hey, honestly i didn't do any shadowing at all..... however i would definitely recommend that you follow a crna for a couple days

as for finances....my wife is still working full time, so she's supporting us. however, there are people who are living on loans while in school. the good news is, if you're accepted into crna school you should get all the loans you need; usually for grad school they set the cost of attendance at a point so you have money to live on. Like i said, there are quite a few people in my class taking out the loans. You're on the right track though, i definitely think the less you take out the better.

oh man, I thought you were a new grad------you're golden then. Don't sweat the GRE too much; just shoot somewhere around 1000 (don't sweat it if it's a little less, it seems that the committees don't care as much about that as your clinical experience etc). Don't buy GRE books, waste of money - just check them out of the library. Do the practice CD's; they simulate the test well and really help bump your score up. I got a 1350.

I took O chem in undergrad, so I don't remember too much about it. I think it's easier than inorganic though. Definitely shoot for a B at least.......is it required for your program? It wasn't for ours.

Honestly, it sounds like you have it made. The CCRN makes you stick out from the crowd- most people that apply don't have it. I had a 2.7 undergrad, i worked hard, took some grad classes, and got in to a very competitive program. Sounds like you're much better off than I was, so you'll do fine.

Hey sorry for some reason I can't send PMs

Good for you for working up from the bottom; its not easy but it definitely gives you a sense of empathy for everyone in nursing, at every level


some thoughts about prepping for anesthesia

1) go straight to ICU out of school, doesn't matter which one
2) float to other ICUs, and/or ER
3) get your CCRN. Use the gasparis videos and the PASS CCRN CD (don't bother with the book)
4)volunteer for some committees at your hospital, like unit council or something. doesnt matter what

all that is for your resume that you send in for schools

5) start applying to schools 2 years out. Most schools seem to have rolling admissions, so apply EARLY. I graduated in '05 and started anesthesia in '08 (accepted october '07)

Good luck, feel free to ask any questions, i'd be happy to answer them