when you're required to spend 12 or more hours per day in the hospital year in and year out.

I don't necessarily disagree with the spirit of your post, but logic is hard to quantify in these types of situations. Having children is an immensely personal decision, what may be "better" for one may not be "better" for another. There are other careers that can take a person away from their family as much (if not more) than med school. Med school is relatively stable compared to residency anyway. The choice to have children cannot be made with logic by anyone but the individuals involved.

That being said, wanting to be top of your med class and get into derm would be hard with children, but what about life isn't hard. My point is not that there are not "better" times than others (definable by each individual) to have children, but that having children changes your life and your focus. You can have children in and through med school (as demonstrated by the many that do) and have no ill effect on your child, marriage, etc. You can also have children and hurt them terribly and lose your marriage without even thinking about med school. Medical school is not the determining factor here and one should take into account all aspects in the decision (not just anecdotal stories about how hard it is at a particular time). There are other life issues that can weigh just as heavily on that decision outside medical school. One must just make the decision go with it. It would be a hard argument to make that having children during medical school would be bad for them. Especially in the myriad of individual aspects associated with it.

Just my humble opinions on it, to each their own.
 
You ask whether it would be beneficial for you to attend medical school. IMO, it is never beneficial attend medical school unless you want to become a doctor more than anything else in life.

Tris, you're a med student and have more experience here, but I think that is a little too strong. If doctors are taken from among only monomaniacs, then we have entrusted our health to mentally unhealthy people.
 
i have been on this journey to med school for quiet some time and i have done it with children...it CAN be done. you will need an excellent support network in place though to do it and a supportive husband.

that being said, i will pass along to you a piece of advice given to me when i was balking last yr about being the oldest student in my class by about 10 yrs and wondering again why i was doing this to my family when i could "settle" for something less in a shorter period of time that was told to me by an ER physician:
"in 5 yrs, you will still be 5 yrs older whether or not you pursue med school. you can spend those 5 yrs pursuing something you love and in the end have a career you enjoy and love....or you can spend those 5 yrs settling for something else and always wondering in the back of your mind 'what if?'."
just replace the 5 yrs (my case) with however long it will be until you graduate med school in your case......
look long and hard at what you want......if you want it then chase the dream.
 
You are my hero.:laugh:

In addition to the hardships of medical school, you should know that you are considering some of the most difficult specialties that exist.

While anesthesiology is easier to get than dermatology, it is known as being the most difficult residency around. You can't have kids in this field and be a resident

And as for dermatology, that's the most competitive field to get into. Matching in this specialty is incredibly difficult, and I know 2 people from different top 20 research schools who didn't match in derm.

But going to medical school doesn't have to to mean giving up having kids or having to be competitive for the rest of your life.

I'm a older nontrad in medical school who's going into psychiatry. For me, the competition is done. Unless I fail a year or get caught selling drugs, I'm going to match somewhere in my field of choice because I'm an American grad. I won't get UPenn, but honestly, I don't really care. My lifestyle is VERY different from some of peers who need to constantly be top of the class, and psych isn't the only field where where one can have a balanced life (peds, EM, FM, etc). So think about that

Also, not to state the obvious, but why not consider becoming an NP? They have tons of anatomy and you wouldn't be boxed in as you would with the CRNA. It sounds like with your med school interests, you don't really know what you'd like to do, and being an NP would allow you to change fields if you'd like

Good luck!!
 
"in 5 yrs, you will still be 5 yrs older whether or not you pursue med school. you can spend those 5 yrs pursuing something you love and in the end have a career you enjoy and love....or you can spend those 5 yrs settling for something else and always wondering in the back of your mind 'what if?'."
just replace the 5 yrs (my case) with however long it will be until you graduate med school in your case......
look long and hard at what you want......if you want it then chase the dream.

Yeah, thats very true. There is also a thought about what is better for your children. People often allude to the "hardships" of med school being a negative influence on your children but what could be more positive than a parent chasing their dreams, following their heart? Not to mention being stable and successful after med school. I get confused why it is we feel so strongly that we have to shield our children from any adversity or hardship. Life is adversity and hardship, if you are shielded from it you are less able to cope in your own life. Its very possible to endure hardships and adversity in extremely positive ways, not to mention learning and gaining a lot from them. I guess it all depends on your outlook and personality.

Good luck OP in whatever you chose.
 
My father was a physician and my uncle and aunt were physicians. There are ten physicians in my family and no ax murderers, malcontents, drug users or child molesters. In short, my parents, and my aunt and uncle were able to raise well-adjusted children who all completed college with some of us becoming physicians too. In short, medical school and medicine is quite compatible with raising a family and family life.

