The one reservation I have about pursuing the CRNA route is the amount of time it would take as compared to becoming an AA. If I re-apply this summer to AA programs and get accepted, I'll be in and out of school in a little over two years.
On the other hand, if I decide to become a CRNA, I'll have to spend the fall 2012 semester taking 3 additonal pre-req classes for the nursing program, and then I would start the nursing program in fall of 2013. That would put me at graduating in the spring of 2015. Then I would for hopefully only one year as an ICU nurse and then start CRNA school, which would be 28 months. So counting from the fall 2012 semester, it would take me about 6 years to become a CRNA versus about 2.4 years to become an AA.
The CRNA's I talk to tell me that even though it would take extra time to become a CRNA, I would be able to easily make up for the several lost years of income because my employment options would be much more flexible - being able to take call freely to make extra cash, working in external practices such as endo clinics and dental/podiatry offices, and of course working independently.
Let's put it like this, the anesthesia group here told me that as soon as I get accepted to a CRNA program, they'll sign me to an advanced employment contract. But they said that they won't be able to do the same thing if I get accepted to AA school because AA's just aren't flexible enough in terms of supervision requirements.
So what do you think? Are the ~4 extra years it would take to become a CRNA worth the perks? Or would it be wiser to jump on an offer to attend AA school if I get one?
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