Bachelor Degree for CRNA

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 29, 2016

Have you checked with the anesthesia schools that you're interested in? Most anesthesia schools require ICU experience as a nurse in order to be accepted. I'm not sure how you'd get that without a nursing degree and a nursing license.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 29, 2016

The N in CRNA stands for Nurse... because nursing experience (and almost all schools require several years of experience in critical care, not just any nursing experience) is required to become one. There is no other degree option unless you wish to obtain both a BSN and another bachelors to have something else to "fall back on". If you wish to have a degree in something other than nursing, perhaps other anesthesia routes would be an option more to your liking- anesthesiologist (requires med school and all that comes after it) or anesthesiologist assistant (FAQs here), but they are limited in where they can practice.

bgil · Dec 29, 2016

Okay thanks for the input; I didn't know if I could get a bachelors in biology or something and minor in different nursing classes.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 29, 2016

There is no such thing as a minor in nursing. It's an all or none degree.

Drodri555 · Dec 29, 2016

You can get your ADN [associates degree of nursing] at a junior college, which is about 3 years and this includes your prerequisites. Get into a ICU, then finish your BSN while working in a unit. The BSN is about a year long if you do it quickly, 1.5 years of you take your time. This is the map I followed to get into CRNA school. Remember to apply to a few schools, they are tough to get into. The thing is you have to be a RN to become a CRNA. You might consider the AA route, but AA's are restricted to a few states and have a more limited scope of practice.

guest769224 · Dec 30, 2016

You can get into CRNA school without a BSN. As long as you are an active RN, your bachelors can be in something besides nursing. I know a bachelors in biology is sometimes accepted at CRNA schools. Your problem is, the majority of CRNA programs require/strongly prefer a BSN. However, if you're willing to limit your school choices, you can forgo a bachelors in nursing.

Another point to consider...most hospitals strongly prefer a BSN, and you'll likely have to comply at some point in order to obtain necessary ICU experience.

Squiggie · Dec 30, 2016

I agree with what posters above have said. If you know you want to be a CRNA and you have the time and funds available now, go ahead and get the BSN degree. You could take 3 years to fulfill prerequisites, get the ADN, start working, and then go on to complete your BSN. However, you will then have to deal with different BSN programs requiring different prerequisites for their program, jump through more hoops, spend more time and money. The straight route is more efficient if you can do it. However, lots of us come to nursing later in life with more responsibilities and from second careers, etc. In these cases, getting the ADN done and working while completing the BSN is more feasible.

As others said, there are CRNA programs that will accept an non-nursing BSN. This means that you would have to have a bachelor's in another field, PLUS an ADN (or diploma). Even then, you will still have to contend with the fact that probably (I'm guessing) 75% or more of CRNA programs will not consider this pathway as valid for entrance into their programs; they require a BSN. For those programs, you could have a PhD in biology and have been a nurse for 38 years. They still won't consider anything without the BSN.

I am speaking from experience: I am currently completing my BSN degree which is for me my 4th college degree. It would have been MUCH more efficient, less costly, and easier to get the BSN right from the start, but I was one of those people who didn't know I wanted to be a nurse after high school. I had to muddle around for a decade or so before getting to that point, and by then I had responsibilities to take care of.....

Anyway, long story short, figure out what you want to do. Shadow a bedside nurse in the intensive care unit. You will have to work in ICU for a MINIMUM of a year, preferably 2-3. There is now way to know if you will like it unless you see it in action. Shadow a CRNA to see if this is truly your ultimate path. Backup plans are nice, but may not be necessary if you do you homework in the beginning.

BigPappaCRNA · Dec 30, 2016

The degree required will be highly dependent upon the program you select. If they offer a MSN, or a DNP, and are based in a School of Nursing, than you will need a BSN in order to be admitted. If they are not located in a school of nursing, and offer a MS and or a DNAP, than other degrees, such as biology or chemistry would be just fine, but either way, you will need to be a Registered Nurse.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2016

You can always dual major. It's not easy but it is possible. The only thing is, if you have a minor or a dual major and you aren't finished with it at the same time you're finished with your BSN side of things, you don't get to take the NCLEX until it is ALL done. Also, most nursing schools aren't very understanding about scheduling conflicts with classes needed for the other degree. I had a friend who minored in computer science to add on for nursing informatics later down the road but it ultimately looked like they weren't going to finish the minor on time so it had to be dropped.

greatgiginthesky · Dec 31, 2016

You do not necessarily need a bachelors in nursing to get into a masters in nursing. There are programs called "direct entry masters" or "entry level masters" that are specifically for students with a bachelors in a different degree. These programs are typically three years and do not require an ADN or certificate. Many spend one year to earn a BSN and then the next two to earn your MSN. A few that you can check out for requirements and more info are San Francisco State, Marquette, and Vanderbilt. Granted, most of these type of programs are incredibly competitive so if you do choose to do a bachelors in something else you will probably need a high GPA (which is NOT easy to get in a biology degree- I found this out the hard way), GRE score, and a lot of healthcare experience (i.e. volunteering, shadowing, medical scribe). So while the BSN will definitely provide more options and is the more direct route to getting to your CRNA, it can be done with another degree as well.

CCU BSN RN · Dec 31, 2016

You should also consider in addition to the great points made above, that all CRNA programs are currently transitioning to DNP programs, and that by the time you complete undergrad, 2 years in ICU, etc., it will be at least 6 years from now and all programs will likely be doctoral, so I wouldn't bank on being able to go through a Master's program for CRNA