If you are at comair read the message boards on ALPA. I posted the info there. Not sure if it still works though.

 

Yep, I'm out, starting school in January to become an Anesthetist. The health care industry looks much better than aviation... especially in Anesthesia.

 

This sounds about right. Closing the base would make everyone commute to JFK now that would suck. Also might weed out some more top dollar captains. Thats what they want.

 

Are you an RN? I was thinking about going back to school to become an RN. Do you think it's worth it?

 

I think most of the Mad Dogs (MD-88s/90s), if not all of them have the WiFi now, as well as some of the 757s. I think they charge $7.95 for the WiFi, but you can use the promotion code DeltaTryGoGo and it'll be Free.

 

Not yet an RN, that's step 1. I think it is definitely worth it. I have a lot of family members and friends that are RN's, MD's and CRNA's. One of my buddies that just finished Anesthesia school with his CRNA just got a job starting that pays $141,000/year, 9 weeks vacation each year and a $40,000 signing bonus paid into his 401k working 8-5p, 5 days a week, on call optional, overtime optional but paid at a set wage calculated as time and a half for the average anesthesia salary at the hospital.

I can't wait to start in January!

 

Diver, my father is an anethesiologist and I have a cousin who is a crna. You are barking up the wrong tree going into this profession. Yes there is a shortage right now but the 5 year outlook in this field is no better. Most schools are putting out close to 75-150 crna's a semester depending on the size of the school. You have to already be a RN prior to entering this field and must score tops on your boards to be accepted into a crna school. Total time if you are not already a RN is between 4-6 years especially if you are required to do an internal medicine rotation. Salaries are also shrinking at a faster rate than pilot salaries due to field saturation. Four years ago crna's just out of school could command a rate of upwards of $100/hr. The crna's my fathers group employs are doing good to make $56 per hour and it can get worse depending on the state. New healthcare legislation makes this field even more volatile. Many of the residents that work at the hospital my father works at are around my age and I am friends with quite a few of them, they are second guessing their career choice and many wonder will they ever be able to pay off their student loans. They are MD's but there are other professions out there with brighter futures than medicine.

 

Signing bonus are slowly drying up as well. Plus if you are an RN now, you are looking at a 6 year route plus you are going to have to deal with an even more competitive field getting into nursing school, especially if your background is not in science and no experience as these schools are tough to get into. Might want to research a little more. Not tryingt step on a dream here but having been around CRNA's and anethesiologist my whole life, someone is painting a picture for you that doesn't exist anymore. Nurses working locum tenums were making this kind of salary however even that is drying up. Again people will always need medical professionals but inflated salaries and signing bonuses are soon to be a thing of the past, especially when you will be available for work.

 

PM Sent...

 

I'm with DD on this. Some doctor friends of mine convinced me to become a doctor of some sort. Also starting school in Jan.