[floweringjudas]

All of my college career, I had been wavering between a life in the arts or a life in health services. Now, at the age of 21, the recent death of my mother has made the irreversible decision for me. I want to dedicate my life to helping others as my mother had, I want a stable career, I want to make her proud.

But besides all that personal stuff, I now find myself in a rushed position. I am graduating May 2002 with a B.A. in English. Ultimately, I have decided on becoming a CRNA. I have always had a strong math/science background, but I haven't taken those classes in college. Initially, I had planned on getting an accelerated BSN degree, the ones you can attain with a year or so. Then I would work for a while in an ICU before applying to anesthetist school. However, I guess that doesn't really give me a lot of time to take supplementary bio/chem/physics courses. And that's really important, right?

If anyone has advice for a girl whose world has just been turned upside down, I would really appreciate it.

[jperry25]

To get into a BSN program you will need to take chemistry, biology, microbiology, and either a combined anatomy and physiology course or seprate classes depending on the school. I'm sure you probably already have a lot of the other basic classes completed since you're graduating with a B.A. in English. I to will be graduating in May with a BSN and have contacted the University of Kansas nurse anesthesia program. I will have to take elementary statistics, organic and/or biochemistry, an additional A/P class and physiology probably after I graduate. Your best bet would be to contact the schools you are interested in and find out what they require for sure.

As you already know you'll have to work in an ICU probably for a couple of years. Next you'll have to go through the process of applying to nurse anesthesia schools and jump through all of the hoops before you're accepted like: interviews, letters of recommendation, etc. Hopefully that will help you a little bit. I've found most of my information on this website and on the internet. Good luck!!

[floweringjudas]

Out of curiosity, these courses that you have to take-- organic, stat, etc-- how are you planning to take them? As a non-degree student while working part-time? How do you take extra courses that are prerequisites for grad study in anesthesia after the completion of your BSN?

[jperry25]

To be quit honest with you, I'm just getting that part figured out. I just found out this week that I would have to take these additional classes. I'll have to check with the college I'm taking it from to see how they'll classify me. I know I've talked to some anesthesia students who have been nurses for 20 years and they have had to pick up a couple other classes before being admitted into anesthesia school. I didn't ask them exactly how they did it but I'm sure there will be someone on this site that'll know. Hopefully they'll be better able to respond to your question. I plan on working full time and trying to take at least one class a semester until my prerequisites are completed.

[nilepoc]

About those classes,

When you initially go for your BSN, you should take as many of the classes as you can then. Example, most BSN programs require you to take a one semester class in Chemistry, but you should take the two semester real version instead. Then if you can manage it take a statistics class that will meet the requirements of both of you programs. Instead of taking fluffy electives, take physics, or advanced micro, or if you are really ambitious and want to show your drive, take biochemistry. Be sure and take a research course at the undergrad level.

When you get into clinicals try to tailor you experiences to get you into the ICU's as quickly as possible on graduation from your BSN.

Also, take you GRE while you are still in a mind set to study for it. Your score is good for five years i believe.

To answer one of your questions, you can take most any class at most universities if you already have a degree. You can go in non degree and they then usually don't inforce pre reqs, This is how I did it. Plus my hospital payed for it.

Hey flowering judas, I have one piece of advice for you. If you are truly graduating in may 2002, you may want to reconsider that. Once you have a bachelors, you no longer qualify for a great deal of the financial aid out there. About the only thing you can qualify for are loans. But if you switch majors, and go to nursing, you willl probably retain your eligibility for financial aid. I know for a fact this saved me. Some students in my class really struggled financially due to having already obtained a BA. Just something to think about.