Choosing a CRNA program.

FloridaCCRN, CRNA · Aug 3, 2005

I am starting to search for an anesthesia program that wil fit me best. If I could get some input from anyone out there who has some info. re: the following programs: Baylor and TCU in texas, SWMSU in missouri, UAB in birmingham, and Our lady of the lakes, in Baton Rouge. Also, please mention other things I should consider for a program, other than degree offered, length, md resident competition, and set up of program i.e. front loaded, and of course tuition. Thank You.

Read the 'sticky' at the beginning of this page-it has a lot of useful information :)

gaspassah · Aug 3, 2005

as far as our lady of the lake goes, they are just starting the program so i doubt anyone will have insight into what the experience will be like. however i did my adn there and the college is run by the franciscan nuns of our lady.. or something like that. pretty expensive undergrad and bsn, so i would guess that the masters will be also. i know that the hospital that the college is associated with has a contract with a specific anesthesia group and they are not particularly crna friendly. lsu in new orleans does some clinical there and a few of my friends said the experience was pretty good. but as a working crna, no hearts, no heads, mostly bb cases, no regional and no lines. so your guess is as good as mine as how they are going to teach crna students or what kind of clinical experience you would get.

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Medic14 · Aug 4, 2005

One item I can't remember if it's mentioned in the sticky note at the top of this thread is:

Ask the program how they do on the national certification exam, how is their performance. They should be able to provide you with at least the previous 5-10yrs of results, look at how many students failed, why they failed, and how does this school's student average compare to the national average. Also a bonus to ask how many or what percent of thier student have scored 600/600 on the exam. Now this is just one area of comparison, others are more obvious, such as money, travel, clinical sites, number of cases over the min. and most important type of cases.

good luck.

ololcsrna · Feb 4, 2007

I don't know if your are still looking, but Our Lady of the Lake College Nurse Anesthesia Program is a great program with instructors that are really personable and concerned for the student's education. Responding to the previous posting, the program is not owned by the anesthesiology group, but by the college. There are many clinical sites in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. We rotate through different sites and have plently of great cases.

UTRN2005 · Feb 5, 2007

Check the schools websites. I know Baylor no longer has a brochure but that everything on online. Then if you still have questions email the program directors. I met with the program directors at TCU and Baylor while still in nursing school. It really helped me to solidify my top choice program.

TexasGas · Feb 6, 2007

Geographically, you mention TCU and Baylor but not the corresponding schools that are in those same towns, such as TWU in Ft. Worth or UT in Houston. (That's where TCU and Baylor are respectively.) If you don't know what to choose, why have you eliminated schools that you know nothing about?

If you are truly intersted in becoming a CRNA, you need to resign to the fact that each school is accredited by the COA. Beyond that, you can simply compare pass rates on first time test taking, number of perfect scores, how long the program has been in business, etc... Forgive me, but it just seems strange to com eto this board, ask for advice on schools, after eliminating schools that are in the same town you are willing to go to, of which you may know nothing about. (If you didn't realize that these schools were in the same town, my apologies.)

UTRN2005 · Feb 6, 2007

Geographically, you mention TCU and Baylor but not the corresponding schools that are in those same towns, such as TWU in Ft. Worth or UT in Houston. (That's where TCU and Baylor are respectively.) If you don't know what to choose, why have you eliminated schools that you know nothing about?
If you are truly intersted in becoming a CRNA, you need to resign to the fact that each school is accredited by the COA. Beyond that, you can simply compare pass rates on first time test taking, number of perfect scores, how long the program has been in business, etc... Forgive me, but it just seems strange to com eto this board, ask for advice on schools, after eliminating schools that are in the same town you are willing to go to, of which you may know nothing about. (If you didn't realize that these schools were in the same town, my apologies.)

I don't know if that was for me or the OP but I ruled out TWU and UT Houston based on research of the program (strength of clinical sites, didactic course, availablility of gross anatomy lab, etc) and current events going on with those schools. From there I originally asked for opinioins of people in those programs and then met with program directors. After all that I narrowed my choice to Baylor. I took a gamble and only applied to Baylor this year. It paid off and I was accpeted. So that's my story, and if that wasnt directed at me it is possible that the OP has done research into those other programs and already decided that they are not a top choice or may already feel like they have enough information on said programs. End even though the only quantitative data comparing schools are things like pass rates and scores, there is a lot more in determining which school is the best fit for an applicant. You can look into number of cases, peds cases, line insertion, regionals etc as well as just get a feel for the program, faculty, other students. So it is quite possible to rule out certain schools based on information other than what can be extracted from this board.

EBDRN · Feb 6, 2007

I agree with you UTRN, there are so many things to think about. I really wanted a competitive and reputable program, one that was going to expose me to as many cases as possible. I also wanted to do clinicals in the same city as the school. As far as degree types, unless you plan on teaching, you don't need to graduate with an MSN, and even some schools don't require that. And now, some schools are offering DNP prgograms for Master's trained NA's which is benefits all CRNA who want to get a doctorate. Both schools you mentioned are great, apply, go to the interview, or meet the directors and you will get a feel of what school matches you best. Good Luck.

TexasGas · Feb 8, 2007

No UTRN, it wasn't directed at you. But I am well resided to the fact that most schools find one's desire to become a CRNA more appealing than placing all of one's eggs in same basket (i.e. only applying to one school). The ultimate goal should be to become a CRNA, not to only get into school of choice (barring inability to move to another region). Its hard to also believe that you chose not to give TWU or UT-Houston a chance based on current issues or clinical sites, types of cases (which minimum requirement is established by COA), or better yet meeting with program directors of these programs made you rule them out.

To the OP, you should never rule out schools without investigating. Most schools have a nice array of clinical sites, all of which are different, and many may share the same hospitals (ex TWU/TCU). I again believe that if your true desire is to become a CRNA, never rule out a possibility.

renalrn · Feb 22, 2007

Check the schools websites. I know Baylor no longer has a brochure but that everything on online. Then if you still have questions email the program directors. I met with the program directors at TCU and Baylor while still in nursing school. It really helped me to solidify my top choice program.

UTRN2005, If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA?

Baylor is my only choice, and am gonna apply next year. I just don't know what exactly they need for me to impress them.

Thanks,

renalrn

UTRN2005 · Feb 22, 2007

Short answer my GPA was 4.0

I knew Baylor was where I wanted to be and I knew that to get in with the amount of experience I have (1 year at the time of the interview) I would have to really work and stress my academic background. I started as an engineering major and some of the faculty were impressed with the course I had taken and my ability to maintain my grades in them. I also did well on the GRE and had my CCRN certification. I also felt that the interview went really well.

Again, I did a lot to show that while I did have less experience than most applicant I would be a strong student in the program. They look at more than your GPA. They want to see if you will succeed in the program. This means grades, somewhat your GRE, your experience. But the main thing is your interview. I had all different types of questions from clinical to personality and handling conflict to random ones to see if it would throw me off.

You have to be confident and be able to communicate during you interview.

Good Luck!