Chances of getting into CRNA school after failing out of an ADN program?

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hey guys. I decided several years ago that I wanted to become a CRNA, and after originally earning a B.S. in Biology, I returned to college and began an ADN program. However, I failed out of the third semester (out of five) of that program -- and not with a "D" (as most people who fail seem to fail with), but with a stinking, glorious "F." To make matters worse, I was originally attending a university's satellite campus, which decided to NOT matriculate another cohort to follow the one I was (formerly) enrolled in, and I tried to re-take the class I failed during the next semester at the main campus located several hours away, but things just didn't work out.

So with all that having been said, at this point, it's looking like my only option is to completely start-over as a brand-spankin'-new RN student at a totally different program. Luckily enough, I applied to and was accepted by several local ADN programs (as well as a BSN program), so the opportunity to attain and capitalize on that coveted second chance is there.

HOWEVER... even if I do decide to follow-through on starting over at one of these new programs, what will the previous failure mean in the context of my future chances of getting accepted at a decent CRNA program? Will most CRNA programs see that I failed out of a program, couldn't hack re-taking the failed course and managing to continue on with the aforementioned program, and reject me outright? Or would I still have a decent shot at receiving, at the very least, a trickle of interview invites... provided I blast through the new RN program and graduate with a 3.8 - 4.0 GPA?

For what it's worth, my GPA after the failure is right at a 3.5; however, this is also taking into account my previous Biology B.S. grades. I have also already taken upper-level courses such as physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and neuroscience, all as requirements for my Bio degree, so there really aren't many more classes I can think of to take to improve my GPA and impress CRNA admissions committees.

At this point, is it really even worth still trying to become a CRNA? If so, should I just focus on applying to programs that only calculate the most recent 60 credits' worth of courses into an applicant's GPA? ... But even if I manage to graduate from the new nursing program with a 4.0, are there some CRNA programs that have strict policies forbidding the consideration of applicants with previous nursing course failures, regardless of whether they tried to "redeem" themselves by starting over at another program? Thanks in advance for any advice you guys would be willing to offer!

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If you get through your next ADN and BSN and your GPA continues to be above a 3.0 you should not have any problems applying to and getting accepted at some CRNA schools. Of course, everything depends on your experience in ICU, CCRN, GRE scores, interview, references, etc. You have a long way to go yet so I'd focus on what's in front of you first before worrying about CRNA school. You still have 3 or 4 years left before getting to the point of applying. You may not want to do it anymore by that point because of burn out of "life".

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Out of curiosity, why didn't you apply for an accelerated BSN program (since you already have an undergraduate degree in Biology), instead of an ADN?

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If you get through your next ADN and BSN and your GPA continues to be above a 3.0 you should not have any problems applying to and getting accepted at some CRNA schools. Of course, everything depends on your experience in ICU, CCRN, GRE scores, interview, references, etc. You have a long way to go yet so I'd focus on what's in front of you first before worrying about CRNA school. You still have 3 or 4 years left before getting to the point of applying. You may not want to do it anymore by that point because of burn out of "life".
Thanks for the advice. I know what you mean about getting burned out, but I hope that doesn't happen to me -- I'm not married and I don't have any kids, so I don't think I should have much of a problem focusing on school from here on out. I actually have a shot at transferring into another program, and if that happens, then I'll graduate in December 2015. If not, there's another program I can apply to and start over at that also graduates in December of 2015, so depending on how things work out, I could (hopefully) be gearing-up to apply to CRNA programs within 1.5 - 2 yrs.
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Out of curiosity, why didn't you apply for an accelerated BSN program (since you already have an undergraduate degree in Biology), instead of an ADN?
I thought about applying to an ABSN program, but first of all, there aren't any within 3 - 4 hours of where I live, and I'm currently lucky/pathetic enough to be living at home with my family (I.e., saving money). Second of all, the ones that are somewhat close to where I live are mindblowingly expensive -- think $60 - $70k. On the other hand, I can spend an extra year in school pursuing an ADN and only spend $6-7k total. Of course, now that that plan backfired and is resulting in me having to spend potentially an additional 1-2 years going through nursing school AGAIN, maybe the ABSN wouldn't have been such a bad idea.
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I thought about applying to an ABSN program, but first of all, there aren't any within 3 - 4 hours of where I live, and I'm currently lucky/pathetic enough to be living at home with my family (I.e., saving money). Second of all, the ones that are somewhat close to where I live are mindblowingly expensive -- think $60 - $70k. On the other hand, I can spend an extra year in school pursuing an ADN and only spend $6-7k total. Of course, now that that plan backfired and is resulting in me having to spend potentially an additional 1-2 years going through nursing school AGAIN, maybe the ABSN wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

Given your situation, primarily the cost factor and distance from available programs, you made the smart decision. I wish you luck in whatever path you choose going forward.

