Being an "RN" does not guarantee you got the basics. Archived Message
Posted by Dave J on December 9, 2007, 10:48 pm, in reply to "Re: (no subject)"
I have seen plenty of REGISTERED NURSES who have a bachelors degree in something other than nursing and a two year associates degree in nursing get into anesthesia programs. Some have worked for two years as an operating room nurse, which counts as an intensive care or critical skill area. Then they get into anesthesia school and can not even take a quick blood pressure without a machine to do it for them. I would say their basic monitoring skills are not all that great and probably no better than the skills you would expect from an beginning AA student. At least with an AA program you would not assume they know how to do stuff and would teach the basics.
(Anesthesia instructor for 8 years so I know what I am talking about as far as "RNs" coming into the programs without the basics under their belts.)