[premedturnednursing]

I am about to begin an accelerated nursing program in Texas with the goal of eventually becoming a CRNA. My question is, has anyone been accepted with only 1 year of experience (versus the 2 that TCU and TWU prefer)? Also, did that require that you held a 4.0 in your nursing program? Basically, I'm asking how realistic it is to be accepted with only one year of ICU experience and how realistic is it to get an ICU position fresh out of school. Thanks in advance!

[CaslaRN]

Very realistic to get in with only 1 year.

[foxyhill21]

It is very realistic to get a new grad ICU position. I just graduated last month and I am working in ICU

[armynse]

Do you have any experience in another health care field? If not, you will likely encounter some resistance getting into CRNA school. The reason that I say this is because there's so much competition out there. I'm not suggesting that it's impossible to gain acceptance into a CRNA program with only one year of experience, it's just that you would find yourself in the minority among your fellow classmates. If you can pull off a near perfect, if not perfect, GPA along with a stellar GRE performance...give it a shot. Keep in mind, many schools are looking for experienced nurses. I think that you would have a much better chance of getting accepted with two years of solid(high acuity) critical care experience. To answer your other question, by all means go straight to ICU after graduation. Don't allow anyone to dissuade you from that path. Good luck in your endeavor...

Army