EP 211: MICU and Becoming a CRNA with Jenny Finnell

by Cup Of Nurses | Apr 14, 2023 | Podcast

EP 211: MICU and Becoming a CRNA with Jenny Finnell

Becoming a CRNA is possible for any nurse. It may take time and a lot of dedication, but you can become one too. In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Jenny Finnell. Jenny is a CRNA with experience in MICU, adult open heart, and pediatrics.

She spends most of her time mentoring and looking for ways to build community and resources for our nurses.

Jenny launched Nurses Teach Nurses in August 2022, a mentorship marketplace for nurses by nurses. She helps nurses by empowering them to share knowledge, promote personal growth and create a culture of support.

She is also the creator of CRNA School Prep Academy, which helps people get into CRNA school and succeed on the job.

We talk about the life of a CRNA and what it takes to become one and overcome self-doubt in school and on the field.

Questions for Our Guest

The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We often go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.

Looking forward to our conversation!

These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.

Can you give some background about yourself, your nursing experience, and how you decided to become a CRNA?
Why did you choose to jump into the MICU?
- - How was your experience in the MICU?
  - Any interesting cases? Common things you dealt with?
  - What were the expectations and some things you struggled with?
  - We often hear the phrase that nurses eat their young. Did you feel that way? Is this a good way to teach new nurses?
What are the requirements for becoming a CRNA?
- - What experience is needed?
  - How is CRNA school?
  - CRNA school vs Nursing school?
  - Is there a certain “person” that gravitates to becoming a CRNA?
  - Advice for future CRNAs?
  - With NP school, there isn’t a requirement to work as an RN. Do you think you really need that ICU experience to be successful as a CRNA?
You’ve been married to your high school sweetheart. How important is having support?
- - Did you always get the support you needed?
  - Work-life balance?
What made you start CRNA School Prep Academy?
- - Did you have a mentor in CRNA school?
  - What can you expect to get and learn at the CRNA School Prep Academy?
What made you start Nurses Teach Nurses?
- - How important is positive nursing culture?

Ending Questions

Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests. If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?

Links:

https://nursesteachnurses.com/#
https://www.instagram.com/crnaschoolprepacademy/
https://nursesteachnurses.com/#
https://www.instagram.com/nursesteachnurses/
https://www.cspaedu.com/steps

Here’s her journey from MICU and becoming a CRNA. Watch the full episode here 👇👇

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction
01:58 About Jenny Finnell
03:13 The Incredible Benefits of Pursuing a Career as a CRNA
04:54 What is the Environment of an Open Heart Surgery look like
08:19 The real responsibilities of CRNA’s
11:09 What does a life of a CRNA look like
13:29 Patient Care Differences Between Adults and Children
15:34 Tips to becoming a CRNA
17:05 How to Boost Your Confidence and Conquer Your Insecurities
23:21 Experiences That Paved the Way to Becoming a CRNA
25:50 Reasons Why Nurses Leave Bedside Care
30:39 The Benefits of Seeking Professional Help from Experienced Healthcare Professionals
34:22 Who are the Nurses teach nurses for
37:28 What is “CRNA School Prep Academy” all about
41:12 Things that need improvement in nursing
43:36 Wrapping up the show

EP 154: What it Takes to be a CRNA With Jason Bolt

by Cup Of Nurses | Mar 12, 2022 | Podcast

What it Takes to be a CRNA With Jason Bolt

Are you interested in working as a nurse anesthetist and becoming a CRNA? If you have plans to be one, this episode is for you.

What Does it Take to be a CRNA?

A CRNA or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is an advanced practice registered nurse who provides anesthesia-related care in different healthcare settings.

These settings include pain management centers, hospital surgical suites, obstetrical delivery rooms, ophthalmologists, podiatrists, operating rooms, plastic surgeons, and many others.

What do CRNAs do? Generally, they provide anesthesia and related care to patients before, during, and after surgery, diagnostic, therapeutic, and obstetrical procedures.

Pain management is also the top priority of nurse anesthetists. They also provide emergency services such as airway management if the situation calls for it.

In this episode, we would like to introduce our guest, Dr. Jason Bolt, DNP, and CRNA. He will share his experiences as a CRNA and what it takes to be one.

QUESTIONS FOR OUR GUEST

The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We go off-topic all the time so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas please let us know. Looking forward to our conversation!

Can you give us a background about yourself and your nursing experience?
What does it feel like to be in the daily life of Jason?
How do we empower our nurses in the workplace?
Future advice for anyone trying to become a CRNA?
1. Is it really as competitive as everyone says?
Starting in 2025, anyone who is NOT a CRNA and wants to become one must attend a doctorate program. How do you feel about that?
What is the difference between rural and city hospital anesthesia?
What are your drugs of choice why?
Do you use ketamine on your patients?
Tips for intubating patients? Any differences between emergent vs planned?
How did/does it feel to work in a female-dominant profession?
1. Worst parts about being a male nurse/Anesthesiologist?
How is it dating in anesthesia life?