Yes, there will be times when patient emergencies will preclude attendance at birthday parties and soccer games but with planning, those times are minimal. No, you are not joining a monetary or convent when you attend medical school. (Though they don't let you out of your cage often but once in awhile).

There are plenty of careers that will take you away from your family for long periods of time (business owner, chef, musician to name a few) thus medicine is not the only career that has long or irregular hours.

Finally, I have four married practice partners (I am a surgeon) who have children. They have no problem balancing their family life with their careers. All of them became parents while in medical school. Many of my medical school colleagues became parents while in medical school and most of my fellows in residency became parents over the course of the seven years that we spent in residency.

Bottom line: Don't use the "I want to have children" as a reason not to attend medical school if that is what you want to do. Fast forward 15 years when you look your defiant teenager in the eye and say, "if it wasn't for you, I would be a doctor now. See what I sacrificed for you!" You kid will know that you didn't sacrifice anything because they will have peers who have physicians for parents. Come up with another excuse because the "I want a family" isn't a very good one.
 
Listen, people, I know none of us here are professional scientists but I'm sure we've all heard before that the plural of anecdote is not data. It doesn't matter if you, your friends, your relatives, or even every single person you know successfully raised happy, healthy children while practicing medicine. The people you know are not a representative sample. n is too small. You cannot draw conclusions about general social trends from just the people in your own life.

It would be a hard argument to make that having children during medical school would be bad for them. Especially in the myriad of individual aspects associated with it.
I disagree; it's an extremely easy argument to make. What's better for babies and young children: to be cared for primarily by their mother, with whom they have an instinctive and biological bond; or to have their care farmed out to family members or even strangers? Answer: the former.

The argument you seem to be making is that there might be some child of a doctor out there somewhere who wound up doing better than some other child of some stay-at-home mom somewhere, so therefore you can't say that children of doctors are worse off. But as I said earlier, the plural of anecdote is not data. n = 1. In mathematics, one counterexample disproves a proposition, but in the messy real world, we do have to work with general trends and averages, and the existence of a few counterexamples that buck the trend does not disprove the trend.

Tris, you're a med student and have more experience here, but I think that is a little too strong. If doctors are taken from among only monomaniacs, then we have entrusted our health to mentally unhealthy people.
Not exactly monomaniacs, but definitely people whose primary focus is medicine. And that's as it should be: whom do you want operating on you, the guy who can't get enough of the OR or the guy who's thinking more about playing with his garage band this weekend? What I said isn't controversial; it's a common mantra on SDN--one I argued against as a pre-med, but now affirm--that you should only do medicine if there's nothing else in life you want more. Even my own biggest fan, jl lin, said the same thing upthread.

that being said, i will pass along to you a piece of advice given to me when i was balking last yr about being the oldest student in my class by about 10 yrs and wondering again why i was doing this to my family when i could "settle" for something less in a shorter period of time that was told to me by an ER physician:
"in 5 yrs, you will still be 5 yrs older whether or not you pursue med school. you can spend those 5 yrs pursuing something you love and in the end have a career you enjoy and love....or you can spend those 5 yrs settling for something else and always wondering in the back of your mind 'what if?'."
just replace the 5 yrs (my case) with however long it will be until you graduate med school in your case......
look long and hard at what you want......if you want it then chase the dream.
Perhaps we should start a catalogue of these common lines that aren't really valid, like the one I mentioned earlier: "there's no perfect time to have kids." This "you'll be X years older no matter what" is another. To see why, look at what you yourself said about replacing the 5 with however long. Let's say that it took not 7-11 years to become a doctor (med school + residency and fellowships) but 50 years. 50 years of intense schooling and training. Now, imagine you're a 21 year old college junior trying to decide whether to apply to medical school. "I don't know," you say, "I do think I want to be a doctor, but 50 years is a long time." Someone replies "well, you'll be 50 years older regardless of whether you become a doctor or not, so go for it!" You'd think they were crazy, right? Because there are a huge number of other things you could do with your life during those 50 years. There might be a lot of other things you'd like to do besides medicine, but spending those 50 years in school and training would cause you to miss out on all of them.

Now, where do you draw the line between 5 and 50? There's no hard and fast line; it's a gradation. People have different priorities. One person may well think 5 years of exclusive devotion to medicine is worth it, but for another person, maybe one who's older and for whom it would be more like 10 years, may have too much else they want to do. I mean, when I was 30, I could have said "in 10 years I could be a doctor, OR I could be a non-doctor who has in the past 10 years learned to play the guitar, gotten a novel published, hiked the Appalachian Trail, etc." And the latter may very well be a better option for me.

