CRNA vs. RN

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hello everyone! I am new to allnurses, so please be kind. :)

I want to go to medical school for sure, but I'm not sure what I want to be for sure. I was going to be an Anesthesiologist, but after seeing how much they had to pay for -the numbers scared me away.

So I started researching medical careers, and nursing seems appealing to me. I think I want to either be a RN or a CRNA, but I would MUCH prefer to be a CRNA. The problem is, is that I live in Indiana, and from what I have heard, there are absolutely no CRNA's out here because the Anesthesiologist's hate them (which to me seems totally ridiculous)...

Could I go to school in Cincinnati, or somewhere else close, and then come back and be hired here?

If that fails, then I would like to be an RN or something else with higher pay. My concern is, is the pay. I've seen that it averages 40-50k. Do you get paid more with more experience? What is the starting salary?

And what schools would you recommend? I've also read that if you attain a bachelor's degree, you can get paid around 6k more per year. Is that also true?

I'm of the opinion that almost everyone who claims that money is not a major factor in their desire to be a CRNA are, to one degree or another, being disingenuous.

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And could I work a job on the weekends possibly?

No, you would *probably* not have time to work. The closest program to me is at University of Maryland. You take full time classes every spring and fall semester, with 7 credits in the summers. The program is now at DNP and takes 36 months, with long class hours the first year and extensive clinicals during the last two years. It is a very difficult program.

If I had a dollar for every time a fellow nursing today said they wanted to continue on & become a CRNA... I would have just as much money as a CRNA makes.

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My sister has been a CRNA for the past 21-years and spent only one year as a NIC Nurse before being accepted into a CRNA Program. She worked on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the entire 2-1/2 year program (while rising a child mine you). Graduated the top of the class and passed her Boards the first attempt. So, yes, you can work part time if you are good at time management and have a supportive system behind you. The biggest issue these days is the sheer number of individuals who want to be CRNAs. The cost of most CRNA programs is in excess of of $60K and climbing.

To the OP, if your GPA is now 3.6, how is it possible to get to a 4.0? A 4.0 requires that you get ALL As from day one. I'm I'm missing something here? If you want to pursue a Nurse Anesthesia program, having good grades throughout your undergraduate program is a must. Even as important is being able to get into an ICU position right of your BSN program. Possible, but require doing all the right things during your final year in the BSN program. Good luck.

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
My sister has been a CRNA for the past 21-years and spent only one year as a NIC Nurse before being accepted into a CRNA Program. She worked on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the entire 2-1/2 year program (while rising a child mine you). Graduated the top of the class and passed her Boards the first attempt. So, yes, you can work part time if you are good at time management and have a supportive system behind you. The biggest issue these days is the sheer number of individuals who want to be CRNAs. The cost of most CRNA programs is in excess of of $60K and climbing.

To the OP, if your GPA is now 3.6, how is it possible to get to a 4.0? A 4.0 requires that you get ALL As from day one. I'm I'm missing something here? If you want to pursue a Nurse Anesthesia program, having good grades throughout your undergraduate program is a must. Even as important is being able to get into an ICU position right of your BSN program. Possible, but require doing all the right things during your final year in the BSN program. Good luck.

Not to dismiss her achievements but the education standards and test is probably totally different since your sister completed both. The test used to be a multiple choice written test that you could back forth through. Even now as a computer test, the test has evolved to include multiple correct, pictures and short answer math. The passing standard is going up next year so working when you could be studying is probably less advisable than ever.

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CRNA students also need to be very flexible about where they will be assigned their practica. I know of many CRNA students who have had to go to different parts of the country for their clinical rotations (one buddy was in New Mexico for 6 weeks, Maryland for 8 weeks and Georgia for 6 weeks in the second year of his program). Being a CRNA student is an all-inclusive 2-3 years and you not expect to be able to work at all during the program.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Information on CRNA found in Pre-CRNA Inquiry forum.

See sticky at bottom of page.

