Ever wondered how you can reduce the tax burden for your CRNA business the legal way? Of course, you have because who wouldnât want to cut costs and make the most out of their income? Surely not you. This is why in this post, Iâm going to teach you how to reduce your tax burden by making use of your business expenses. Not sure what counts for a CRNA business expense for 2020? Not to worry as Iâm going to share with you 10 key business expenses for a small CRNA business.
It is a 5 step process and if you decide to miss one of these steps, it may hinder you from maximizing on business expenses as a CRNA business. Being in independent contract as a CRNA can be very overwhelming. You have decided that youâre giving 1099, going to start your own business but at the same time, youâre like you want to have control over your practice but then you realize that wow, thereâs so much that goes into becoming a small CRNA business. So, I believe itâs so important to decrease the tax burden as a new CRNA with a business. Knowing these 10 different tips and advice for maximizing your business expenses will surely help you in your future. It would also save you money at the end of the year. Letâs get right into these 10 tips
Retirement Planning
If you do an IRA, a self IRA, if you do a 401(k), these are instances where you would be able to use that as a business expense. Therefore, it is not taxed.
Mileage
If you are traveling to a specific location, maybe itâs 30 minutes, maybe itâs an hour, the mileage for that travel is tax deductible.
On the IRS website for 2020, itâs approximately $0.50 per mile.
Teenagers with car
Education Credits
We all love education and continuing education. You may be an RN, that is, going to become a traveler, or you are a CRNA, that is, becoming a locum. You may want to go back to school for your doctorate, for example, have a masterâs or Ph.D. in CRNA. Returning to school is something that can reduce your tax burden. There is something called Lifetime Learning Credit that you can utilize. This includes tuition, fees, and books. If you are someone who loves to travel and see the world, there are tons of conferences all around the world and you could say to yourself âYou know what, I want to go to Europe and I want to go to Italy. Thereâs a conference in Italy and I really want to go there.â The good news is your flights, meals, as well as your conference fees, are all tax deductible.
Business Equipment
Equipment for your business, scrubs, stethoscopes, peripheral nerve stimulators, compression stockings, your hats, office supplies, your license, certifications all count as tax deductibles. Now, piggyback on that as well as having space for your business. Say you donât have an office and you are utilizing that space for your business, there is a certain percentage that is tax deductible.
Health Insurance
Now, being an independent contractor, you own your own business. So, you have to deal with getting your benefits that are tax deductible. So, health insurance for you and your family is all included in that plan. Health insurance is a business expense and it is surely tax deductible
Evaluation health insurance
Flexible Medical Savings Account
Here, you can put money in for the future. So, money for medications and any unforeseen medical emergency can definitely be stored there while also proffering you with tax advantages.
Child and Dependent Tax Credit
If you have children and you have to put them in daycare, it is tax deductible. You donât have to pay taxes for that. It counts as a business expense.
Child Care Note Or Message As Reminder For Kids Daycare
Professional Fees
Being an independent contractor, you need a really good accountant and a really good financial advisor. The fees that go into getting them to provide you with their professional services are tax deductible.
Workers Compensation
Whatever benefits and compensation you would be giving to your members of staff are all tax deductible. Workersâ compensation is not taxable either at the state level or at the federal level.
Charity Donations
Anything that is 501(c)(3) is tax deductible. Donating to charities would help you reduce and lower your tax bill.
Give Word On Balloons Shows Charity Donations And Generous Assistance
Additionally, one thing you need to think about as well is that you want to set up your business in a way that you can maximize. So, Iâd recommend looking into S-corp taxation. Give yourself a salary and then, the rest of the money is for your business. Thus, you will have a less tax burden at the end of the day.
There you have it. The 10 business expenses that can serve as tax deductions for your business. Want to learn more about CRNAs and the practice of CRNAs? Stick around by subscribing to my website as well as to my YouTube channel.
If you have ever wondered if I truly love being a CRNA or if I just like it, well the answer is right in this postâs title. I absolutely love it! In this post, I would be going into details about all the things I love about being a CRNA. Who knows, my reasons might be very similar to why you also love being a CRNA. If you are aspiring to be a CRNA or already in CRNA School, my reasons might just be all the motivation you need to pull through with it. So, letâs get right into it.
Here Are The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Being A CRNA
Helping Patients Manage Pain
I remember being in the ICU and having very sick patients. I was always very interested in making sure my patients were comfortable and not in pain. As Iâve always been interested in pain management, I wanted to provide safe and effective holistic care. When I worked night shifts in the ICU, I would give my patients a bed bath, massage them and do all I could to make sure they were comfortable. From changing their bed sheets to brushing them up when they are becoming more awake to helping them with the transition from being very sick to coming out of the sickness and becoming healthier, I did all I could.
