Secured an Interview

Specialties CRNA

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Hi all. I have finally (after much work and deliberation), secured an interview for an anesthesia program beginning next year.

I have about a month to prepare for the interview and am hoping that some of you might give me some suggestions. I have read nilepoc's post which was very helpful, but am also looking for some other input.

A little bit about myself: I am 29 years old, married, with two kids aged 5 and 2. Originally from Canada, I received my ADN (except they call it a diploma) from a local community college and then completed my Bachelors of Technology in Specialty Nursing with a focus in Critical Care Nursing via correspondence after 5 years. I have worked almost all aspects of critical care, except Peds. This August, I will have been graduated from nursing school almost eight years.

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Based on 4 interviews, all of which schools then accepted me. I can tell you I was asked exactly 1 clinical question. And that was more of a prioritizing issue than knowing some drug or pressue or factoid. When I asked a couple of places if they had clinical questions for me they all said "no, my experience spoke for itself." On the other hand a couple of my classmates with little clinical sperience were asked a number of clinical questions and were grilled on them so I guess it really depends on your experience. There were always questions about why I wanted to be a CRNA, what I see as my role as a CRNA, was I prepared to get my butt kicked for 27 months (it is sore BTW) , was my family and finances prepared? Lots of trying to feel you out and see just what you're made of. Can you go back and become a student at the very bottom of the learning curve at whatever point in your life/carreer your in? It is a dog eat dog world in there and you'll be wearing milk-bone underwear for 2 years.

(Just a hint: It is always your fault, really it is)

Think about your reasons for wanting to go to school, think about how you see nursing as a profession, The answer is never to call the Doc, The answer is not about money, These are masters and doctoral degree people interviewing you so act accordingly and give some thought to your answers. Wear a suit! No sports jackets or shorts. Yes shorts, someone my wife knows went to her interview in SHORTS, I guess she didn't really want to go to school. There are hundreds of applicants these days, you need to stand out (maybe she had really nice legs). Best of luck.

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Thanks for your response WntrMute2. First of all, I will heed your advice and buy a new suit. Secondly, I will give some very serious thought to the questions you have outlined.

This whole process is slightly anxiety provoking. Like I told me wife this morning, it would have almost been better if I wasn't accepted for an interview. Now, if I don't get in I'll have no one to blame except myself. (LOL.) Seriously though, I am very excited to be offered this opportunity and am going to do everything I possibly can to ensure my interview goes well.

Does anyone else have any input?

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The HospitalSoup site http://www.hospitalsoup.com has an excellent section on interview questions, don't know if the questions would be applicable for anesthesia program interview, but the site is worth checking out.

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My interview experience was typical of WntrMute2. Not much if any clinical questions....I think that if they felt that was an issue you wouldn't have gotten an invitation to interview. I had two interviews and both were similiar in that they wanted to see what you had in terms of ambition, goals, knowledge of what CRNAs do and that you didn't have an eye in the middle of your forehead.

The first school I interview with was my first choice and they offered me admission 10 days after the interview. I haven't heard from the second school yet but it doesn't matter as I have already accepted to the first. I am very excited about the opportunity given the applicants outweigh the offers nearly 10 to 1 (more depending on the school you apply to).

Appearance is key as wntrmute says. You only get this chance once. You need to look good (properly dressed for an interview), amile and be enthusiastic abut the opportunity, and sell yourself as having the ability to make it through the program. Remember, if they didn't think you had the credentials (experience, GPA, GRE, Letters of Rec, and personal statement) you wouldn't be interviewing. Good luck and give it your best shot!

WntrMute2----How was the first semester for you? Mainly didactic focused? Would really like to hear what I can expect in my first semester. Any of your classmates working? Anytime for family? Anytime for sleep? I've heard it gets tougher with each passing semester rather than hitting hard right off the bat. Thanks for taking time to respond to us.

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WntrMute2----How was the first semester for you? Mainly didactic focused? Would really like to hear what I can expect in my first semester. Any of your classmates working? Anytime for family? Anytime for sleep? I've heard it gets tougher with each passing semester rather than hitting hard right off the bat. Thanks for taking time to respond to us.

Well the first semester seemed really tough. Biochem, Basics of anesthesia, Physiology, Anatomy, Pharmacology and 1 day of clinicals. That seemed really tough. This (2nd) semester is tougher, Pharm II, Phys II, Principles of Anesthesia, Regional Anesthesia and now 2 days/week of clinical. Clinical also now entails full workup the night before of all your patients, written BTW, Very sick pts with big surgeries need lots of research. Supposedly this is the toughest semester. Although the focus just shifts to clinical more rather than the material gets easier. it really takes all the energy and motivation I have to keep it up. Consider that I study every waking moment i'm not in school or in the OR. I am a bit older than most tho, 43 YO and I think it does take me a bit longer to memorize stuff than most. There is 1 in my class who always is complaining but she just studies a few hours the night before the tests and gets mid 90s so it really depends on who you are and your retention levels. I'm good with theory but slow to memorize. A couple of people try to work a few hours here and ther but this thing is really full time. They resent every hour they spend away from studying and their grades sometimes reflect it. This is all about damage control at this point. I have little time for family, luckily we don't have small kids, they are at college too. Don't expect any real down time (I am at a repotedly tough school so your millage may vary). Good luck.

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It's interesting that you brought up kids WntrMute. I have two of my own, a girl (Brenna) aged 5 and my son Owen aged two. I thought long and hard about how anesthesia school would affect my family and I have no misconceptions about how difficult it is going to be.Should I wait, I thought, until the kids get older?

But, I came to the realization, that when you have kids, probably no time is a good time to go to school full time. You kids always need you, and at least at this age they are in bed by seven o'clock and not immersed in school activities to the degree they would be if they were older.

I do have one more question for all you guys. Do you think it would be beneficial to follow a CRNA for a day before the interview so that I can comment that I have at least had this experience? I have never worked with CRNAs seeing as my experiene is almost solely based in ICU. When I did work in PACU it was MDs only.

I am very familiar with the role of the anesthesiologist and I feel the two roles are very similar, at least when it comes to the operating room. Am I correct in this line of logic, or am I missing something?

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They all want you to shadow a CRNA. It came up 4/4 times and I've heard it seemed to be frowned on when an aquaintenace didn't. Not my school but another one. You really should do it for yourself too. It is nothing, I mean nothing like ICU nursing.

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Just another perspective, the school I go to asks everyone detailed clinical questions. They believe that just because you can perform a task, does not mean that you understand what you are doing. As I am sure you know there are a lot of people working in critical care who have no idea why they are doing what they do. Of course the standard questions are interspersed with the clinical ones.

Which school are you interviewing with? Maybe someone has been through their interview process and can give you an idea of their MO.

Wishing you good luck!

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As i think I said in my other thread on this, I received exactly one clinical question related to bp medications, epi, dopa, vassopressin, stuff. After that it was basically prooving that Iam a stable person and ready to do graduate school.

YMMV

sorry this is such a short response, but iam typing entirely left handed.

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