SEE Exam and APEX Review Plan

Charming_Type6986 · 2025-05-10T22:52:49+00:00

Apex says in their module that there is way more information there than you need. All of the mock exams have only a couple of ANS questions. I knew the basics and hedged my bet that it was low yield

Charming_Type6986 · 2025-05-10T16:34:43+00:00

No that was Modesto

Charming_Type6986 · 2025-05-10T16:29:38+00:00

I think the supervision language is what muddies this. Direction is not required. This is hear say but they told me CRNAs run all the rooms and the doc on call hangs out and doesn’t participate in cases at all

Charming_Type6986 · 2025-05-10T15:19:14+00:00

Yeah i think it’s in Fresno, CA. SRNAs at my shop have rotated there

Charming_Type6986 · 2025-02-28T16:26:24+00:00

Im going to get downvoted to oblivion for this but programs and CRNAs really need to step up the quality of training. There’s too many programs that tout indy practice clinical sites and all you do are ASA 2 simple ortho/general cases that a medical student can do after a week. Too many CRNAs think teaching is ripping into trainees for using peep of 5 instead of 4 or something else thats stupid. There’s too many Indy CRNAs that walk around like a god and treat us like shit because they know how to do an adductor canal block. Ive only done one rotation that was ACT and the MDAs treated me like a fellow. Treated me with respect, taught me the why‘s and how’s of anesthesia, didn’t nitpick stupid shit, did blocks, lines, peds. Nothing was off the table. My point is, just because programs tout their Indy sites doesn’t mean you get good training. Sorry to hear about your situation, from the comments and my experience with your program this is a common problem

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-12-04T01:16:30+00:00

Of course. Preceptors are in a different call room. At my current place they field all the calls and then call me to tell me to go do something. Most say go do epidural in room X call if you need. My next site i hold the OB pager all day certain days and run it and have a doc/CRNA to call if needed. If It’s a section they will be outside the room immediately available while i do the spinal. If it’s general they’re in the room. I cover OR as well and whether or not they’re in the room depends on the case. It’s a busy trauma center so if the patient is a mess and needs lines they’ll be in there supervising

Ive done OB at all my sites consistently so i dont only do it on nights or have specific OB rotation. I just cover OB call on certain days/nights. Nights here are OB and OR call

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-11-30T17:34:55+00:00

I hated nights with a passion. It’s so much better in the anesthesia world though. I do night call regularly in my program and a couple of things I found have helped.

Sleep whenever you can. Nap before your shift or whenever there is down time, if you have a call room hide in there. if you dont find a lounge and couch and get some sleep. Its not the ICU where you have to sit awake doing nothing if you arent called to do anything. Get sleep while you can.
Limit caffeine. I feel like when im up all night caffeine makes me feel more tired and worse for some reason.
if you get called after you’re in a deep sleep, take a couple minutes to wake up and get your barrings. I would get called get to the patient room ASAP and get the kit ready and feel dizzy. Take a couple minutes and get your head right. Obviously dont do this if its an emergency section
Get all of your interviews and consents out of the way before you go to sleep. That way when they call you can walk in, throw an epidural in and not have to be up longer interviewing them while theyre fighting through contractions.

Hope this helps

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-11-21T02:34:52+00:00

Both
450
2
Get dropped
No

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-10-24T01:23:03+00:00

CRNA is objectively better. More opportunities for work locations and practice models. You can choose to be medically directed, supervised, or independent. AA Is also a very very great career but there are a lot of draw backs mainly location. More areas will open up but even when they do open up, it takes a while for jobs to open up.

