Any CRNA students get in without ICU experience?

Nursing Students SRNA

Published

I meet all requirements for entrance except one.....ICU experience. I work in an acute care hospital but not ICU experience. I am wondering if this automatically takes me out of the running if I applied. Is anyone a student or was a student who got in without ICU experience?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

In my experience, I have not heard of anyone who has been accepted to CRNA school with NO ICU experience. I know some programs may consider PACU and/or ER as critical-care experience, depending on the setting and what kind of patients are taken care of there. I also heard that some programs may accept applicants who are newly transferred to an ICU floor (but with med-surg floor background), and will have at least 1 year of critical-care experience done by the time they start the program. I am not sure if there are certain CRNA schools out there that will accept applicants with NO ICU experience. So it will all depend on what program you are applying to. I would contact the school or Program Director and see if they consider your unit as critical-care experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical ICU.

Check this website. It is a good place to start for those that want an alternative.

http://www.all-crna-schools.com/crna-programs.html#section3

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes there is a school that will accept you without it and it is also the top ranked nurse anesthesia program in the country. However you may not like this alternative.

You will have to commission into the army (an active duty commitment) as a Nurse. Once your accepted to the Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing they will send you to a 3 month course to get you up to speed on the what you lack in CC experience.

....But it may just be easier to get an ICU job.:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment