From unhappy RN to NP to CRNA school: My “not so typical” Journey!

My name is Linsay Augustin. I am currently a first year Student Registered Nurse anesthetist (SRNA) at Keiser University in Naples, FL. With this blog, I plan to share my experience from RN to SRNA and also my experience as a Registered Nurse Anesthetist Student (SRNA). While I am not going to guarantee that this blog will mature into something big, as I can’t promise it’ll be updates every week, but I do hope that someone, somewhere can benefit from my words of wisdom. This blog is not for monetary gain at all, I just hope I can inspire many young adults, especially minority students. Take home message from this blog, Do not give up! you are smart enough to get into CRNA school ! Read on!

How did I get here? Here’s my story, not a typical one I promise!

About Myself: I graduated from University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT in 2018 with my Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (yet I am an SRNA, I will discuss later), but let’s go back, way back.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011. I have wanted to become a CRNA since I started my undergraduate nursing program. Soon after I graduated, I obtained my first job two months later at the Medical ICU and felt proud of myself why? Well, if you want to become an SRNA and eventually a CRNA, that’s one the best units to work on, you learn so much. I was thinking, I am right on track, I’m about to get my experience and head to CRNA school within 1-2 years right ? WRONG. Back in 2011, I was 21, I was motivated to learn but I was lacking something, ’til this day, not sure what that was. I was asked to resign a week before I completed my training. I can sit here and write about how my preceptor failed me and blah blah blah. But quite honestly, I think It was a combination of inadequate training, lack of patient care experience, unrealistic expectations, and the fact that I was not fully aware of what it takes to be an ICU nurse.

I resigned and started working at a long term care facility two weeks after I resigned from the MICU. Worked there for a year, became a night supervisor and soon after, got married and had baby, Leanna. Working at a nursing home as a young Registered Nurse ages you mentally (if that’s even a thing), at least it did for me. I love my co-workers but felt like my nursing skills were all lost. I hated working at a nursing home, hated it. I started applying for hospital jobs near my house, I wanted to go back to a hospital setting so badly. For one year, no luck! I finally found a job at a REHAB Hospital, 40 minutes from my house. I did not care, I wanted to work in an acute setting and that was that. While working there, I was happy with the skills I was acquiring there and the population of patients I was taking care of. But, as some of you may already know, when you really want something, anything less makes you uncomfortable, even if it’s good at that time. I still wanted to work at an acute care critical access hospital. 2 years later, I met a hospitalist doctor while working at the rehab hospital who also worked at an acute care hospital, five minutes from my house. We became friends and I clearly expressed to him my desire to work in a hospital setting. One day, the doctor contacted me and informed me that one of the managers on a medical unit was looking for a few RNs. I rushed home and applied. I interviewed for the position and I was hired. I am not sure whether he recommended me to the manager or not, but I didn’t care, I got in!

At that point, CRNA school was not even the backseat, in fact, it was actually out of the car (so to speak). I worked the overnight shift, 7pm – 7am but I liked it because finally I was where I wanted to be, not in ICU, but an acute care hospital. I felt like “a real nurse”. Became good an inserting IVs, foleys and simultaneously care for multiple patients at once. I learned to prioritize my tasks, assessed my patients daily and provided great timely care under pressure and stress. Nine months later, the Emergency Department at the same hospital was hiring for an “ED residency nurse program”. I apply for transfer and transferred and started working as an ED nurse. Working at the ED gave me the desire to continue my education because you get first encounter with the patients and sometimes you even get to initiate treatment based on established protocols. You have more autonomy (less autonomy when you work on a med-surg unit). I decided to start taking classes as a non-degree graduate student. After all, my job was giving $4200 a year for continuing education, I thought to myself well, why not. Took 3 core courses online then I applied to UCONN, got accepted and completed their Acute Care NP program, all of it! Their program was not an online-based program but some of the core courses are provided online. I worked part time in the ED while completing my nurse practitioner degree. Somewhere in between, I got a divorce! But, that’s another topic.

SNRA school —

One thing I have learned during my journey is that, if you want to become a doctor, nurse, engineer, lawyer or whatever, just get it done. Why? Because you won’t be at peace with yourself until you do, or try to do it! You will ALWAYS regret not trying, it will hunt you! Well, at least that’s what happened to me.

