So You Want To Be a Nurse When You Grow Up?

You're interested in becoming a nurse. How do				outlook on the future of CRNAs?" (3) "What are
you get into the field? First of all, you need to				the positive and negative aspects of working as a
assess your basic interest. Why do you want to				CRNA?" Nurses are a kind body of professionals
get into nursing? Are you getting ready to				and most won't mind that you took the time to
graduate from high school and always wanted to				contact them. It is always a good idea to get
be a nurse? Do you want to go into nursing,				feedback from someone who is currently in the
because a relative is in the profession or your				field (new graduate and seasoned professional), as
family has a tradition of graduating nurses, and it				well as retirees. Your email should be composed
seems like the right thing to do? Nursing seems				of a very brief note. Don't forget to thank them
like a nice secure profession-the pay attracts				for their responses.Another place to locate a
you? You've always liked helping others and you				CRNA is the AOL people directory, provided you
care a lot?Have you worked in another career				are an AOL subscriber. On your navigational tool
field and want a change for various reasons?				bar, just click on "People", then "Member
Does the "nursing shortage" make you feel like				Directory." Next, on the first text field line, type in
you need to be a part of the "gold rush," because				"CRNA" and you will find hundreds of CRNAs who
you have read and heard about all of the				are already in your own backyard. If you are not
wonderful sign on bonuses? Thorough research				an AOL subscriber, check to see if your ISP has
still needs to be done, before the decision is made				a searchable membership directory and find other
to embark upon a nursing career.There are many				members in a similar fashion. Send a member or
resources which provide information on getting				two the same introductory note mentioned earlier.
into nursing school, studying for and passing				This may be time consuming, but going through
boards, getting into new graduate employment				nursing school and getting an advanced degree,
programs, summer exploratory programs, etc.				only to find it is not for you, is both equally cost
But for traditional nursing work (bedside nursing) in				and time consuming. So save yourself some time,
a hospital or long term care facility (traditionally				money, and peace of mind. Becoming a CRNA is
known as a nursing home), it really would do				an investment.Nursing associations, in which your
some good if you had a reality TV type				specialty area is affiliated with, usually function on
experience. Reading books and articles exclusively,				a national and local level. Here are two examples:
won't prepare you for what the profession is				on the national level, American Association of
like.During my first nursing clinical rotation, I knew				Nurse Anesthetists, and on the local level,
instantly that I didn't like hospital nursing. However,				Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists,
I loved research, collecting data, writing papers,				important to note, these are not the only CRNA
and so forth. Since I had a science background				focused nursing associations, they are merely
and had worked in various laboratory settings				cited here as examples. Study their respective
(e.g., a dairy plant testing milk to biotechnology				websites and contact them to see if you can
company testing, human sera, a county				attend their next meeting. Tell them a little about
environmental health lab testing water sample on				yourself and interests in the profession, and that
a mass spectrophotometer, a food plant testing				you'd be interested in sitting in on a meeting or
spaghetti sauce), going into nursing research				attending an upcoming event, as a guest. The
seemed like a natural progression. The rude				national associations have local affiliates, so find
awakening: No one ever told me about the 5-6				out where the nearest affiliate is and give them a
years of med-surg hospital experience needed,				call or send email. The worst they can say is "No."
before an employer would even look at me. It				If you don't receive a favorable response, try
was not anyone else's responsibility to tell me this.				another organization, even if you aren't interested
Clearly, the lesson is to do all of your				in the specialty area. Remember the idea is to
homework.After graduating from nursing school, I				gain some experience, and more knowledge about
combed the Internet, help wanted ads, journals,				the profession of nursing.If you get to attend one
and even enlisted a network of friends to be on				of the organization's meetings or functions, you
the lookout for any nurse research employment				will surely meet nurses who have changed
opportunities. Positions in nursing research were				specialty areas at some point in their career.
scarce. My diverse science background, along with				Therefore, interacting and mingling will benefit you
my Bachelor of Science degree from the				greatly. If you were interested in another
University of Rochester, weren't a powerful				specialty area, here is an ANA (American Nurses
enough combination to hurry me into the				Association) link to Nursing Organizations: nurse
interviewing seat. Hence, I never landed an				focused discussion forums are another place
interviewing spot for any nursing research				worth investing some time in. You can ask the
positions.There are simple, invaluable, economically				same open ended questions mentioned earlier. Or
efficient ways to thoroughly research nursing as a				you can read message threads of those who
profession. Of course, nothing can substitute for				have already asked similar questions about getting
the actual on the job experience. But you are not				into nursing. Remember, you don't have to be a
