Anesthetist nurse?

monkeybug · Aug 25, 2012

In our state to be a CRNA you must first earn a BSN. After your BSN, you need to practice at least 1-2 years in an ICU of some sort, surgical, medical, or cardiac. Then you can go to anesthesia school. Anesthesia school is a masters level program that combines classroom work with clinicals. I really wish I had taken that path. I really wanted to be a midwife, but my state is so restrictive with the practice of midwifery that there is no point. And now I'm too old to go work in an ICU! I could do the work, but there's no way I could give up my seniority and go back to night shift.

Columnist · Aug 25, 2012

Hello and welcome to the site. I moved your post to the Pre-CRNA forum where I think you will get more responses.

missnurse01, MSN, RN · Aug 25, 2012

I'm REALLY interested in becoming a anesthetist nurse. I'm only a junior in high school, but I'd really like to get some information on what I have to do for my future to become one. By the time I graduate I will be a certified assistant nurse because of the classes my school offers. So I guess I'm somewhat I'm on the right path. Can someone please reply with some information I might need to know on what I should do and plan now? Thanks :)

Hi!

congrats on thinking ahead! I would recommend shadowing an RN in different areas of the hospital (esp ICU) to see what the job is like, what you might be interesed in, etc. Then you can also shadow different advanced degree nurses including CRNA to be sure that is what you really want to do. Usually if you contact a hospital they will direct you to the person that can assist in setting up shadowing experiences.

The other poster has it basically on the nose, I think all schools require a bachelor's degree, with the majority of them requiring it in nursing. You can get your associates first, making you an RN, then work while finishing your bachelor's or just get the bachelor's first. Will probably depend on how difficult it is to get into either school. Usually minimum 1 year requirement working in ICU, although CRNA schools like to see more. Read around on here and you will see other things that people are doing to increase their chances of getting in to CRNA schools.

You need to focus on basically getting the best grades you can in college, esp in your sciences, but you want a great gpa. spots are limited in CRNA schools so you are competing with the best.

A great book on the history of CRNAs is Watchful Care by M. Bankert, I just read it.

good luck and feel free to ask away!

missnurse01, MSN, RN · Aug 25, 2012

oh, and check out aana.org if you haven't been there yet