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Military Nurse

I really need some good advice. I am an active duty Captain in the Air Force. I applied for nurse anesthesia school through the military back in 2007. The military's anesthesia programs are a little different than civilian anesthesia programs. In the military, nurses are considered who have experience in ICU, OR, ER, and PACU. I am an OR nurse and do no have an ICU background. I worked a year in a Level I ER back in 1999. I have 6 years experience in med-surg and 6 years in the OR. When I was stationed in Germany working at an Army hospital, I asked many of the CRNA's I worked with in the OR what was their background prior to going to anesthesia school. I was very astonished that over 60% of the CRNA's at that facility were prior OR nurses without any ICU background. They were very successful in their careers and have shared that OR has prepared them very well since they worked with anesthesia providers every day and they are exposed to the equipment the CRNA uses since we are trained on all the emergency airway equipment and the anesthesia machine in case of an emergency. They told me that in anesthesia school (military program)that all the nurses, since some are from ICU, OR, ER, and PACU, start off on the same level of learning. Many siad ICU experience was much needed when they did cardiac and hemodynamic monitoring, which was towards the end of the program in their last semester. They pointed out that many ICU nurses are not familiar with the OR environment and the general flow of cases according to the specialty service, such as neurosurgery, GYN, ENT, etc. As OR nurses, we know how to position the patient and the airway complications that can result from prone and lateral positions. We know when doing a thoracotomy that anesthesia will use a double cuffed ET tube. We know when a patient has a short neck, the CRNA will ramp up the bed to ensure they get maximum access to the airway when intubating. When patients go into laryngospams, we know they will give Succinlycholine to relax the cords after having applied positive pressure to break the spasm. As an OR nurse, I have always been attentive to everything anesthesia does since we are all a team in the OR. In the Air Force, OR nurses are required to be ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and nationally certified in OR nursing to practice. We receive hemodymanic monitoring training since at some facilities, OR nurses also work PACU. Our experience should be allowed when applying to civilian anesthesia programs.

To get back on track...I scored 900 on the GRE and 4.5 on the analytical portion. The military requires a 1000 on the GRE and a 3.0 GPA. We are allowed one waiver for either our GPA or GRE. If your GRE score is less than 1000 than the Air Force (AF) expects your GPA to be at least a 3.0 or higher. If your GPA is less than 3.0 than the AF expects your GRE to be a 1000 or higher. My undergrad GPA was 2.8 and I scored 900 so it was not a coincidence I wasn't selected back in 2007. I took the GRE 5 times in 2007 and that test is no joke. My highest score was 900. I figured I would improve on my GPA. I enrolled in a masters degree in nursing program and have now finished my masters degree with a 3.91. I reapplied to nurse anesthesia school June 2009. I should know the results by the first week in Novemeber. I have my fingers crossed but I am worried that I may not be selected because the Air Force is really short of OR nurses. We are only 68% manned in this career field and I feel this may cause me not to be selected.

I have sent emails to several civilian anesthesia programs providing them a copy of my resume and my experience in the OR and my GRE score. I was very surprised that many civilian anesthesia programs did not require a 1000 on the GRE and that my score of 900 was ok. The kicker is that I don't have the ICU experience, which is required to go through the civilian anesthesia program. I am now at a catch 22. The Air Force accepts OR nursing experience, my GPA is 3.91, but my GRE is less than 1000. The civilian program accepts my 3.91 GPA and my GRE score of 900 but I don't have the ICU experience. I really don't know what to do.

I have been in the Air Force for 9 years and I am going up for promotion to the rank of Major. I am hoping that becuase we of short of OR nurses in the Air Force that this will not impact my admission into the anesthesia program. The military does have an ICU fellowship for nurses, who want to enter into this specialty, but afterwards, I would have to give them 3 years in ICU before I could apply for anesthesia school. I have been preparing for anesthesia school since 2003. I have updated my A&P and statistics and have completed biochemistry online through Univ of CA at Berkeley. The military anesthesia school would allow me to go to school full-time while I still receive my same pay and benefits as as student. So basically, my job would be to go to school. I am single and if I go to a civilian program, I know you can not work while in anesthesia school and I would have no way of supporting myself without working. I am currently enrolling in a PhD in nursing program though Univ of Phoenix until I hear something from the military.

It seems that my best bet would be to stay in the military.

Antonio Fisher, Capt, USAF, NC
RN, MSN, CNOR
Operations Officer, Surgical Suite
Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea