Minneapolis VA Program

gooser · Sep 19, 2003

I know you wrote this post last year, however I have an interview scheduled next month at this school and would like to know- did you go to your interview? What was it like? Are you in the program now? I have posted several times on the forum regarding this school unfortuantely no one seems to have any info.

Thanks for your help

T

lasvegas4211 · Sep 20, 2003

From from what I remember, they interviewed alot of candidates over a couple of days. When I showed up, I was one of the last to interview for the day and I think they were all tired. The panel consisted of the director of the program and about 3 or 4 other faculty members. At the beginning, they basically went over the program in general so you can get an idea of what it consists of. They asked questions not clinical in nature, but more of why you want to be a CRNA, why are you interested in the program, what kind of support will you have while going through the program, etc. They also give you the opportunity to ask questions about the program. I don't think they asked me any questions regarding critical care issues, but did ask about the unit I came from, what kinds of patients I was used to taking care of and so on. They dismissed me from the interview not giving me any inclination as to admission status. Usually I can read people well, and other interviews I went to they hinted around as to whether I got in....but not at the VA. They will also let you visit with a current student who will take you around and show you the OR. You are not in the "hotseat" with the student, and it is very informal. I did not get into the program, even though I worked in the VA system in another state, had a 3.8 GPA, and lots of CC experience. What sucked is that before I interviewed, the director of the program emailed me and said my qualifications were outstanding, otherwise I would not have wasted my time flying up there. All I can say is that if you really want to get in the first time applying, you might want to broaden your horizons. We are from the midwest and I am in a program on the east coast. Good luck with your interview, let me know if you have any other questions. Also, an awesome prep book for interviews is called The ICU Book by Marino. This helped me with other interviews which I did find more technical.