CNRA or DO: Need Feedback

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gisel

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Hi, I am an RN-BSN, I just graduated from FIU and I'm working at the ER currently. I don't know what to do with my life, I can't decide if I should get CRNA(nurse anesthetist (master in science) or DO (osteopathic med).
Can any of you please let me know your opinions. CRNA gain 140K-200K a year, so they gain pretty good money, but so do the DO, my passion is DO but it would take me about 8 years to complete, while CRNA is just 3 years more aside from the 4 years I have from the RN carrier. I would really appreciate your advise.:luck:

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Hi, I am an RN-BSN, I just graduated from FIU and I'm working at the ER currently. I don't know what to do with my life, I can't decide if I should get CRNA(nurse anesthetist (master in science) or DO (osteopathic med).
Can any of you please let me know your opinions. CRNA gain 140K-200K a year, so they gain pretty good money, but so do the DO, my passion is DO but it would take me about 8 years to complete, while CRNA is just 3 years more aside from the 4 years I have from the RN carrier. I would really appreciate your advise.:luck:

I recommend doing whatever would make you the happiest. If thats DO, and you have the grades to support it, do it, or you will always regret not trying....
 
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To be qualified to become a student in a CRNA masters program you need to be an RN with ICU experience for at least a year... bare minimum.

I recommend volunteering at a hospital and shadowing some professionals a bit. Also another alt is to be an AA.
 
To be qualified to become a student in a CRNA masters program you need to be an RN with ICU experience for at least a year... bare minimum.

I recommend volunteering at a hospital and shadowing some professionals a bit. Also another alt is to be an AA.

She's currently working in the ER which qualifies as acute care along with the ICU. She'll be find working in the ER for at least a year. I have thought about both of these professions and I decided on becoming a doctor. It's a personal battle, you really have to weigh the pro's and con's and see where you everything ends up. I think you can be happy doing either.
 
Well best of luck - but for others reading: ER does not = acute or ICU.
Perhaps some schools accept ER time.... perhaps. I pulled up USF as the first CRNA school that popped up on google and here is there requirement:

A minimum of 2 current years of experience as an RN in an aggressive critical care unit. One year must be in adult critical care. Critical care is qualified as medical intensive care, surgical intensive care, cardiovascular intensive care, coronary critical care, or neurology intensive care.Emergency room, operating room, post anesthesia, and obstetrics are not accepted as critical care experience. Critical care experience is also defined as daily or full time contact with patients in intensive care units, use of invasive monitors, continuous cardiac monitors, ventilators, vaso-active infusions, and life threatening pathophysiology.
 
Well best of luck - but for others reading: ER does not = acute or ICU.
Perhaps some schools accept ER time.... perhaps. I pulled up USF as the first CRNA school that popped up on google and here is there requirement:

A minimum of 2 current years of experience as an RN in an aggressive critical care unit. One year must be in adult critical care. Critical care is qualified as medical intensive care, surgical intensive care, cardiovascular intensive care, coronary critical care, or neurology intensive care.Emergency room, operating room, post anesthesia, and obstetrics are not accepted as critical care experience. Critical care experience is also defined as daily or full time contact with patients in intensive care units, use of invasive monitors, continuous cardiac monitors, ventilators, vaso-active infusions, and life threatening pathophysiology.
IM just quoting the AANA, i figure they should know some of what they're talking about:
Requirements

The requirements for becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) mainly include having a bachelor's degree in nursing, Registered Nurse licensure, a minimum of 1 year acute care experience (ICU, ER for example), and the successful completion of both an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program and the certification examination.
http://www.aana.com/becomingcrna.aspx?ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetID=101&ucNavMenu_TSMenuTargetType=4&ucNavMenu_TSMenuID=6&id=98
 
I'm a doctor, although I don't regret at all but you will need 8 years plus residency to make more income and it depends on what residency, I encouraged my wife to become a nurse although she has the full ability to be a doctor, don't forget you will spend tones of money on medical school for 8 years and you will not earn 8 years the supposed earning 200k per year which will be equal to 1.6 million $
 
IM just quoting the AANA, i figure they should know some of what they're talking about:


Each school determines what 'acute care' is or isn't. The AANA leaves the determination up to the individual school as far as what that entails. Most schools don't count ER as experience, although some will consider it if the ER is a level one trauma center. I personally know of one school that would not consider a very experienced, high-level flight nurse because he lacked what they felt was the 'ICU experience'.

Contact the school you want to attend and ask them directly what their definition of 'acute care' is.

Get it right before you become the SDN AANA spokesperson.
 
JStephens,
Either way on which school requires what - I wish you the best of luck and previously was just wanting to clarify (even though I'm sure 99% of audience is already tracking...) that ER is not equivalent to acute or ICU as per the OP.

That is all, let us know what decision you embark upon.
 
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