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Specializes in Trauma.
ADN only takes 2 years & BSN is 4 years. Then you need 2 years experience in critical care before you can apply to CRNA school. CRNA school is about 2.5 years straight through.

Here in Columbia, SC there is a technical college which offers a two year ADN in four years. Yep, that's right, it takes four years. The way the program is designed centers around a two year pre-nursing certificate before a student is then allowed in to the actual two year nursing program. That is a total of four years. Now, when the curriculum is compared to BSN programs, the pre-nursing certificate amounts to the undergraduate courses in the four year program. This particular technical college is well respected and has a reputation as such that most local nursing employers would choose a nurse graduate from this two year program over any of the local four year programs.

I am curious what others think about this. Perhaps I should start a new thread?

Thanks,

Colin

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Here in Columbia, SC there is a technical college which offers a two year ADN in four years. Yep, that's right, it takes four years. The way the program is designed centers around a two year pre-nursing certificate before a student is then allowed in to the actual two year nursing program. That is a total of four years. Now, when the curriculum is compared to BSN programs, the pre-nursing certificate amounts to the undergraduate courses in the four year program. This particular technical college is well respected and has a reputation as such that most local nursing employers would choose a nurse graduate from this two year program over any of the local four year programs.

I am curious what others think about this. Perhaps I should start a new thread?

Thanks,

Colin

Most schools require pre-reqs that can take two years.

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Specializes in Psych/OR.

from what I've researched you need to have a MSN and a couple of years in critical care experience to be a qualified candidate for a CRNA program. But you need to get your RN license as your first step in order to pursue a CRNA career, there's no other way. I'm saying this because after I get my RN license I want to work as an RN for a couple of years (3 perhaps) while getting my MSN; that way by the time I finish my MSN I will have some years of experience and my MSN to apply for a CRNA program which is what I want to become by the time I'm 28-30. CRNA's get paid bank, 150k a year or so. But you have to be sure that's what you want to really do or you will suffer and cry even if you get paid a lot

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As someone who wants to be a crna, I can tell you that pay should not be a factor in your decision. For one, you HAVE to become a RN to go CRNA route, secondly it has to be a BSN; you have to work and go back for a few years to even apply to get into a CRNA certificate program... You need physics, calc, more chem, etc. plus like 1500 hours of critical care(or acute care.. I can't remember right now) which is hard to get into that field fresh outta school. Soooo by the time you're even qualified to go CRNA route, I'm sure you would have made up your mind

I'm sure the reaction to this may not be so favorable but here goes...

Prospective nursing students are so competitive. That competitiveness seems to carry over into the profession, manifesting as competitive jealousies, back-biting and control-freakisms.

While it is ideal for candidates to want to be in nursing for altruistic reasons, it's not for any of us to say why anyone should be in nursing. As long as they pull their weight in whatever roles they step into, that's all that counts.

I don't know if it's one of the negative politics that often occurs among women or because nursing majors tends to be just-so about things. Nursing needs to teach the information and skills students need to learn and let the chips fall where they may. We can't control people, nor should any of us.

Students and nurses need to fail or succeed of their own accord. If anyone's going to fail, at least let's not be an impediment along the way.

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Specializes in Trauma.

Certainly.

So, does this mean that most four year programs are actually six years in length due to their pre-reqs?

I only ask because if there is no discernible difference between the two and four year programs why would one choose the two year over the four year? And if there is a set of two year pre-reqs for each program then that would mean a MSN is actually eight years?

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
Certainly.

So, does this mean that most four year programs are actually six years in length due to their pre-reqs?

I only ask because if there is no discernible difference between the two and four year programs why would one choose the two year over the four year? And if there is a set of two year pre-reqs for each program then that would mean a MSN is actually eight years?

Look them up. The amount of credit hours will be different. You still have to take all your electives and other classes to get your BSN. No a MSN will not take 8 years. Do some research and don't rely on one persons school for your answers. My BSN was 4 years and MSN was an additional 28 months.

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