Yeah, thats very true. There is also a thought about what is better for your children. People often allude to the "hardships" of med school being a negative influence on your children but what could be more positive than a parent chasing their dreams, following their heart?
Answer (for young children anyway): having their mother be there for them. Besides, what if for you chasing your dreams and following your heart means giving the priority to your family?

Fast forward 15 years when you look your defiant teenager in the eye and say, "if it wasn't for you, I would be a doctor now. See what I sacrificed for you!"
Or, you could just not say things like that to your kids. But yeah, I guess if you're so obsessed with being a doctor that if you don't do it 15 years from now you'll be seething over not being one, you should go to medical school.
 
Listen, people, I know none of us here are professional scientists but I'm sure we've all heard before that the plural of anecdote is not data. It doesn't matter if you, your friends, your relatives, or even every single person you know successfully raised happy, healthy children while practicing medicine. The people you know are not a representative sample. n is too small. You cannot draw conclusions about general social trends from just the people in your own life.


I disagree; it's an extremely easy argument to make. What's better for babies and young children: to be cared for primarily by their mother, with whom they have an instinctive and biological bond; or to have their care farmed out to family members or even strangers? Answer: the former.

The argument you seem to be making is that there might be some child of a doctor out there somewhere who wound up doing better than some other child of some stay-at-home mom somewhere, so therefore you can't say that children of doctors are worse off. But as I said earlier, the plural of anecdote is not data. n = 1. In mathematics, one counterexample disproves a proposition, but in the messy real world, we do have to work with general trends and averages, and the existence of a few counterexamples that buck the trend does not disprove the trend.


Not exactly monomaniacs, but definitely people whose primary focus is medicine. And that's as it should be: whom do you want operating on you, the guy who can't get enough of the OR or the guy who's thinking more about playing with his garage band this weekend? What I said isn't controversial; it's a common mantra on SDN--one I argued against as a pre-med, but now affirm--that you should only do medicine if there's nothing else in life you want more. Even my own biggest fan, jl lin, said the same thing upthread.


Perhaps we should start a catalogue of these common lines that aren't really valid, like the one I mentioned earlier: "there's no perfect time to have kids." This "you'll be X years older no matter what" is another. To see why, look at what you yourself said about replacing the 5 with however long. Let's say that it took not 7-11 years to become a doctor (med school + residency and fellowships) but 50 years. 50 years of intense schooling and training. Now, imagine you're a 21 year old college junior trying to decide whether to apply to medical school. "I don't know," you say, "I do think I want to be a doctor, but 50 years is a long time." Someone replies "well, you'll be 50 years older regardless of whether you become a doctor or not, so go for it!" You'd think they were crazy, right? Because there are a huge number of other things you could do with your life during those 50 years. There might be a lot of other things you'd like to do besides medicine, but spending those 50 years in school and training would cause you to miss out on all of them.

Now, where do you draw the line between 5 and 50? There's no hard and fast line; it's a gradation. People have different priorities. One person may well think 5 years of exclusive devotion to medicine is worth it, but for another person, maybe one who's older and for whom it would be more like 10 years, may have too much else they want to do. I mean, when I was 30, I could have said "in 10 years I could be a doctor, OR I could be a non-doctor who has in the past 10 years learned to play the guitar, gotten a novel published, hiked the Appalachian Trail, etc." And the latter may very well be a better option for me.


Answer (for young children anyway): having their mother be there for them. Besides, what if for you chasing your dreams and following your heart means giving the priority to your family?


Or, you could just not say things like that to your kids. But yeah, I guess if you're so obsessed with being a doctor that if you don't do it 15 years from now you'll be seething over not being one, you should go to medical school.

She was giving the anecdotal to defeat the common logic. You wouldn't analyze data to make family decisions? And besides the Freakonomics dudes--who I trust implicitly because...well they're economists AND freaks--indicate that the best predictor of the success of progeny is the educational level of their mother. Wait for it. Smoke on it. gotcha.

The webernets has to be the most ridiculous place for family planning. Talk to the other person involved in the making and rearing of supposed kiddos.

And for the love of god nontrads. you wordy sob's. let's post it in 200 characters or less. This forum is killing me lately. and not softly either.
 
I love Tris: brutally honest (i've read many threads, big fan)

Anywho, I'm in kinda-sorta the same situation as the OP, with the exception that I'm a single male who is currently not working in the med field. I also have an interview for an anesthesiologist assistant (AA) program next week. AA is essentially the same as CRNA.

