FNP to CRNA

Specialties CRNA

Updated:   Published

Anyone know of any MSN/FNP to CRNA bridge programs? It's something I may be interested at some point. Thanks!

Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

They let PA's go to PA school with little to no medical training. A BSN who has done clinicals and works while doing their master's will get experience.

Specializes in CRNA.
They let PA's go to PA school with little to no medical training. A BSN who has done clinicals and works while doing their master's will get experience.

But you are not going to a PA program. Clinicals give you the basis to begin practice as a novice nurse, you will learn more during the first 2 years of full time practice as an RN as you did in your nursing program. The learning curve is very steep those first 2 years which is a surprise for some. Those who don't understand that often drop out of nursing, it just seems too demanding, but nursing gets easier after those first years. You often hear novice nurses complain that the vetern (or expert, although becoming a vertern doesn't necessarily make one an expert) nurses don't treat them well and 'eat their young'. While I believe vetern's need to support the novices, the novices need to realize they really do increase the workload of the expert nurses because they just don't know a lot and they need to learn. I don't believe you can begin to assume a role as an advanced practice nurse, without being an expert RN first. Look into the job placement rate of nurse practitioner's who graduate with minimal RN experience. Employers know the difference.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
They let PA's go to PA school with little to no medical training. A BSN who has done clinicals and works while doing their master's will get experience.

PAs aren't allowed to go into independent practice either where as CRNAs are.

Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

A couple of things...

  1. This is a bridge from ADN to an FNP or ACNP, not CRNA.
  2. This is Vanderbilt. They have a solid reputation as a school of nursing, so I doubt they're going to put out crummy graduates that are unprepared and consequently give them a bad name.
  3. I agree, some RN experience is good. If I do this, I plan on working for a year, then working for the two years while I complete this. So that will ultimately give me 3 years working as an RN before I start practicing.

One beef I have with the nursing community is the way their education is structured. 1 and 1/2 to 2 years for nursing prerequisites, then 4 years for a BSN, and now they want to add an additional 3 years when they make advanced practice a doctorate program? So That's a total of 9 years of college to become a nurse practitioner. And then assuming you'll need 2 years RN work experience and assuming you can't work until you complete your BSN because that is when you're allowed to sit for the NCLEX, that can add the total time up to be 11 years. Is this wrong? If so, stop me.

PA's are viewed as serving the same role as NP's from what I see. Most jobs are hiring either/or. PA school can take you 6 years total, 3 years less than a doctorate NP (4 years for a bachelors in anything and prereqs, 2 years PA school).

Sure, having a doctorate is a nice thing. But for three extra years? Three years of grad school tuition? And to top it off, you make the same as someone with a Master's? And I know, there is the "NP's can work independently" argument. How many actually do? Is it a cost effective endeavor? Most NP's I know and see work under a physician, just like a PA, and get paid the same. Plus, the PA's are trained as generalists, and do a lot more clinical hours. So with one PA degree, you can have as wide of a breadth as you would with six NP degrees (family, peds, women's health, emergency room, internal medicine, psych), and then you can do a specialized fellowship later.

So, while I hate to bag on NP and advanced practice nursing, some of the hoops they're making people jump through to get to the same place that PA's get in a shorter amount of time are kind of frustrating.

Specializes in Cardiac, Pulmonary, Anesthesia.

You are doing the math very wrong Sam. It's 2 years prereqs, then 2 years of nursing school for a BSN, not 2 prereq then 4. Where did you even get that? And it's 3 years part time for NP. 's program is 3 semesters full time, most are 5 semesters full time. And since Vandy takes applicants without experience, that is 5 years total to be an NP if done full time (granted Vandy crams alot more into one semester than any other NP school I've seen), or 6 years if done through a more average NP program. So, again, your math is way off.

The doctorate would bring NP close to 3 years full time, 4-5 years part time. If people want part time education they have to expect it to take longer.

For anyone looking for a bridge to CRNA, there are none. The best you can hope for is transferring 2-3 basic MSN core courses that don't have much to do with anesthesia anyway.

Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

Abe, here's some clarification.

You are doing the math very wrong Sam. It's 2 years prereqs, then 2 years of nursing school for a BSN, not 2 prereq then 4. Where did you even get that?

My program is a little different than others. I'm doing an ADN, and then my school makes us reapply for the BSN. I did 2 years of prereqs, and the ADN alone takes 2 years (4 semesters, summers off). Then the BSN takes 3 more full time semesters or 4 part time, so around 1 and 1/2 to 2 years for the BSN. So it takes us roughly around 5 and 1/2 to 6 years to complete a BSN.

So then to add on 3 years for a doctorate-level NP program would add things up to about 8 and 1/2 to 9 years total time investment for me. Not quite 11 years, but still, it's quite a bit more than 5 or 6.

Specializes in Cardiac, Pulmonary, Anesthesia.
Abe, here's some clarification.

My program is a little different than others. I'm doing an ADN, and then my school makes us reapply for the BSN. I did 2 years of prereqs, and the ADN alone takes 2 years (4 semesters, summers off). Then the BSN takes 3 more full time semesters or 4 part time, so around 1 and 1/2 to 2 years for the BSN. So it takes us roughly around 5 and 1/2 to 6 years to complete a BSN.

So then to add on 3 years for a doctorate-level NP program would add things up to about 8 and 1/2 to 9 years total time investment for me. Not quite 11 years, but still, it's quite a bit more than 5 or 6.

Well, that's the path you decided to take. Can't fault nursing education for that, it allows people multiple entry paths and speeds. Plus it's not really the whole truth to say "it took me 6 years" when half of that time was part time. A person only taking 6 credit hours a semester for a biology degree doesn't mean they have 8 years of biology training.

And your school is very odd. 2 years full time to get the prereqs? Then another 2 years (even with summer off)? Might as well do the BSN to begin with. But I suspect those first 2 years were part time as well? And you are still doing math wrong. If it's 3-4 semesters to finish the BSN, that 1 to 1.5 years. 3 semester equals one year. Think about it, fall-spring-summer.

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