I Love Critical Care
While in the ICU, I enjoyed thinking fast and having to think on top of my feet. I loved learning and growing and I loved pathophysiology. So, that mirrors what I feel today as being a CRNA. Yes, being a CRNA differs from being an ICU nurse, however, being an ICU nurse has built a foundation that allowed me to be successful as a CRNA.
I Love Pain Management Strategies
My first transition into being a CRNA student, going into clinicals, and having to learn about epidurals and peripheral nerve blocks and more. These types of regional anesthetics are great pain management techniques in the sense that you are not requiring patients to have a lot of opioids as nowadays, thereâs something called an opioid epidemic.
Learning a variety of pain management strategies where I can block certain nerve roots in order to decrease pain sensation is exciting to me. It may not be a perfect or sole pain management anesthetic, but itâs nice to see it being used for surgeries, for labor, and more.
I Love Being Autonomous
The independence that comes with being a CRNA amazes me each and every day. In my institution, I work with anesthesiologists and CRNAs who I enjoy working with. I love being independent in the sense that you develop good relationships with people you work with and you get to try new anesthetic techniques.
In an operating room, it is you, in charge of managing your patients through their anesthetic experience. Youâve got to know that patient from head-to-toe, in and out, their history, and everything there is to know about them just so they can have a good anesthetic experience. People often say âOh, CRNA, they are the ones that sit down and they have a book theyâre readingâ. No, thatâs not the case. CRNAs are very vigilant. You may have a situation whereby you have a healthy patient whom you can provide a nice, smooth anesthetic. On the other hand, there could be times where it can be very rocky and you are constantly titrating medications and anesthetics drugs, changing your anesthetic plan to ensure your patients are safe and youâre applying best practices just so your patients have a good anesthetic experience. So, youâll have great days and you may have bad ones too but you learn from the bad and you just love the good.
I Love Constant Growth
Life as a CRNA is never the same thing every day. You are learning new things and growing on the ones you already know. I mean, you may have two patients with the same comorbidities, for example, but they react differently to the anesthetic. How the human body works is simply magical. Being a CRNA would make you realize this.
There are tons of opportunities for you to grow as a CRNA. You can decide to go back to school to get a specific certification or fellowship in a specific area. Thereâs always opportunities to grow in anesthesia.
The Development Of Confidence
Being a CRNA and providing anesthetics goes a long way in helping you to develop a lot of confidence. You would see a patient who you are keeping alive during such an interesting time in their lives. You meet a person, within five minutes, youâre going to be taking over for them with your ability to give them a safe, effective anesthetic. They are trusting you and you have to be confident.
CRNAs Are A Very Close-knit Group
I remember my experience being an ICU nurse and my experience transitioning into becoming one. It was quite terrifying and it felt like nurses eat their young. It was both a good and bad experience, but it made me who I am today and strong clinically. It allowed me to sharpen my critical thinking ability and skill set. Now, being a CRNA, I am confident to exchange information with my colleagues and learn from their art of anesthesia.
Many Career Opportunities For CRNAs
You can do a variety of different areas as a CRNA. You can work in an ambulatory care facility, in a hospital, a trauma institution, a community center, and a pain management clinic. You can work in obstetrics where you are just doing labor epidurals and C-sections. You can work in a facility where you are putting in regional blocks.
There are many places you can work in as a CRNA and there is so much diversity such that you can never be bored. If you donât like a particular area, you could just go on to do something different. For example, you might have worked 10 years in G.I. procedures and endoscopic procedures, but might one day feel that you want to transition into cardiac surgery. It might be a very tough transition for you but you can surely do it. You can always change and do many different areas. I mean, as CRNAs, we do cardiac surgery, we can put in central, arterial lines, peripheral nerve blocks, epidurals and so many others. All these techniques allow you to be a very strong anesthesia provider. If you have an area where you donât want to do all these things and you would rather be low-key, then you can do that too.
Traveling Contracts Are An Option
You can travel! The traveling field in nurse anesthesia is expanding rapidly. There are tons of jobs across the country where you can do one-week, three-month, or six-month contracts. You can bounce around within a specific locum company or try different places or different companies where you can maximize on becoming a CRNA.
Flexibility In Our Schedule
This is yet another thing there is to love about being a CRNA. We have a pretty flexible schedule as we can work an eight-hour shift, a 10-hour shift, 12-hour shift. You can work night shifts, you can do 16-hour, or 24-hour shifts. There are constantly different types of shift you can work as a CRNA.
If youâre an aspiring CRNA, I feel itâs important for you to see for yourself what CRNAs do daily as itâs not just enough to want to become one. You have to know what it entails. You shouldnât go into it just for the money as money is not always going to solve your problems or make you happy. You donât want to invest a lot of time, money, and energy into being something that doesnât come naturally to you. So, I recommend shadowing a CRNA to see if this career path is for you.