I dont mean to thread jack, but maybe my situation will help the OP since the core conflict is the same.

I was predent for many years, never got in, so applied to AA school this year. Before I applied to AA I seriously considered med school, and still do actually. I know about as much about being a doc as one can without shadowing one yet, as I have many friends in residency with whom I've talked a lot. My internal struggle is between AA and doc. I have shadowed a couple of AAs and honestly it seems boring. Sure its a wonderful career as far as job availability, security, and pay. You only go to school for 2 years to be one, and they net nearly what primary care docs do in some places! So hey, what's the problem? The problem is, I dont know if I'll be happy 10, 20, 30 years from now in that career. One of the first things I noticed while shadowing is how repetitive, routine, mundane, (insert more adjectives) the job is. One of the AAs I shadowed was 60 yrs old and looked like he was bored out of his mind, while saying (in a Eeyore voice): "yeah... its a good job." I'm not trying to knock the career and this is by no means a good sample of AAs, but I'm trying to look into the future. Two years and $120k later, I want to be happy with what i'm doing and feel like I made the right decision. Double or quadruple those figures for med school/residency.

On the other hand, there is medicine. I dont know what area I would go into yet, but there are so many options. I see it as a huge sacrifice up front, but great job satisfaction down the road. Sure there is a great cost of time and money, but thats what makes doctors doctors. I see myself in more of a leadership role down the road as I age, and AAs never get that. Its like the idea of starting to work for a company as the low man on the totem pole, and one day becoming the CEO. Not guaranteed, but possible. AAs have no chance of advancing in their community except through more education, ie med school. This is my main concern. Do I want to be doing the exact same thing when I'm 60 that I was when I was 30, with only a few raises/bonuses to show for it? I dont know. Or do I want to sacrifice and work hard now, to open more doors in the future? The huge drawback to medicine is what Tris is experiencing (sorry, referencing another thread). It takes up all of your time. You can all but forget your hobbies and other "passions" because the ~8 yrs of med school and residency will drain you. You've got to be into it 100% and wear "blinders" because any distraction will cause u to fall behind, and at that point you are in trouble. Top tier, competitive residencies are off the table because you have fallen in the class ranks. So is sacrificing a good chunk of your time on this planet worth it in the end? I dont know.

Granted i'm not in the exact same position as the OP, but the core question of "is it worth it? will I be happy down the road when it becomes all but too late to pursue more?" still remains.

I dont want to be an AA now, and decide to go to med school at 40. I'd like to begin pursuing NOW what I really want to do. I am completely capable of being successful at either career, but the indecision keeps me from going 100% in either direction.

Med school offers so many options, while AA/CRNA is a dead end (but very good) job. Drs can work in a hospital, private practice, research, teach, etc. AAs cannot do all those things.

I'm scared of two things: attending med school and becoming Tris, and attending AA school and becoming that 60 yr old AA robot. I actually enjoy biomedical science though, I have a BS and MS in biology, with focus in human biology. Its just the things I will miss out on in life during med school/residency that worry me.

Sorry for the ramblings, Im typing things as I think of them. Also hope this helps the OP to make a decision aside from family considerations.

Your thoughts.
 
In my own experience as a medical school student and mother of young children, raising children during medical school is not difficult, especially if one parent is home. I did wait until my youngest was three before I started; I treasured my time at home with them when they were infants and willingly started medical school later in order not to sacrifice that part of my life. When I begin residency, the demand on my time will be much greater and my entire family will be affected by that. But overall I feel good about how I have balanced parenthood and my professional ambitions thus far, and I think it will continue to work out well.
 
I disagree; it's an extremely easy argument to make. What's better for babies and young children: to be cared for primarily by their mother, with whom they have an instinctive and biological bond; or to have their care farmed out to family members or even strangers? Answer: the former.
You seem to be appealing to your own authority. To you its "better" to be cared for by their mother, guess all those children to single fathers are just SOL. Honestly, your words reveal your bias, "farmed out"? Its as sexist a view as "women should be pregnant in the kitchen, not in med school". I'm sorry, I dont mean to offend, but your bravado speaks volumes. Like I said in many of my previous threads, these are individually personal decisions, not one you or I could make for anyone else. Appealing even to your obviously logical draw, you have no double blind study to show its "better" for kids to be cared for solely by their biological mother. Thats a farce.

The argument you seem to be making is that there might be some child of a doctor out there somewhere who wound up doing better than some other child of some stay-at-home mom somewhere, so therefore you can't say that children of doctors are worse off. But as I said earlier, the plural of anecdote is not data. n = 1. In mathematics, one counterexample disproves a proposition, but in the messy real world, we do have to work with general trends and averages, and the existence of a few counterexamples that buck the trend does not disprove the trend.
Not at all, you misunderstand my point. Once again, your using your own definition of "better" as well. My point was exactly the opposite actually, in fact you made my point. Its not about "doing better" in life, its about an individual "right" for each person, family, child, and mother. Whats "right" for you is not whats "right" for me, or the OP, necessarily.

Answer (for young children anyway): having their mother be there for them. Besides, what if for you chasing your dreams and following your heart means giving the priority to your family?

Again, an appeal to authority (your own). There are so many things wrong with this idea especially adding in the "for young children anyway" part. Its trite and just simply not true. While many may make their family decisions on social trends and the beliefs of others, I tend to think it should be a more personal decision, one made out of love, not just simply convenience. But then again, I'm one of those hopeless romantics.

Again, you have made my point more vividly than I could. Thats exactly my point, your dreams are personal. I'm not trying to push for med school, I'm pushing for the OP's passions and dreams, I never said what her dreams were or should be. Assumptions lead to mistakes ya know.

Edit: My words seem a little too harsh. I really dont mean to offend, we are after all on an anonymous inerweb forum. I'm just expressing my opinions, take it or leave it. I sincerely hope I have not offended. Seriously.
 
Hi there!

I am 26 years old and am thinking should I attend medical school or CRNA. I'm a critical care nurse and have my BSN. I am happy with my career but I want more. I want the respect, autonomy, and want to be able to do more for my patients. I also want to have children and think its going to be too late when I'm able too if I attend med school. I am getting married this year and although my fiance is very supportive I know kids is something that he really wants as well and I don't want it to be too late when I'm ready to have children. Would it be beneficially for me to attend med school or should I just become a CRNA?

Thank you!
Become a CRNA, and regret that decision for the rest of your life. Trust me...I have seen it...
Edit: If being a doctor is not your ultimate career goal, dont go for it. However, if it is...you have to follow your dream. People or kids face adversities in their lives THAT THEY HAVE TO OVERCOME . There is not a specific amount of hours that one have to spend with their kids. You have to concentrate on doing your best for them. Some people spent 4 hours a day with their kids, and other spend 10 hours with them. Do we have formula to know which of these two parents do a better parenting job. Nobody can answer that... People have the ability to adapt... There are many people who are working two jobs and still have lovely families... At the end , I believe if your ultimate career goal is to become a doctor, you have to go for it because you dont want to make the same mistake that myself and many other people make.
 
Are you serious? So when did you have kids? were you able to have kids during med school?
had a long career as a level I ER/ICU RN, military veteran, and a battery of other jobs. no kids yet, waiting till after the match and settle in but you can have kids in school, esp my school. it's PBL based so minimal classes and tons, tons of time off. I know a couple in my class had kids in their 2nd yr and a couple more now as 3-4th yrs. as long as you plan your time right, having a life outside of school is not a problem
 
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She was giving the anecdotal to defeat the common logic. You wouldn't analyze data to make family decisions? And besides the Freakonomics dudes--who I trust implicitly because...well they're economists AND freaks--indicate that the best predictor of the success of progeny is the educational level of their mother. Wait for it. Smoke on it. gotcha.

The webernets has to be the most ridiculous place for family planning. Talk to the other person involved in the making and rearing of supposed kiddos.

And for the love of god nontrads. you wordy sob's. let's post it in 200 characters or less. This forum is killing me lately. and not softly either.

I always love what you have to say, Nasrudin. To the OP, you've gotten more than enough advice here. You said you wanted a greater degree of autonomy, and while you will get that as a CRNA, you're still answering to an anesthesiologist. Having spent years working in an OR, I can tell you that you'll only be happy if you become a CRNA because you want to acquire additional practical skills and a higher salary. I have a few friends who are CRNAs, and they either love what they do or resent the limitations inherent in the profession, including answering to residents or new attendings with far less experience than they have.

If you're worried about having a family, see above threads. It's tough to balance school/work/residency with family, but that will be true regardless of what you decide to do. CRNA school is really hard, but not nearly as long as medical school. Ultimately, you should do what you're passionate about doing. You can listen to literally thousands of stories from other people about how they struck the life/work/education balance, but they're not you. You need to be pragmatic and focus on what is actually required from both programs, while considering what will satisfy you in the long run.
 
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