Admitted With One year Experience

ctbsurf · Apr 22, 2004

no, just go for it, don't wait. what you need to know about anesthesia will be taught to you. you'll kick yourself later for not accepting. I got in w/ 1 yr PCU and 1 yr of ICU. never dealt w/ pts on IABP, VADs, or ECMO. that is not what you'll be seeing on a normal day of anesthesia. what you do need to know is basic pharm, A&P, and being comfortable tirating drugs to effect. i never felt disadvantaged at all, b/c whether you have 1 yr or 10 yrs everyone in your class will be starting from scratch. there is a reason they only make 1 year of ICU a requirment and there is a reason you got accepted, apparently they thought you were capable. don't look back, just trudge on forward, you won't regret it.

athomas91 · Apr 22, 2004

i am not going to tell you what to do - what i will tell you is there is a guy in my class who started the program w/ only one year experience (odd for my school...but anyway) - he is done the program - but is repeating some of the classes for "his own benefit" - he felt that one year experience wasn't enough.

MaleAPRN · Apr 22, 2004

Consider yourself very lucky to be accepted with only 1 yr of ICU experience. Not everyone gets this opportunity. I know someone who applied there who had a total of 2 yrs of ICU and 4 yrs ER experience that was rejected, solely on the merit of not having "recent" ICU exposure. Personally, I think that you should grab the opportunity now and not wait. Congrats.

There are not very many times that you may interview and if one person in the committee is in a bad mood, you may be rejected right then and there. CRNA school interviews/selection is sooooo dependent on how you portray yourself to the interviewers.

:)

UCDSICURN · Apr 22, 2004

Go for it and don't look back. They'll teach you what you need to know.

Donn C.

DIVER CRNA · Apr 23, 2004

Go for it! I too was accepted to Albany Med's NA program for this fall and have a little over 1.5 yrs PICU/adult ICU experience. I have read many threads on this subject from those I have come to respect, and the concensus is "Go for it". They will teach you all you have to know within the program. Some things may come more easily to others because of their experiences, but nonetheless it can be done, and many have done it before you.

I am jumping at the opportunity! I expect it to be difficult, perhaps even more difficult because of my inexperiences in areas. Also realize, that you will have certain strengths in areas that others do not. For one you are recently graduated and have the studying strategies, theory, and persistence in academia necessary to succeed in your NA program. Good luck with your decision!

trakstar · Apr 23, 2004

I got into a CRNA program with 1 year experience also. I had felt the same way you did. When talking to my programs director he stated that CRNA programs are very competitive and that they would have only admitted me if number one I was a very competitive candidate and number two if they felt that I would be successful in completing the program. In the end CRNA programs invest their time in you because they think that you will succeed. The last thing they want is for someone to not complete a program or not pass national certification not only is this bad for you but it is really bad for your program. also not my director was a recent past president of the AANA. I say go for it, I know I am!!!

PSUNURS05 · Apr 23, 2004

I am interested in anesthesia school....may I ask what your grades were like while you were working on your bachelor's degree??

trakstar · Apr 23, 2004

I am interested in anesthesia school....may I ask what your grades were like while you were working on your bachelor's degree??

I have a 2 non nursing degrees (double majored), graduated with GPA 3.3. My nursing degree average gpa 3.76 and I am 25 yrs old per the previous question. My one year of experience is at a major metro level one trauma center in the MICU/CCU with tramua overflow from the trauma critical care unit which is well liked by the CRNA school I will attend

versatile_kat · Apr 23, 2004

I am interested in anesthesia school....may I ask what your grades were like while you were working on your bachelor's degree??

Do a search under "requirements" or "grades" or "GPA's"... there have been multiple threads on what the SRNA's/CRNA's made (GPA-wise) while in undergrad.

As for the 1-year experience ... just do it! I agree, you'll probably regret it in the end that you didn't go when you had the chance. Case Western has a great program and they probably won't look too kindly on you taking a spot from someone else, then turning it down because you didn't think you were "ready". Everything you need to know will be taught to you. Good luck!

CRNAStudent · Apr 24, 2004

My undergrad GPA was a 3.6 (3.8 in nursing classes) and my GRE score was a 1280 (540 verbal, 740 math) and 5.5 in the writing section. I started working in a Cardiothoracic ICU right after graduation, with very high acuity patients...it's a surgical heart failure unit/heart and lung transplant ICU with the biggest cardiac program in the country. It has been an awesome experience...lots of IABPs, VADs, ECMOs. If you want to go into anesthesia, definitely get some experience in a large ICU with complex patients. I have heard that programs often view surgical experience as more intense and valuable for application into CRNA programs than medical experience, but I am not certain if that is true for all programs. Good luck!