There you have it! The top 10 reasons why I love being a CRNA. Are you a CRNA? Which of the 10 reasons above can you relate with? What are some of the top reasons you love being a CRNA that I didnât mention?
Just starting your CRNA journey? Which of these reasons above are you itching to enjoy once youâre done with school? Which of them have you started enjoying? What are some of the top reasons you love being a CRNA student that I didnât mention?
Iâd love to hear from you. Please leave me your comments!
If you are aspiring to be a CRNA, you surely must have lots of questions on your mind. These questions range from how to thrive in school to what a typical CRNA journey is like to how you can set yourself up for success as a CRNA to what type of mindset you need that would help you be successful as a CRNA. If the last two questions are what has been bugging you for some time, then, not to worry. You are reading the right post!
The purpose of this post is to motivate you and help you to learn to change your perspective in life. It would also help you to learn how to focus on a mindset thatâs going to allow you to be successful. Letâs get right to it!
You might be struggling right now in school, you might simply just be getting curious about having a CRNA career, you might be in ICU, laying a foundation for yourself or you might just be thinking about a nursing career. Whichever of these phases you are in life, the key thing is to focus on making your perspective positive, and never giving up. You have to keep in mind that everyone has a struggle and no one has it easy.
You may come across someone who is in school, acting like everything is all bread and butter and like a walk in the park. Truth be told? That is hardly ever the case. In most cases, itâs simply their perspective and the way they see things in life that is allowing them to be successful. Let me use my CRNA journey as a case study.
My CRNA Journey
You know that feeling when you are stressed, struggling and you keep saying you canât go on, you want to give up. I sure can relate to that. Been there, done that! I remember how difficult it was when I started my CRNA journey. I had a newborn baby so, I was struggling. I never slept well, I never ate well, I wasnât able to read in the first couple of weeks and months but I never gave up. Not when I was tired. Not when I said to my husband that I couldnât go on anymore as it was too difficult. Thankfully, my husband was very supportive. He was there to support me mentally and physically. I remember that we didnât even have good jobs. I was a fulltime student and he was helping me with our daughter. Our family was also very supportive. We were struggling but we had student loans that helped us survive. We also had a budget and yes, a budget makes a huge difference.
Achieving That Mindset
Now, you might be in my shoes or you might have it completely different. You may have a big family and see becoming a CRNA in your future but you may think to yourself that you canât do it. Well, guess what? You can! If you put your mind in a place that is positive and decide to figure out a way to do it, you can do it. All you need to do is to at least try and put in your best. You may not be that person that gets all Aâs but as long as you are trying to get them and also putting in your best, youâre doing all that matters. This is because when you get a job, itâs not just about the grades. Yes, good grades may help you but in the end, it is all about your clinical experience and your personality.
In nursing, generally, we constantly have to try our best and work hard to be successful, know critical care, nursing, and all that it takes to be a great nurse. Being a nurse is something you have to be very proud of. So, just remind yourself that even with kids or with whatever situation you find yourself in, if you put your mind to it, you can do it. The bottom line? Change your perspective, put your mind in a positive place and be well on your way to being a successful CRNA.
Having a positive mindset is one sure way to set yourself up for success as a CRNA. It would keep you going on the days when everything seems tough. I hope you are able to pick up some lessons from my personal story as well as the other tips and use them to achieve this mindset.
If you want to learn more about CRNA and getting into the career of being one, then you might want to look through the archives for past CRNA-related posts and also stick around for upcoming ones.
I have been a CRNA for a few years now, and I would like to share the five tips that helped me get the most out of my ICU nursing experience.
Get ICU experience that is broad and in a teaching hospital.
You may only have the opportunity to work in a small community hospital because thatâs all you have access to, but itâs better to work in a busy ICU setting where you can get really sick patients. When I was an ICU nurse, I worked at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. It was a great teaching hospital and expanding my critical care skill set. NYU Langone Medical Center provided new graduate the ability to transition directing into the ICU with a nurse residency program. We received critical care lectures as well as clinical experience with most of the sickest patients in New York city. My ICU nursing experience definitely guided me and allowed me to learn a lot about critical care nursing and critical care medicine.
Get into the ICU of your interest.
The best ICU nursing experience is how you make your experience for yourself. There are many ICU nursing options, such as, medical ICU, surgical ICU, trauma ICU, cardiovascular ICU, critical care ICU, etc… If you donât put yourself out there and get the sickest patients on the unit of your choice. You will not be able to learn and grow. You should take the initiative to be involved on your unit as well as be apart of quality improvement measures.
