Which path to take?

[forchunet, BSN]

Hi all!,

First and foremost I would like to say thanks to everybody who has contributed to this forum. It continues to serve as an important resource in my pursuit towards my chosen endeavors.

I am currently in my junior year of nursing and I've come upon a certain dilemma. Financial strains have lead me to seek out alternative means to fund my education. Fortunately, the Navy has offered to fund the rest of nursing school, a 28k-34k offer, in exchange for 5 years of service (8 in total but the last 3 years will be in inactive status).

Now this is a lengthy detour from my original plan of trying to get into CRNA school asap. Realistically I believe I can graduate nursing school with a 3.7 - 3.8 GPA. I've talked to two SRNA's from my school that were accepted into the program with comparable grades and only 1 year of ICU experience. So I know the feat isn't impossible but just in case I wouldn't mind working an extra year or two in ICU in the case that Im not accepted.

Im only 19 and I know I have all the time in the world. I would just really love to step into this ASAP.

Should I take my chances towards CRNA school fresh out of the ICU or should I take the stint with the Navy as a means to accumalate experience and probably insure (well increase) my chances towards acceptance in the future.

*Financial reasons should no be factored into this decision as I am willing to take out loans if neccessary..

-Glenn

[TangoLima]

You are in an enviable situation. To only be 19 and have all that time. To put it in perspective, I am 33 and graduating in May. I too want to go into CRNA, but will be almost 38 before finishing if everything aligns perfectly. So, first I would say not to sweat the timing.

If you are looking at military service options, you should look into the Army or Army Reserves. We have a faculty member who is a nurse for the Army Reserves, and she is always talking about the Army Nurse Corps. I think they offer a $30K bonus and a stipend while you are in school. The Army has an excellent CRNA program. In fact, the CRNA program director at my school graduated from the Army CRNA program.

Student loans are doable also. That is the route I went, and I now have $30K in debt. This is really depressing to me, but the good points are:

1. You don't have to start paying until 6 months after graduation

2. When you go back to grad school, your loans are deferred

3. There Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program will pay off 60 - 85% of your student loan debt in exchange for 2 - 3 years of work in a critical shortage facility (basically any hospital). It is a competitive program that you must apply for, but it is a possibility.

I plan on working for 2 years before applying starting CRNA school, so hopefully I will be selected for this program and can have a good portion of my debt paid off.

Don't be in too much of a hurry. Enjoy your nursing curriculum. You may find that something else interests you, and your plans may change.

Good luck to you.

[dfk, RN, CRNA]

You are in an enviable situation. To only be 19 and have all that time. To put it in perspective, I am 33 and graduating in May. I too want to go into CRNA, but will be almost 38 before finishing if everything aligns perfectly. So, first I would say not to sweat the timing.

If you are looking at military service options, you should look into the Army or Army Reserves. We have a faculty member who is a nurse for the Army Reserves, and she is always talking about the Army Nurse Corps. I think they offer a $30K bonus and a stipend while you are in school. The Army has an excellent CRNA program. In fact, the CRNA program director at my school graduated from the Army CRNA program.

Student loans are doable also. That is the route I went, and I now have $30K in debt. This is really depressing to me, but the good points are:

1. You don't have to start paying until 6 months after graduation

2. When you go back to grad school, your loans are deferred

3. There Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program will pay off 60 - 85% of your student loan debt in exchange for 2 - 3 years of work in a critical shortage facility (basically any hospital). It is a competitive program that you must apply for, but it is a possibility.

I plan on working for 2 years before applying starting CRNA school, so hopefully I will be selected for this program and can have a good portion of my debt paid off.

Don't be in too much of a hurry. Enjoy your nursing curriculum. You may find that something else interests you, and your plans may change.

Good luck to you.

this is not actually true. one of the qualifications, as i recall, is you have to work in a facility that basically serves the poorest of the poor, indigent, etc... essentially the underserved.

[ICUnursetoCRNA]

this is not actually true. one of the qualifications, as i recall, is you have to work in a facility that basically serves the poorest of the poor, indigent, etc... essentially the underserved.

That used to be the case. I did my ADN in San Diego, CA, and the WHOLE COUNTY was considered underserved. Check into it, it could be an option.

[dfk, RN, CRNA]

That used to be the case. I did my ADN in San Diego, CA, and the WHOLE COUNTY was considered underserved. Check into it, it could be an option.

according to their website, it still is the case.

as stated, it does matter where you are geographically.

it's best to check with them for which areas/hospitals qualify,

which i think is why they have the application process.

[gasmaster]

In large cities it is basically county facilities only. In rural areas that are underserved SELECT facilities are selected for participation. It is rare and few & far between. Also, I was told that each facility is limited to only a few of these positions a year & that they are highly competitive and typically go to someone who was a previous employee of the hospital.