there yet, and you want to investigate to see if				nurse to read or participate in most forums. Also,
you want to get there. Here a few suggestions				you may run across some discussions from
to include on your career research things to do				disgruntled message posters, but don't let this
list: (1) utilize the Internet to the fullest, (2) use				discourage you, this is another person's
the services of your ISP (Internet Service				experience. You are not in their situation. You
Provider) such as AOL, MSN, etc., (2) make				don't have all of the facts. For all you know, the
contact with potential employers in your area, (3)				person may not even be a nurse. Be objective
try volunteering, (4) and find student mentors at				when you read the posts in the nursing forums. A
your local college and university. Start with an				good place to start is All Nurses website, since it
open mind before you use any of these				has one of the largest number of participants in
resources.Many prospective students have their				nursing forums.Contact your local hospitals and
specialty title etched in stone. "I want to go into				other employers that hire nurses, and ask to
pediatric nursing, because I love children." "I want				speak with the human resources or personnel
to work in trauma." Moreover, they don't want to				manager. The manager will be able to provide you
discuss or research anything else. There is				with information on nursing and may be able to
absolutely nothing wrong with having a vision of				connect you with one of their employees who
which practice area you'd like to specialize in, but it				would speak with you about the profession.The
is a good idea to keep the door open for other				last task you need to complete is to try to
possibilities. The turn over can be high and many				volunteer at a hospital or nursing home. You don't
nurses change specialty areas for various				have to commit to a lifetime of volunteering;
reasons, from burnout, boredom, needing a				many organizations need volunteers to sit with
change of pace, advancement reasons, to				patients or residents as companions. Volunteering
unforeseen circumstances. The good thing about				in the mail department of any facility won't help,
changing specialty areas is your skills are				so concentrate your efforts on volunteering in a
transferable.Utilizing the Internet yields a wealth of				patient care setting, and then you can have a
information. There are many contacts to be				direct visual of the nurse-patient interaction. This
made on the Internet. Let's hypothesize, for				experience will be invaluable for you.Now, if you
reference purposes, CRNA (Certified Nurse				have a busy schedule and you're saying, "I don't
Anesthetist) will be used as an example specialty				have time to volunteer," there's another
area, and hypothetically, you are interested in				alternative for you. Contact your local community
becoming a CRNA. Keep in mind you have already				college and college or university's school of nursing.
researched nursing schools, salary ranges,				You can ask them to put you in contact with a
employment outlook, and in addition to becoming				first & second year student at the community
a registered nurse you're aware of the advanced				college and a freshman and senior student and
degree requirement. This part of your research				the college or university. Spend a day with them
has already been done.There are many				in school. Due to liability issues, you probably won't
organizations where you can make email contact,				be able to go on the clinical rotations with the
or get other contact information from nurse				senior student, but that student can inform you
professionals who are retired CRNAs, or those				of what can be expected and you can attend a
who currently work in the field. Go to to do a				class or few for the day. Find out how many
search. Try Google's advanced search feature and				courses the student is enrolled in and how much
type in keywords "email" and "CRNA" without				time is spent on studies. Remember, this will vary
quotes, on the first line.Your first 100 search				with each student and educational institution.All of
results will include some email addresses for				this data and experience should be collected and
people who are actually CRNAs. You will find				completed at least six months to a year before
some with university addresses, who may be				you decide to apply to nursing school. The
professors or alumni, company addresses of				Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
CRNAs who are employees, and personal email				title was used merely as an example and any
addresses. Select a CRNA's email address from				aspect of this career research can be applied to
these four different areas: (1) university				any person seeking information on how to career
employed, (2) hospital employed, (3) military				research for becoming a nurse and wishing to
employed, (4) and other areas, such as a				practice in any specialty area. Before you actually
physician practice group. To narrow your search				start applying to schools and taking entrance
you may type in "email" & "CRNA" or "military" or				exams, as you can see there are many ways to
"physician practice group" or "retired."Click on the				do your research on nursing as a profession. In
web page links to view email addresses listed.				addition to researching schools, reading career
Send each nurse professional a simple				books, taking aptitude tests, talking to family and
introductory email, about your interest in the				friends in the profession; these combined reality
profession and ask them three open ended				experiences will help you to become better
questions: (1)"What are some of the things I				informed and prepared for the decision you will
should consider before deciding to go to nursing				make. Best wishes with your nursing career.
school to become a CRNA?" (2)"What is your

Nj Rcpi

So You Want To Be a Nurse When You Grow Up?