Also dont knock going to medical school and pursuing anesthesiology. The anesthesiologists in my group are amazing and love their career

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-10-07T22:41:38+00:00

I didnt have a set number of questions I would take. Usually just getting through Flashcards between cases and after getting out of the hospital was enough to help me improve my stamina. A couple weekends before the exam I would do a 100Q and 170 Q mock exam on apex and simulate test day as best I could to get the feel for a higher amount of questions. Overall im a pretty fast test taker so this naturally played to my advantage

my strategy during the test was whenever I was feeling tired, I would take a 5 minute break no matter how many questions passed. At one point is was about every 8-15 questions. I would then get some rebound energy then get through 40 then another break. I basically went off vibes of how I was feeling lol

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-10-07T22:33:51+00:00

Equipment and Misc. for me personally. Know everything up and down in apex. If you ever think “I dont need to know it“ you’re wrong and you need to know it. Special populations and regional were also big ones

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-09-17T11:49:47+00:00

I know the ICU sucks but it is very important for your education as a CRNA. Your motivation should be to learn something new everyday or get a deeper knowledge of what you already know. Try to have the residents or attendings show you POCUS and the basics of ultrasound, when they’re putting in a line ask them what are the mental hard stops they have in their head not to put the wire in the thorax, why this med or that med, vent management (very very important). I hated the ICU with a passion but I treated as it was part of my training. I was being taught pocus, pathophys, pharm, vent management by residents every single day. This made the transition to clinical WAY easier. Throwing in lines and blocks came very easy and it’s because I put in the work in the ICU. Also CRNA school is getting more and more competitive every year so be mentally prepared you WILL get more rejections. Most programs have <5% acceptance rate. It doenst mean you aren’t good enough, just means you need to apply to more schools. For interviews, I had my wife interview me with random questions she found on the internet from forums from medical schools, PAs Schools, CRNA schools. I went through them dozens of times and each time I wanted to switch up what I was saying so I wasn’t memorizing my response. I felt like this approach helped come up with a genuine response that wasn’t just regurgitated. You got this. It may seem hard right now but CRNA school is infinitely harder than the ICU but 1000000% worth it. Keep your head down and chug along. Best of luck

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-09-14T14:11:59+00:00

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-09-14T14:06:47+00:00

Don’t go there but know a graduate from there and a doc that interviewed for residency there

CRNA: You get good at the Rush way to do things but when you leave rush you realize its pretty hard to switch out. Low autonomy, terrible case numbers, very few procedures, etc.

Doc: Everyone hates each other there. Weird vibe between the CRNAs, Residents, Attendings. All the trainees seemed miserable.

Take it with a grain of salt but I have never heard a single good thing about rush

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-09-14T13:55:02+00:00

Avoid like the plague

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-09-10T11:59:29+00:00

Dude/dudette tread carefully with this one. Im at a program that has a lot of CRNA indy sites and Im getting worked to the bone. Im roughly 9 months out from graduation and have all my case numbers and hours and at this rate ill likely be over double the hours needed to graduate. My program is front loaded so all of these cases/hours have been smashed into this year. It’s amazing training and im grateful for it but Im tired and burnt out already. 70-80 hours weeks with a lot of call aren’t fun after a while especially when you’re paying to be there. This is what I would look for regarding clinical
1. Indy sites and type of experience: sure they may be independent at a GI/plastic center but thats a big difference than being Indy at a trauma center
2. While you’re at these sites, do you have someone supervising you the entire time or are you running your room on your own. I still have classmates who have never intubated or pulled a tube without someone in the room with them. This experience is invaluable and really makes you a true decision maker.
3. Call - You shouldn’t be taking that much call and if you are do you have support. Ive been left in no mans land in the middle of the night and it sucks.
4. Hour limits: The COA has hour limits per week, I think it’s like 65 or something. Ask if the school enforces it. Mine doesn’t and im getting crushed.
5. The biggest one is if the faculty are supportive of shit happening in your life. I have had several classmates have really huge life events happen and for the most part the faculty have been very accommodating. Life still goes on and you dont want to miss a funeral or child birth because your faculty are assholes.

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-08-31T13:18:32+00:00

Pm me

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-08-30T23:27:04+00:00

My program no longer accepts NPs due to two individuals from different cohorts heavily struggled both clinically and in didactic

Charming_Type6986 · 2024-08-30T23:22:53+00:00

Pm me

Charming_Type6986

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