I was in my last semester of NP school, and I felt good that I was about to graduate, had a 3.9 GPA, but I felt uneasy and bothered. I never wanted to be an NP, I want to be a CRNA. I asked myself, why didn’t I apply to CRNA school? Why did I give up? So many questions at that time without any real explanations as to why I didn’t pursue my dreams of becoming a CRNA. So what did I do next ? I applied for a Cardiothoracic-Surgical ICU at my job. I did not disclose to the manager that I was finishing up my APRN degree, what for? It’s not like was interested in working as an NP anyway. I transferred from the ED to the SICU and started orientation right away!

I continued working on my NP degree while working in the ICU full time. Some days, I would go to clinical rotation in the morning and work my shift on the ICU at night. It was hardest thing that I have ever done. I HATED MY LIFE, but I was finally getting my ICU experience, so It was worth the sacrifice. I graduated with my NP degree, took my boards, and passed. By that time, I was still in training in the ICU and I had convinced myself that I will go to CRNA school instead of working as an NP. The ICU I worked on use ECCO modules as part of the orientation training. ECCO stands for Essentials of Critical Care Orientation and is an interactive, case-based course designed to orient nurses on critical care nursing basis, it is provided by the AACN.  As I was completing my ECCO modules, I took METICULOUS notes and arranged them by topics. Other new ICU nurses in orientation clicked through them just to get them done and over with, well, I did not. I was paid to complete those modules so I made sure I took my time and made sure I understood every concept on every page of the module.In addition, I typed up every end of module tests, questions, answers and rationales. I thought to myself, if the ECCO modules are created by the American Association of Critical Nurses (AACN), and the CCRN is also administered by AACN then, the ECCO modules be able fully prepare me to successfully pass the CCRN on first try!

After I finished my orientation, I started working in the ICU. I was confident, but careful, I was not the cocky type. I really listened more than I talked, for sure. I was the quiet type, I knew that I was there for the experience, nothing less then, nothing more. Nothing motivates you more to go to CRNA school then working in an ICU setting, why? Because most nurses in the ICU want to to go to CRNA school or at least want to take to CCRN. CCRN is a common topic in the ICU. I wanted to take the CCRN, I felt ready having completed all those modules, but, I needed at least a year of ICU experience to qualify to take it, or did I?

I went on AACN website and read the requirements section for CCRN applicants carefully, and it read “: Practice as an RN or APRN for 1,750 hours in direct bedside care of acutely and/or critically ill patients during the previous 2 years, with 875 of those hours accrued in the most recent year preceding application.” I felt discouraged and I thought If I wait another year, I will have to re-study all my modules notes, I was just a little depressed at that point. As I was surfing the AACN website, a statement caught my attention. Under the “detailed eligibility requirements” of the CCRN exam handbook, it stated “nurses providing direct care to acutely/critically ill adult, pediatric or neonatal patients in areas such as ICU, CCU, trauma units or critical care transport/flight, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS”. I literally SCREAMED IN JOY. I have worked in an ED for the past 3 years at that time so I applied the same day and my application to take the CCRN was approved few days later. I took my CCRN and passed on my first try. My co-workers were shocked and even told me I could get audited and lose my certification. However, what they did not know is that, I did not apply for the CCRN test as an ICU nurse, in fact, I was not eligible to apply as such. I applied as an ED nurse which made me eligible to take the CCRN at that time.

After I passed my CCRN, I took the PCCN just for fun or just to make myself more competitive for CRNA school (more letters behind my name) and I passed it. Then I started looking into CRNA schools. The rest of my journey from then on will be posted later.

Looking back, I am not a typical applicant for CRNA school and I don’t believe that my NP degree had anything to do with my admittance to a CRNA program. I can’t tell you that you have what it takes to become a CRNA, but I will tell you that you can get into CRNA school if you do not give up and believe in yourself. Cliche? maybe a little, but it takes lot of courage, resilience and a strong desire to succeed to make it to CRNA school! and that’s just the beginning…Hope my story can INSPIRE YOU to take the CCRN and apply to CRNA school. Subscribe to this blog! Post questions and comments below, be respectful 🙂

Linsay, SRNA

“If CRNA school is in the backseat right now, lock all your doors, don’t let it leave the car”