Hey guys I have my heart set on working in healthcare and took a few years off after college because I was scared of what med school would entail. I have lots of passions and interests and am wary of spending my best years in class/studying 80-100 hrs a week. I don't know from all the stories I hear, med school seems akin to joining the army, as in one of the most extreme and brutal experiences a first-world country citizen can voluntarily have.
I felt like I found a middle ground in becoming a CRNA, in that you would be working in the medical field with a decent lifestyle with a growing level of independence if the AANA has their way. I'm taking prereqs right now and am breezing by them, but I have this doubt in my mind which I can't get rid of, is med school REALLY that much harder than becoming a RN->CRNA? You have far more opportunities as an MD, and the 2 year nursing program I have ahead of me is said to be no joke, and then there's 2-3 years of CRNA school, which is said to be as tough as going through an Anesthesiologist's residency if not worse.
Of course, in between I would be working as an ICU RN ~40 hrs a week for 1-3 years, which is a breeze compared to anything in med school. But if I pursue a specialty with a light residency such as Psychiatry, I would be working the last ~3 years around 40 hours a week as well. So the main deciding factor, assuming I'm attracted to specialty with a light residency and I am praying this is the case, is how much more difficult are the first 2 years of medical school compared to 2 years of nursing school?
Also, yes, I know the distinctions b/w nurses and doctors, I've had plenty of volunteer hours working with nurses and have shadowed doctors.
I felt like I found a middle ground in becoming a CRNA, in that you would be working in the medical field with a decent lifestyle with a growing level of independence if the AANA has their way. I'm taking prereqs right now and am breezing by them, but I have this doubt in my mind which I can't get rid of, is med school REALLY that much harder than becoming a RN->CRNA? You have far more opportunities as an MD, and the 2 year nursing program I have ahead of me is said to be no joke, and then there's 2-3 years of CRNA school, which is said to be as tough as going through an Anesthesiologist's residency if not worse.
Of course, in between I would be working as an ICU RN ~40 hrs a week for 1-3 years, which is a breeze compared to anything in med school. But if I pursue a specialty with a light residency such as Psychiatry, I would be working the last ~3 years around 40 hours a week as well. So the main deciding factor, assuming I'm attracted to specialty with a light residency and I am praying this is the case, is how much more difficult are the first 2 years of medical school compared to 2 years of nursing school?
Also, yes, I know the distinctions b/w nurses and doctors, I've had plenty of volunteer hours working with nurses and have shadowed doctors.