pursuing CRNA school acceptance- help

Specialties CRNA

Published

Can anyone help me find a school for CRNA ?

I have looked at about all of them(AANA page= 95 schools) and quite frankly I'm getting dizzy!

I have :

13 years as an EMT

6 years as a Nat. Reg. Paramedic ACLS, PALS, CPR

Both EMS based and Long distance ALS transport. Usually to Duke,

UNC-Chapel Hill, UVa., and WFUBMC.

A B.S. in business.

A BSN. I completed clinicals at WFUBMC. does this help ?

+/- year in a CVICU/CCU, by acceptance I'll have 1+ years.

Currently in the AACN , ECCO course.

Relocation is not a problem my fiance is a R.N. also.

The only problem might be a 2.9 GPA, I take the GRE in april.

BUT I did have to work 2604 hours (24 hr. shifts) and commute 3hrs total 2-4 times per week to school.

Help !?

Jaymz

Dont worry about the GPA.. Mine total GPA was 2.8 when I applied. I was accepted to Bradley University/Decatur Memorials program for this fall. My GRE was only a 900. Fortunately, I have alot of experience and I interviewed very well. My grades were brought up during the interview. I was honest with them. I told them I was busy chasing tail rather than focusing on school. Of course i was younger then. Im 32 now. I was also taking classes as a student at large at the time of my interview. Of course, I did mention this to them. It just shows that this is what you want to do and you have determination. Hope this helps.

I think there are VERY few CRNA schools who will accept a GPA under 3.0 even if that is what is stated as their "minimum requirement". I agree that schools do look at the whole package and not simply 1 number. That said, if your GPA is borderline, the one thing you can do to improve your chances of acceptance is to take a graduate class or two as a non-matriculated student and get an "A"! This will show the admission committee that you can handle graduate school and that you can improve on previous poor academic performance. If you take graduate level Pharm or Patho, you should also be able to transfer these courses to your CRNA program once accepted. Also, there are several schools who offer these classes online, so commuting is not a factor. It's always best to contact the programs you are interested in and get some answers directly from them. Best of luck.

Jaymz

Dont worry about the GPA.. Mine total GPA was 2.8 when I applied. I was accepted to Bradley University/Decatur Memorials program for this fall. My GRE was only a 900. Fortunately, I have alot of experience and I interviewed very well. My grades were brought up during the interview. I was honest with them. I told them I was busy chasing tail rather than focusing on school. Of course i was younger then. Im 32 now. I was also taking classes as a student at large at the time of my interview. Of course, I did mention this to them. It just shows that this is what you want to do and you have determination. Hope this helps.

What classes were you taking and where?

I have a 2.9, experience as a Nat. Reg. Paramedic( intubating EJ's etc..)

I'm taking the GRE in April.

Is that DMH in Illinois, just to clarify, that would be the best location for me to be accepted into. Any other help for this school would be awesome.

Thanks

Thanks for the information.

I found about 6 or so that say 2.7.

I guess I'll try those first.

Again thank you

what schools allowed a GPA of 2.7? I am wondering because I am thinking of applying to CRNA school and I do not have a GPA of a 3.0. I went and spoke with a graduate advisor today and she was telling me that experience does matter too and during the interview process if you let the board know how hard you have work and how hard you are curretnly woring to get where you are today that is taken into consideration as well. Good Luck!

Samuel Merrit in Oakland, CA has a certificate CRNA program if you have a MSN-NP degree. If you don't get into a CRNA program after the GRE, try getting into a nurse practitioner program and then get the 6 month training at Samuel Merrit for the CRNA certificate.

Good Luck!

Specializes in Anesthesia.
..... get the 6 month training at Samuel Merrit for the CRNA certificate......

Someone's confused.

!

Hi. This is probably repetitive info. but I felt compelled to expand on this. I think a well-rounded applicant (experience, maturity, ability to handle stress, as well as academics) goes further in a school's decision to accept an applicant than say, just GPA alone. You have extensive experience, expand on that by working in an ICU. I will be entering a CRNA program this summer and have spent the past few years taking science classes to make myself more competive and prove to the school (as well as myself) that I am capable at the grad level. There are a few school with MINIMUM GPA requirements below 3.0, but a few I found in Conneticut (St. Raphaels and another) that are at 2.8, may have changed since last year. Ask the school directly, some do consider the "whole picture", afterall, how many of us are the exact same person we were at the undergrad level? I am sure you have more focus and direction now...good for you and good luck to you.:)

Yes, DMH is in Illinois..

What classes were you taking and where?

I have a 2.9, experience as a Nat. Reg. Paramedic( intubating EJ's etc..)

I'm taking the GRE in April.

Is that DMH in Illinois, just to clarify, that would be the best location for me to be accepted into. Any other help for this school would be awesome.

Thanks

Great advice from everyone! I have a couple of questions of my own...

I graduated with a BSN 4.0 and bio degree 3.1. I am currently working in a large metro hosptial in a med/surg/transplant/neuro ICU. I have been working for about 7 months and I still feel like I know nothing except that I have definitely figured out that bedside nursing is not for me and I am ready to start applying to CRNA programs this coming fall and winter. I have shadowed several CRNAs and I am confident this is the path for me.

I have taken ACLS and that boosted my confidence and will be taking the CCRN as soon as I can. I am going to take the GRE in May.

So my questions...

1. What can I do to maximize my experience?? I haven't had much experience with swans or balloon pumps. I am trying to take as many CE's in hemodynamics etc as I can. Any other advice.

2. Are there any other certs, orgnizations or CE's you would recommend?

3. What can I do to make myself more comfortable during the interview process?

4. Can you spend too much time shadowing CRNAs?

Thanks for any replys!

Specializes in CVICU.
Tooty, since your GPA wasn't great for the accelerated BSN program, did your GRE scores counteract the GPA?

My low GPA is in my first degree, not the BSN. I am in the 2nd degree BSN progam now.

what schools allowed a GPA of 2.7? I am wondering because I am thinking of applying to CRNA school and I do not have a GPA of a 3.0. I went and spoke with a graduate advisor today and she was telling me that experience does matter too and during the interview process if you let the board know how hard you have work and how hard you are curretnly woring to get where you are today that is taken into consideration as well. Good Luck!

Specifically MHRI Rhode Island, Look at Pennsylvania (the state) closely.

AANA web site list of all 95 schools.

Hey,

First off, totally ignore my screen name...I'm trying to change it.

I work in a CVICU right now and am in the AACN ECCO course. That is strictly a specialty class for critical care. There isn't a CCRN tag-along to it. Are you taking another course on top of ECCO? The last time I checked out the requirements, you needed pretty much 1 year of full-time bedside in critical care in order to have enough hours to be eligible to sit for the CCRN.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I also don't want you to short yourself if I'm not.

Good luck in your search.

-Alyssa

Nope, you're right. Sounds like you're in exactly the same type of environment that I am.

+ Add a Comment