Now if you are ready, sit back, grab your favorite drink, and join us for another awesome episode of your Cup of Nurses. Let’s get into it! 👇👇👇

Jason also hosts his YouTube channel BoltCRNA, where he offers mentorship and behind-the-scenes at the life of being a CRNA. Follow more of Dr. Bolt on his Instagram account @BoltCRNA.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Intro
0:48 Plugs
2:41 Episode Introduction
3:25 About Jason Bolt
4:07 Becoming your own boss.
8:08 What’s the daily life of a CRNA looks like?
11:21 Jason’s advice for anyone trying to become a CRNA
14:52 What are your drugs of choice and why?
17:34 The Pros and Cons of Ketamine
22:48 What is the Difference between rural and city hospital anesthesia?
25:42 Differences between emergent vs planned surgery?
27:40 Tips on Intubating Patients.
30:46 The most memorable learning experience
36:54 Jason’s advice for anyone who wants to be a CRNA
42:59 Plans of Increasing the Educational Requirement for CRNA
44:44 The importance of theory and application
46:40 How do they test your Emotional Intelligence?
51:57 How a CRNA Interview helped me with my career
57:23 How is it working with a female dominant profession?
58:30 Tips when getting into a relationship

EP 101: Workplace Culture and Patient Ratios With Chrissy Massaro

by Cup Of Nurses | Mar 21, 2021 | Podcast

EP 101: Workplace Culture and Patient Ratios With Chrissy Massaro

In this episode, we’d like to welcome Chrissy Massaro. Chrissy is a CRNA that helps young professionals thrive in healthcare. She helps medical professionals improve workplace culture, build resilience, and advocate for safe nurse-to-patient ratios.

Questions for Chrissy:

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? How did you get to where you are today?
How was life in the CVICU? Are the memes true?
When did you realize how prominent negative workplace culture can be? What’s a good way for nurses to improve workplace culture?
Many people still don’t realize how crucial patient ratios are. It leads to a lot of tough shifts, it’s hard to handle, but it’s one of the situations where we get it done no matter what. At the moment, we get through it, take care of business, and deal with it after work with poor outside-of-the-workplace habits. How important are safe patient ratios?
Medical professionals have the most stressful jobs. There are really challenging sides to those careers. How crucial is it to develop good habits and build resilience inside and outside of the workplace?
When did you realize your talent for TikTok and your obsession with plant-based recipes?

Get to know Chrissy through her Instagram at @chrissycrna.

Learn how nurses can benefit from the right nurse-patient ratio here 👇👇👇

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro
00:20 Welcome to the show
00:47 Guest introduction
01:17 About Chrissy Massaro
03:02 CVICU Nurses
05:12 Social work to Psychology major to Nursing
07:10 Bullying in Nursing
08:57 How can we improve the toxic nursing culture?
11:04 Working with unfair nurse-to-patient ratios
13:55 How do you manage stress as a CRNA?
15:35 What’s what thing you’d like to change in healthcare?
20:40 How can nurses stop competing with each other?
26:04 Setting boundaries
29:05 How to set boundaries for ourselves
32:05 How to destress
36:10 How is it to be CRNA during the pandemic?
41:28 How to deal with lingering feelings about our work
44:02 Did your views on nursing change?
46:16 A piece of advice for nurses and CRNAs
50:11 Where to find Chrissy Massaro
52:43 End of show

Ep 98: Becoming a CRNA with Dr. Jason Bolt

by Cup Of Nurses | Feb 13, 2021 | Podcast

Becoming a CRNA with Dr. Jason Bolt

In this episode, we introduce you to our guest, Dr. Jason Bolt, DNP & CRNA. Not only is Jason a nurse anesthesiologist he also has a YT channel called BoltCRNA, where he offers mentorship and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a CRNA. Follow him on Instagram at @BoltCRNA.

Questions for Our Guest

Questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We always go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know. Looking forward to our conversation!

Let’s get a little background about yourself; why made you choose to become a CRNA?
How is CRNA school? How do you become one?
Can you run through your typical work day? What does this job entail?
What are the most challenging aspects of your job, and how do you manage them?
Before becoming a CRNA, what type of nursing did you do?
It seems like you are entering the education field; what made you want to start a YT channel and offer CRNA education?
Future advice for anyone trying to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist?
How did/does it feel to work in a female-dominant profession?
What do you enjoy doing on your time off? Has covid changed that, and how are you coping?

Learn how you can be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist like Dr. Bolt here 👇👇👇

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro
01:12 – Who is Dr. Bolt?
02:12 – How is school finishing up?
04:49 – Are you still able to work?
05:55 – School
07:49 – Type of Clinicals
09:56 – Day-to-day activities
13:04 – Autonomy of a CRNA
16:50 – Stress in anesthesia
21:47 – Monitoring
23:00 – Favorite Cases
25:12 – Work Schedule
27:19 – Culture of the Operating Room
33:02 – Free time
35:23 – Words of wisdom
37:57 – Nursing School
40:11 – Covid Impact
42:12 – Working as a nurse in 2020