You donât need a lot of experience for CRNA school
I actually had a classmate that only went into the ICU for one year before applying and getting accepted into CRNA school. Itâs definitely an opportunity that can happen for you. When receiving your ICU nursing experience, make sure your obtain your critical care nursing certification. Itâs important to obtain a broad skill set in ICU nursing as well as be active on your unit.
Try to be a part of a committee, writing protocols, research, and quality improvement measures. Be involved on your unit by being a charge nurse. Volunteer yourself to be a part of multiple aspects of being a ICU nurse. When you prepare for your CRNA school application, you want to have a strong resume with a wide range of activities. When you think about it, extracurricular activities are important for acceptance into any type of advanced practice registered nurse program. You donât want to just be an average ICU nurse; you want to be involved in multiple aspects of ICU nursing to strength your CRNA school application.
When I was in the ICU, I was a part of the Resuscitation Committee, a charge ICU nurse, a part of making nursing protocols, and quality improvement measures. I enjoyed be involved in best practices and evidence base research. Additionally, I volunteered to be a part of a Substance Abuse Research Program at NYU Langone pharmacology department. This was a great opportunity to learn about substance abuse research. This experience gave me the ability to become more compassionate and understand the epidemic with the substance abuse population. Especially, being a CRNA, we are exposed to a wide variety of medications, such as, narcotics. There is an opioid epidemic and a lot of people are addicted to these drugs. This experience allowed me to have respect for substance abuse research, medication management, and future techniques to help with this epidemic.
Shadow a CRNA
Kalea, Bella and Me
Itâs important to see what a CRNA does. You may have heard about it and read about it and said, âoh my god they make so much money.â Yes, that is true, however you want to go into a practice that you like. At the end of the day, when you choose to become a CRNA, you want to be happy and feel good about what you do in your career. You donât want to spend time and money going into a profession that you do not 100% understand. I recommend that you shadow a CRNA multiple times to make sure itâs the right fit for you. I believe nursing anesthesia is beautiful. Itâs an art. If you donât have the best experience the first time, it may be beneficial to shadow another CRNA to make sure.
Get your CCRN
As I mentioned before, getting your critical care nursing certificate (CCRN) is essential. I recommend that you get it as soon as possible. This is nationwide and shows your knowledge base is the same accross all critical care locations and areas. Consider getting your mindset exposed to taking examinations. I recommend using Laura Gasparis Vonfrolioâs book and program.
Bonus Tips
Keep up to date on critical care nursing skills
Review your pathophysiology, pharmacology (especially know your medication drips in and out), and critical care certification textbook
Make sure your ICU training compliments what you are studying in your study material
Becoming a CRNA is a completely different field compare to ICU nursing. However, ICU nursing will lay a strong foundation CRNA school
Anyone can do it, you just have to work hard and be patient
Thank you for reading this blog and I hope it helps you
Is there a specific ICU experience that will get you into a nurse anesthesia program?
In this blog post, I’m going to discuss the type of ICU experience that helped me get into nurse anesthesia school. These tips will guide you for the type of ICU experience that will help you get accepted into CRNA school.
So let’s get into it, I am an experienced CRNA and I have been working for a few years. I would recommend that it is important to have an ICU experience that is broad and in a teaching hospital. You might work in a small community hospital and that might be the only option you have access to, but if you can, it is preferred to be in a teaching or fast paced ICU setting.
When I was an ICU nurse, I worked at NYU Langone medical center in New York City. It was a great teaching hospital to work at. In addition, it is a magnet hospital, which is known to satisfy a set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of nursing care.
I received some of the sickest patients in the city. My ICU experience definitely guided me and allowed me to learn and gain high quality critical care knowledge and critical care thinking. When you are going into CRNA school, it is a totally different ballgame than going into nursing school. However, becoming a ICU nurse allows you to have critical care thinking skills. An ICU nurse will learn how to titrating drips, critical care medicine, pathophysiology, co-morbidities, and more.
Get into The ICU of Your Interest
Consider working in the medical ICU, surgical ICU, cardiovascular ICU, critical care ICU or trauma ICU. Those are great options to think about. Some people might recommend a special ICU setting. However, the best ICU experience is how you make that ICU experience for you.
Just remember, it all depends on how you interpret your ICU experience. Going into a busy hospital setting will allow you to learn a wide range of critical care knowledge. Teaching hospitals, level 1 or level 2 trauma centers are great options.
NYU Langone medical center allows graduate nurses the opportunity to be apart of a residency program. The nurse residency program allows a graduate RN a smooth transition to into the ICU setting.
What is the CCRN Exam?
It is a critical-care certification for registered nurses. Consider obtaining your CCRN within your first year as a ICU nurse.
Be Involved in Extracurricular Activities
Think about being active in your hospital. Be involved with committees, writing hospital protocols, research or quality improvement measures. Additionally, become a charge nurse, a code team, or a champion. Volunteering to be a part of multiple aspects in your facility allows you to stand out as an ICU nurse. These tips will allow your application for a CRNA program stand out.