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I think you still have a fighting chance. Some people I worked with had GPAs in the low 3s and got accepted after a few years in the icu and after retaking a class or two as recommended by the schools they got in to. Your degree in Biology shows you have some of the science skills required for crna.

Hang in there and good luck, you got this!!

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Specializes in ICU.

What was the class you failed? If it was pharmacology then that will be looked upon much worse than any other course probably. Are you saying you failed this course two times or that you weren't allowed to take it again at the main campus? This was kinda ambiguous.

There is no universal rule that blackmarks you for CRNA school because of failing one nursing course. By the time you apply to CRNA this would be a detail from the distant past. Assuming you make it through the next nursing school without any issues and get good ICU experience, this hiccup should eventually be forgiven at least by some schools.

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What was the class you failed? If it was pharmacology then that will be looked upon much worse than any other course probably. Are you saying you failed this course two times or that you weren't allowed to take it again at the main campus? This was kinda ambiguous.

There is no universal rule that blackmarks you for CRNA school because of failing one nursing course. By the time you apply to CRNA this would be a detail from the distant past. Assuming you make it through the next nursing school without any issues and get good ICU experience, this hiccup should eventually be forgiven at least by some schools.

I didn't fail pharmacology, which is actually just a 1-credit course at my former program anyways. In actuality, I probably "picked" an even worse course to fail... a 7-credit Med-Surg course that included a clinical component.

I didn't fail the course twice; rather, I did go back to try and take the class again but ended up dropping with a "W" when the whole long-distance-student thing just didn't work out for me.

A few CRNAs I have talked to in real-life have told me to just focus on applying to (and getting accepted by) Florida schools, because apparently they tend to be easier to get into than programs in most other states... ?

Either way, this is one of this situations in which beggars can't be choosers, so I guess I'll take it!

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So, just to provide a brief update, it's looking increasingly likely that I'll be accepted to start in January at a new ADN program, so that's a positive development, at least. However, this effectively means that I will be "abandoning" the "F" grade I earned in my previous nursing program and will never re-take that course. So, in other words, that failure will remain on my transcript forever. Even if I have a decent GPA (3.6+) when I apply to CRNA programs, do you guys think ad. coms. will frown upon my neglecting to return to my original nursing program to "make things right?" Are they going to interpret my decision to start over at a new program as me running away from my problems and not having the gumption to mitigate my original issue?

Also, is having the "F" on my transcript permanently, along with the fact that I'm starting over at a completely new program, going to carry with it the implication that I will be expected to gain at least 3-5 years' worth of ICU experience before I even stand a chance at getting admitted? Do you think there will be any hope of getting admitted if I apply with 1 - 1.5 years of ICU experience?

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Specializes in CRNA.
So, just to provide a brief update, it's looking increasingly likely that I'll be accepted to start in January at a new ADN program, so that's a positive development, at least. However, this effectively means that I will be "abandoning" the "F" grade I earned in my previous nursing program and will never re-take that course. So, in other words, that failure will remain on my transcript forever. Even if I have a decent GPA (3.6+) when I apply to CRNA programs, do you guys think ad. coms. will frown upon my neglecting to return to my original nursing program to "make things right?" Are they going to interpret my decision to start over at a new program as me running away from my problems and not having the gumption to mitigate my original issue?

Also, is having the "F" on my transcript permanently, along with the fact that I'm starting over at a completely new program, going to carry with it the implication that I will be expected to gain at least 3-5 years' worth of ICU experience before I even stand a chance at getting admitted? Do you think there will be any hope of getting admitted if I apply with 1 - 1.5 years of ICU experience?

Truthfully,

If you begin the new ADN program and excel, along with excelling in your BSN, you will have no problem getting into a CRNA program. A program director understands that people mature and that mistakes are made. If you can show that you've learned from your first attempt in the ADN program, and excel the rest of the way. It will show them that you are serious enough to succeed in a CRNA program. You will need good experience (a good 2-4 years ICU), CCRN, Good GRE scores, etc. Definitely is possible!

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Truthfully, If you begin the new ADN program and excel, along with excelling in your BSN, you will have no problem getting into a CRNA program. A program director understands that people mature and that mistakes are made. If you can show that you've learned from your first attempt in the ADN program, and excel the rest of the way. It will show them that you are serious enough to succeed in a CRNA program. You will need good experience (a good 2-4 years ICU), CCRN, Good GRE scores, etc. Definitely is possible!
Thanks for the encouraging words. I will definitely earn competitive grades from this point onward. Just out of curiosity, do you say that I will need 2-4 years of ICU experience because of my previous failure, or to be competitive in general (I.e., even if I hadn't failed out of a program)? Do you think there's any hope whatsoever of, for example, graduating from my ADN program next December, beginning work as an ICU nurse in January, and then applying to programs the following summer (after obtaining 5-6 months of experience)? That would give me around 1.5 years of ICU experience before starting at a program, provided I end up getting accepted to one.
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