Things you must have for CRNA school

Before you even start, make sure you have the financial resources (loans, helpful family, etc.) to be in school without working. I'm in the didactic portion, about to start rotations, and I can tell you there is no way to do this and work. We have actually had a few people fail because they were working on the weekends. You will need every bit of free time you can get to study! A good digital recorder will help you tremendously. If your program provides your notes, I would invest in a laser printer, color if you can afford it . (I got one on ebay for $200 and have had it for almost a year and still have not had to buy toner). You will need a PDA for rotations. Try to take care of any distractions before school starts. If you aren't dating anyone, and single, don't start! (seriously, you won't have time and it will just distract you). Try to pay your bills off, or ahead. Take care of any health issues etc. If I think of anything else I'll let you know!

Since you are going to the program I just graduated from, I can offer some advice. They will send you a booklist soon, if they haven't already. You do not need to buy every book on it - when you get it in the mail, let me know, and I will give you my advice on what to buy if you want to know. You do not need a PDA for your rotations unless that is something you would like to have for quick reference. You do need a computer (doesn't matter if its a desktop or laptop). You will need MS Office at bare minimum, but if you do not have this, do not buy it. CWRU provides a variety of software to its students, as part of your tuition. You will need a printer but doesn't have to be anything incredibly fancy. A recorder is not essential unless it's something you think you will learn best with. I had one for the beginning of my program, and did not feel that it was that helpful. But that is just me.

Other things that you may need for your clinical rotations will depend on which clinical site you are at. (CCF, UH, Summa?) Let me know if I can help with any other info.