When I was an ICU nurse, I was a part of the resuscitation committee. I was a charged ICU nurse. I was involved in making hospital protocols as well as being a sepsis champion. I was a part of a substance abuse research project during my summer, which allowed me to fall in love with research.
Shadow A CRNA
Shadowing a CRNA is another great tip.
You need to see the clinical aspect of being a CRNA. You may have heard of it, you may have read about it, you may have heard “oh my gosh CRNAs make so much money”. You want to go into a practice that you like, it’s not about the money. At the end of the day, when you are a CRNA, you want to be happy and feel good about what you do. You don’t want to spend time and money going into a profession that you’re not a hundred percent happy with.
Consider shadowing a CRNA multiple of times. This will allow you to make sure that it is a right fit.
Nurse anesthesia is beautiful for me. Nurse anesthesia is an art.
15 Study Tips & Secrets To Be Successful In CRNA School
Do you want to learn how to master studying in CRNA School? Here are pro tips from an ex-student for you to ace your time in CRNA School.
Do you want to learn how to master studying in CRNA School?
In this post, Iâm going to tell you step by step how to master studying in CRNA School. It idefinitely can be rough when youâre finally in school but were an ICU nurse for a couple of years previously. Getting back into the mindset of being in school can be troublesome. Here youâll learn how to get yourself right back into the action of studying and being one of the most effective students in school.
Towards the end of the post, I have three special BONUS tips from my experience that did wonders when I was in school.
If you want to learn how to reset yourself to ace in CRNA School, here are my most efficient tips for you:
Tip #1 Learn Your Study Style
What type of learner are you?
Are you a visual learner?
Are you an audio learner?
Are you more of a learner who loves being taught?
Definitely figure that out early on so you can know what studying styles will work best for you.
Tip #2 Stay Organized
Make a plan and organize all of your daily activities. See what things are top priorities vs. low priority. Put all of that in a list.
Doing so can definitely help you organize yourself and help you plan your future in regard to studying.
Staying organized and planning ahead will help you from procrastinating and waiting until the last minute. Procrastination can hinder your performance as a student.
Just remind yourself that you want to be the best that you can be as a CRNA student. If you start studying ahead and review concepts early, when you have an exam or paper, youâre well ahead.
If you donât like studying ahead of time I can definitely understand that because when I was a freshman in college, I would study the night before. I used to do my papers the night before. But that is risky.
Using a planner is great to keep organized
Tip #3 Brainstorming for Papers
CRNA school is a whole other world. The information that you learn is rigorous. What Iâve learned is if I have a paper thatâs due in a month, I should start brainstorming and writing down notes as soon as I can. You should take notes about what to talk about in your paper and what is going to be the prime focus. I work on a Google word document to write down a visual outline. It greatly helps when you sit down to write your paper.
Tip #4 Make Review Sheets
For an exam, I prepare a review sheet to organize my study plans. Writing down the topics that Iâm going to be tested on was important to get my mind ready for what I have to study for a specific exam.
Tip #5 Focus on One Topic at a Time
When youâre studying in the library, at home, in your office or on the beach, focus on one topic at a time.
For example, if you have Pathophysiology and Physics, take time to organize whatâs your priority. You have a Physics exam tomorrow and you have a paper for research. Try to organize your time; take 30 minutes on one topic and 30 minutes on another topic. Then repeat.
Tip #6 Prioritize Your Time
Sometimes you get lost in studying. You may be studying for a specific topic, but donât understand the content. Youâre just sitting there for hours draining yourself on that topic. In these situations, you need to take a break.
I would recommend to use a timer. Give yourself an hour on one topic, then step away from it and come back to it in the future.
Tip #7 Divide Up Your Work
Dividing up the work makes it more manageable. It enables you to deal with the information that is presented in front of you.
You should reward yourself for completing specific tasks.
Tip #8 Take a Break
One of the most essential parts of studying is taking breaks. A lot of studies have shown that if you study for 45 minutes, you should take at least a 10 to 15-minute break.
You may have tons of information to study. But no matter what, after that 45-minute mark, the absorption rate of the content just starts decreasing. Over time itâs not effective. Itâs going to be meaningless. So definitely take breaks.
Tip #9 Sleep is Important
To tie that in with taking breaks, you have to sleep. I know you may say to yourself I need to stay up all night and study. When I was in school, I actually gave my husband the right to tell me that âhey it is time to go to sleepâ, or âit is time to take a breakâ. I even had a newborn baby when I was in school.
Sleep is important. When your mind is resting you actually get to absorb a lot of the content. It sharpens your focus and improves your working memory.
Tip #10 Set Schedule
It will make your studying more productive if you take time to have sessions. Take an hour for physics, an hour for pathophysiology, and an hour for planning for your next day. In clinicals just try to give yourself a plan and set a schedule so you can abide by it.
This way you can cover a lot more information in a shorter period of time.
Tip #11 Taking Notes in Class
Another really good tip that helped me when I was in CRNA school was taking notes in class. I am a visual learner. When I write, for some reason, I actually understand the content better.
Another key tip that I learned in CRNA school was a lot of the topics discussed in class were on the exams Your Professors will hit on certain topics in class, he wouldnât expand a hundred percent on it but heâll hit on certain content.
So writing notes and taking ideas that you realize are important and discussed is the key. You should definitely read all the content in the book but focus on certain areas that your professor was focusing on in class to help you with passing the exam.
Tip #12 Teach Someone and Get Ideas
You will not know everything and thereâs always someone in your class or who youâre studying with that is really good at certain content. Itâs great to bounce ideas off that person. You will be strong in a certain area that youâll be great to explain it to someone. Teaching is the best way to solidifying the information for exams.
Tip #13 Make an Appointment with Professors
Say, youâre in school and you talk to your classmates. You had your study session and there are still things that you just donât understand, itâs still not clicking. I honestly recommend setting up an appointment with your Professors. They always have office hours. Set up an appointment with them and try to go over the information that you donât understand.
Tip #14 Always Review Your Past Exams
Review all of your previous exams. When I was in school, I always made an appointment with my Professors to review my exams to see what questions I got right, what questions I got wrong and then discuss how I could have done better.
At the end of the year, there will be a final exam. A lot of time that Iâve learned throughout my experience that the previous questions they realize a lot of students got wrong, are reasked them on the final exam.
Therefore, when you do have your final exam at least youâll have some exam questions that you will get right.
Tip #15 Keep Hydrated
Always remind yourself to keep hydrated. Make sure youâre eating. Make sure youâre taking care of yourself because you want to study for hours. Youâve got to eat to feed your brain so you can be the most effective study person in school.
Now for the bonus tips:
Bonus Tip #1 Record All Classes
You need to get yourself a recorder to record all of your classes.
Why?
Many times a lot of the content discussed in class will be on your exams. Sometimes you may have a student in the class that may answer something on a really thorough topic and you might find it useful for yourself. If you have a recording, you can listen to that over and over and solidify it in your brain.
When youâre driving in your car, doing laundry, cleaning your house or youâre making dinner, you can just put that recorder in your ear and listen to those topics. This way you can study while youâre doing errands, which is great.
Bonus Tip #2 Make Flashcards
For me what worked well was making flashcards. They werenât big paragraph flashcards, but bullet points of certain topics that were essential for me to understand in the book as well as in the class.
I liked making tables, graphs and going through all my content. When I had to study or do a review before the morning of an exam, I would review my flashcards.
Taking notes in class and during lectures will keep your mind engaged on the content being taught in the class. It will narrow the knowledge and content for your flash cards.
You may like studying in a group, one on one or maybe over the phone. When I was in school, one of my close classmates and I would talk over the phone reviewing important topics in lecture and textbook.
We used to go through the textbook chapters together, read through it and explain it to each other. Honestly, that helped me a lot with understanding the content.
Bonus Tip #3 Practice Exams
I used practice exams from Valley Anesthesia and those available in certain textbooks.
Iâve heard that schools are recommending Apex. Itâs a perfect way of going through exams and practicing. Many times in the exams you may know the information but might lack in test-taking skills.
If I missed any specific study tip that works best for you, definitely put it in the comments below. Share your wealth of knowledge to help others maximize and master studying in school.
If you want to learn more about CRNA start now by subscribing to my newsletter so you donât miss a thing.
Before embarking on an important life journey,
it always helps to learn from the experiences of others. What worked for them?
What mistakes did they make that you can learn from? What lessons did they
learn that can help you during your journey? What techniques worked for them?
The list goes on and on which is why I am sharing my CRNA school journey with
you. Was it a walk through the park? How was the schedule like? How did I
thrive? Youâd get to know all these and more in this post. The plan is to inspire
and motivate you to become a CRNA and, of course, how to thrive while in CRNA
school. Letâs take a walk through my journey!
How It Was Like In The Beginning
When I got accepted into CRNA school, I was
pregnant with my beautiful daughter, Bella. My husband and I already took
measures to prepare ourselves for school plus we were going to have support from
our family. I remember going to orientation and being 9 months pregnant and how
my classmates were shocked. They looked at my husband and thought he was the
one who was the CRNA student. Imagine their surprise when they found out that I
was the CRNA student!
Baby Bella
I had my daughter 6 days before I started
school! I still remember having a donut to sit on in school and also rolling a
suitcase with all my tons of books for school and lecture.
