Starting at a Community College..

Hey all,

I am about to start my journey into nursing school, and I have a few questions about becoming a CRNA. I already have a Bachelor's Degree from a 4 year school (double majored in graphic design and marketing..) and I have found that after almost 5 years in the field, it's just not "doing it for me". I have done some shadowing and I am going to make the switch to earn my RN, but I would love to go further and become a CRNA. In my position, married with a 1 year old, an accelerated program does not really work for me, so I am going to go the slow route and earn my LPN to RN to BSN.. is this a ridiculous route to take? My grades the first time around really weren't exceptional (had the wrong priorities and graduated with a 2.9), so I want to start from scratch to give myself a better opportunity to get into an advanced program in the long run. It will probably take me about 10 years, but I will be able to continue working my marketing job while going to school (and being a mom). Once I have my RN, I will hopefully work as an RN while I'm earning my BSN. I am hoping that if I dangle the carrot of CRNA school in front of myself, I will remain motivated to earn as close to a 4.0 during school as possible.

Now for the question (sorry for the long-winded set up), will the CRNA program look down upon the fact that my science pre-reqs were earned at a community college? I am in Minnesota and hopeful that I will be applying to the University of MN's CRNA program (in like, 2019.. yikes). Do I need to plan on taking more advanced science courses at a graduate level prior to applying? I am going to apply to St. Scholastica for my BSN, after getting the ADN from the community college in my city, then planning to get a couple years of ICU experience prior to applying for the CRNA program. A lot of hopefuls in this post, and I realize about 100 factors could change between now and then, but I am a planner and I need to keep the big picture in mind to stay focused.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

A

I don't know if a program will look down on your science classes, but every program is different and different things carry more weight in their decision. I wouldn't worry about graduate level courses unless your GPA comes out on the low side.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your plan and it is the route that I took. I graduated with my ADN and worked in the ER for a few years and then moved over to the ICU. While working in the unit I got my BSN and I am currently in anesthesia school. My only advice would be to skip the LPN and just start on your RN.

Hey all,

I am about to start my journey into nursing school, and I have a few questions about becoming a CRNA. I already have a Bachelor's Degree from a 4 year school (double majored in graphic design and marketing..) and I have found that after almost 5 years in the field, it's just not "doing it for me". I have done some shadowing and I am going to make the switch to earn my RN, but I would love to go further and become a CRNA. In my position, married with a 1 year old, an accelerated program does not really work for me, so I am going to go the slow route and earn my LPN to RN to BSN.. is this a ridiculous route to take? My grades the first time around really weren't exceptional (had the wrong priorities and graduated with a 2.9), so I want to start from scratch to give myself a better opportunity to get into an advanced program in the long run. It will probably take me about 10 years, but I will be able to continue working my marketing job while going to school (and being a mom). Once I have my RN, I will hopefully work as an RN while I'm earning my BSN. I am hoping that if I dangle the carrot of CRNA school in front of myself, I will remain motivated to earn as close to a 4.0 during school as possible.

Now for the question (sorry for the long-winded set up), will the CRNA program look down upon the fact that my science pre-reqs were earned at a community college? I am in Minnesota and hopeful that I will be applying to the University of MN's CRNA program (in like, 2019.. yikes). Do I need to plan on taking more advanced science courses at a graduate level prior to applying? I am going to apply to St. Scholastica for my BSN, after getting the ADN from the community college in my city, then planning to get a couple years of ICU experience prior to applying for the CRNA program. A lot of hopefuls in this post, and I realize about 100 factors could change between now and then, but I am a planner and I need to keep the big picture in mind to stay focused.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

A

I 100% agree, skip the LPN part. You are going to pay an arm and a leg to get thru an LPN program....not worth it. Go straight to your ADN and work in the ICU while obtaining your BSN. You will be looking at a date much sooner than 2019!

Hi there! I agree with the posts above. Don't bother getting the LPN. Go straight for your ADN. Also, an A is an A...whether it be from a 4 year university or a community college. It's all about the effort. At the end, they see the grades/GPA and NOT where it came from. You can achieve this goal a lot sooner than 10 years. But with a child and family, I could see why you would want to pace yourself. Be sure to get the highest grades you can in everything, but most importantly the sciences! Just so you know, I started as a high school drop out, got my 2 year degree, worked 2 jobs in different ICUs while obtaining my BSN (maintained a 4.0 gpa), and got into both anesthesia programs that I applied to. I also have 2 children (ages 10 and 1 month). Trust me, anything is possible!! It's all about how bad you want it! :)

My husband and I were in school at the same time; me for my ADN-BSN and he for his degree. We also both worked part time and really didn't see each other a lot. What kept us sane was date nights. Each month we would sit down with our work schedules and pick one night (ideally) each week that we kept sacred, only for us. Sometimes we would go out to dinner, and other times we'd order take out and just watch a movie. It was great because we both had a few hours to catch each other up with our lives and it became something I really looked forward to! About half of my ADN class were working parents. I'd suggest something like what we did, so you, your husband and baby have some dedicated family time together. It really helped us grow together even more. We still do it now and look forward to keeping up the tradition when I become an SRNA :)

For those of you in CRNA program or that have completed it, did you work as a nurse during the program? Why is the ICU ideal to work in before CRNA school? Also, I read that my program will cost around $48,000, did you guys save up or get loans? I'm just trying to find out as much information about CRNA school as possible.

Thank you, I will make a new thread but I will check this one if someone knows something, thanks!

Currently in CRNA school here. I started off as a LVN->ADN->BSN. I found my ADN program to be more family friendly as it had day and evening classes. My LVN prog was pretty strict 8-4 m-f mostly. I did my bsn online while getting RN experience (Tele), applied to CRNA school after 1 year ICU. LVN, ADN, and many classes completed at community college.... so it is possible, good luck.

For those of you in CRNA program or that have completed it, did you work as a nurse during the program? Why is the ICU ideal to work in before CRNA school? Also, I read that my program will cost around $48,000, did you guys save up or get loans? I'm just trying to find out as much information about CRNA school as possible.

Out of my class of almost 30 students, I think I am the only one working occasionally (on holidays). There really is no possible way to work. You should expect to be in the operating room and studying anywhere from 75 to 90 hours per week. This leaves no time for a job. I've been in the CRNA program for almost 5 months now and I've only worked 4 times in 5 months. And I will tell you, the money isn't really worth the stress of going back to work and stressing yourself over having to be there. And all programs have a different cost, but $48,000 is probably about average. Most just take out federal graduate student loans or private loans to pay for tuition and cost of living (since you can't work).

And to answer your question as to why the ICU is ideal to work before CRNA school.........You will care for very critical patients in the ICU. Patients that are on multiple vasoactive drips, patients with multiple co-morbidities and patients on different life support devices. Taking care of patients on ventilators is a very important part of anesthesia (managing airway). You learn how to be vigilent when watching their monitors and watching their hemodynamics and vitals change (and not just BP and HR.....CVP, PAP, PCWP, etc), treating abnormal labs and understanding why you are doing the things you are doing. You have to know what to do when things change (and change fast). You learn to be a little more calm and collected when crap hits the fan. Working in the ICU will give you the basic pathophysiology of the advanced physiology that you will learn in CRNA school. There are many other reasons why the ICU is required to get into CRNA school, but this post would go on for a while.