Australian nursing student wanting to become a CRNA in the US

[rorytheroman]

Hi there. I'm an Australian student about to start my first year of a Bachelor of Nursing. From what I understand, our three year Bachelor of Nursing is the equivalent of an American BSN (I think Australian nurses just have to sit NCLEX exams to work as a RN in the US)

I've been researching various areas of nursing, and I am quite interested in becoming a CRNA, however in Australia it seems as though this isn't possible, as only doctors are allowed to anesthetize patients.

Ideally I would love to do my Bachelor of Nursing in Australia, then after a couple of years of work move to the US to live/complete a Masters of Nurse Anesthesia. Do you think this would be possible? The major problem that I can see is that my Australian degree will only be three years, I am guessing because we are not required to do general subjects or pre-requisites such as chemistry, and I'm scared that this will effect my chances of getting into a Masters program.

If anyone can help clear this up, or if you have any advice, I would love to hear your thoughts.

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

You need to call a program here in the states and ask them. I know there are other classes that I have seen Aussy nurses have to take before they can be licensed here and there was also issues about securing federal student loans to pay for school. Figure out a school you are interested in and ask them.

good luck

[bread angel]

It is my understanding that you must receive an RN license in the US first. Then the critical care requirements are up to the individual schools. There are strong indicators that Canada is considering setting up CRNA programs. That may be an option for you to consider. Check out AANA.com for more information about the profession.