I remember there were times when I said I
couldn’t do it anymore. I was always stressed and anxious. I felt like I was
overwhelmed but I had to keep reminding myself that this was all temporary and
my future as a CRNA was going to be amazing.
Lectures And Everything In-Between
In my first semester, there were more lectures.
There was Pathophysiology, Basics of Anesthesia, Physics, Biochemistry classes,
etc. My second semester, on the other hand, had a combination of things. I had clinicals
4 days a week and lectures too. It was a lot but then I had a lot of support
that allowed me to succeed. I remember telling my husband at one point after
the first couple of weeks of having lectures and clinicals that I couldn’t do
it anymore because it was too much and too hard. I told him I didn’t think I
could succeed and he replied by saying that there was no option for me and so, I
had to finish the program. He reminded me of how before getting into CRNA
school, I had told him all of the benefits of going into the school as well as
how much I wanted to be a CRNA. With that, he brought me back to a point where
I told myself ‘Hey, I know you’re stressed right now but you can do thisâ.
The roughness aside, my second semester was great because I got to practice as a CRNA. I got to look up to my preceptors and professors and apply the information I had been learning as well as understand it in clinical practice.
SUNY Downstate Nurse Anesthesia Program
Clinicals
Now, a lot of stuff you’d get to learn in
clinicals are not from books. There are techniques not written in textbooks and
so, you need to see them in practice which was great. During clinicals, you’d
see things that you love and that make you go ‘Wow, I’m going to incorporate
this into my clinical practice’. You would also see other things that you’d
decide you’re never going to do. You might apply it and try it out but then, you’d
know that it’s something that might not exactly work for you when you’re a practicing
CRNA. So, that’s another nice thing about having a clinical rotation. You get
to choose what works for you and what doesnât.
Thriving And Graduating From CRNA School
Though there was still underlying stress and
pressure, as the semesters continued to progress, I felt more confident in my
practice and more comfortable being a CRNA. It made me have that “Wow,
this is it!” moment. I had butterflies in my stomach when I was in
clinicals and I knew that this was definitely what I saw myself doing.
So, my journey was, of course, very difficult
but at the same time, it was beautiful because I knew being in school was
temporary and being a CRNA permanently was going to be amazing.
I eventually succeeded in graduating and I can proudly
say I did very well in school. But then, what contributed to this success?
Having
a strong support system makes things better
The support I had from my husband and family helped
and made things a lot better. It, however, doesn’t mean the road was smooth. It
was rocky. The support from my professor and my director also helped a lot.
They were unbelievably amazing. They were there for me whenever I needed
anything. They were aware that I had a family and a newborn baby and they made
the program so family-friendly and motivational that I knew that even though I
was struggling at times or I felt like I was on fire, I could always count on
their support.
Choosing
a CRNA school with a program that suits you
For me, as my program continued throughout the
years, it became more clinical-based. Once in a while, though, there were some
classes. So, it was more of a combination approach program. There are, of
course, different types of programs out there. A lot of programs nowadays give
you all the content upfront then you do clinicals strictly towards the end of
the program. There are some other programs like mine that take an integrative
approach as they have lectures and clinicals at the same time. Each type of
program has its pros and cons so it all depends on you.
Hence, this is an important thing you should
look out for when you want to apply to a CRNA school. You should check what
kind of program it offers and see which is best for you because not all
programs might work for you.
Teamwork
and using a great studying technique
Another thing I can say worked for me during in CRNA
school was that I was very teamwork-centered. I tried to collaborate with one
or two classmates that I was close with. We collaborated and worked together as
a team. This was very beneficial. I also tried to apply some of the studying
techniques I used when I was in nursing school and I found out that it helped
me. I graduated, passed my board exams in flying colors and then went on to
practice as a CRNA.
Life After CRNA School
My first couple of years as a CRNA was in a Level One Trauma Center. I had a broad range of clinical practice there before I then transitioned into a small community hospital. That was a better fit for me. So, when you do become a CRNA, I recommend starting with a job that is going to give you a wide range of experience. If you do decide you want to focus on a particular area that you love, you can do so. I, however, recommend that when you become a CRNA, you give yourself options to do as much as you can and then, you can go ahead to focus on a particular area in the future. It’s just like when you become a nurse and you go right into ICU when you graduate. You want to give yourself a wide range of experience before you then decide that you want to move into another area.
As a practicing CRNA, this is definitely what I
recommend as I’ve seen how it will benefit you in the future. So, you sure want
to consider this when you graduate and are about to start practicing as a CRNA.
Was It Worth It?
Definitely! Looking back now as a CRNA with many years of experience, I can say it was well worth it. It was worth all the stress and the tears in CRNA school because I’m now practicing and I love my job. I would do it all over again, a million times! So, I’m here to say to you that if I can do it, you can do it too.
My Beautiful Happy Family
I
hope you have been able to pick a lesson or two or ten from my journey through CRNA
school. It wasnât easy but with the right amount of support and determination,
I was able to graduate in flying colors and you can too! Iâve got lots of other
helpful CRNA-related posts coming. Make sure to stick around for them!
Looking to becoming a CRNA in 2019 and donât know where to start? Here are 9 straight to the point CRNA tips to serve you as a roadmap.
Are you looking to becoming a CRNA in 2019 (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) and wonder what are all the details?
I teach how to become a CRNA and provide career tips for existing CRNAs. In this post, we talk about how to become a CRNA in 2019.
How To Become A CRNA In 2019?
CRNAs are advanced practice registered with graduate level education in anesthesia. CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in a variety of practice settings. In addition, CRNAâs provide anesthetics for every type of surgery or procedure. They are the main anesthesia providers in almost all rural hospitals, and the sole anesthesia providers in the United States Armed Forces.
But how do you become a CRNA? Here are the steps to becoming a CRNA:
Become a Registered Nurse
Go right into the ICU
Get a CCRN
Prepare for GRE
Get accepted into a CRNA School
Manage the expenses
Preserve and work hard
Get a CRNA Job
Step No. 1: Become A Registered Nurse
The first step is that you have to become a registered nurse. There are different levels of becoming a registered nurse.
There is an Associate’s Prepared versus Bachelorâs Prepared. In order to get into CRNA School, you will need a Bachelors of Nursing.
Step No. 2: Go Right Into The ICU
Next step is to go right into the Intensive Care Unit. It could be in any type of Intensive Care Unit; Surgical Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care or Trauma Intensive Care.
In some schools, they do not accept the Neuro Intensive Care Unit. So I really recommend going to the Medical, Surgical, or Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit for at least a year. More years of training will increase your chances of being accepted into a CRNA school.
Step 3: Get Your CCRN
Say you got your training and you have done a minimum of a year. You also need something called a CCRN that is a Certificate in Critical Care specific to ICU. For that, you need to take that certification exam.
Remember, a lot of schools do require that.
Step 4: Prepare For GREExam
In order to get into CRNA school, you need to prepare yourself for your GRE exam. Depending on what school you are interested in, they have different scores that are a minimum to accept you into the school. Therefore, that’s another step you’ll need to do.
Step 5: Get Accepted Into A CRNA School
Next step is to get accepted. Now you may apply to a nursing school and you may not be accepted. Don’t stop there. If you have a dream of becoming a CRNA and that is your soul calling, you ought to keep trying and trying until you get in.
Think about it.
You want to become a CRNA so apply to any school in the country. I know it might seem like âI don’t want to leave my familyâ, âI don’t want to leave my lifeâ. Uh!
If you live in New York and you apply to a school in Nebraska and that’s the only school that accepted you. On top of that, you have to join in September. Do it.
It’s temporary.
I know it sounds harder than it seems but when you have a plan you got to do it.
Step 6: Learn To Manage The Expenses
Another thing that worries people is that a CRNA school is quite expensive. But remember, as a nurse you get a pretty good salary. I recommend saving; saving for your future because that’s your plan. So when you do get a place in a CRNA program, you have some savings to cover you for your transition.
Now you may have to take out loans but, then again, it’s all temporary. When you graduate you’re going to make a good salary where you’ll pay back those loans in a short period of time. That is, as long as you put yourself on a budget.
Step 7: Preserve And Work Hard
After you’re in a CRNA school, you put 110% of your willpower into it. When I went to school I did a program that was a Masterâs of Science (MSN) in Nurse Anesthesia. Although now a lot of the programs have transitioned into Nurse Anesthesia Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) So it’s a much longer program.
However, it’s temporary. When you become a CRNA you have the rest of your life to enjoy yourself. So even if it’s an MSN versus a DNP program, which will be longer, it’s fine. It’s temporary. Becoming a CRNA is what you want to become. So you’re going to do it.
Step 9: Get A Job
When you graduate from a CRNA school in flying colors or by just surviving, you then apply for a job. There are multiple jobs across the country. CRNAs are in need, especially if you’re interested in traveling and becoming a locum CRNA. There are tons of jobs and they pay very well. At the same time, it’s what you love and you just did it.
You became a CRNA. You can take your family with you everywhere or go back home where you want to work close to your family; that’s always another option.
These are probably a lot of different steps for what I’m speaking to you about but this is your roadmap to your dream of becoming a CRNA in 2019.
For existing CRNAs, I will be doing some future posts on the business of anesthesia and share some resume writing skills. We will also cover some topics of how to become a 1099.
If you want to learn more about becoming a CRNA stick around for more meaningful information on CRNAâs and how to become a successful one.
