considering crna school after bsn

Goose Xx, MSN, RN, EMT-P, CRNA · Sep 21, 2013

Grizzly20, MSN, CRNA · Sep 21, 2013

I think it would be awfully scary for a University to offer a CRNA program online....That person wouldn't be giving me any anesthetics, that's for sure.. :)

readyforachangenow · Sep 21, 2013

There is one in middle Tennessee that requires you to travel to different hospitals for a certain length of time in different states as part if your rotation.

If there was a crna school online I would run for the hills!

allnurses Guide · Sep 22, 2013

The only CRNA programs that were mostly online are now defunct.

Texas Christian University allows you to do the first few months of non-clinical didactic classes online before starting in class, but that is the only program that I know of with even having some classes online.

Most NA programs offer simulation labs, intense clinical rotations, and 1 on 1 clinical instructions that needs to be closely supervised to ensure quality instruction. All of these things make it nearly impossible to have a fully online NA program at this time.

JessyPaige_93 · Sep 22, 2013

thanks everyone. i was told that some schools will allow classes to be taken online that do not have to be hands on. what is the school in tenneesse?

kabfighter · Sep 22, 2013

You need to have at least two years of ICU experience before you can apply to most CRNA programs. You have plenty of time to do research.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Sep 22, 2013

CRNA Schools and Programs | Nurse Anesthetist Programs

I assume you already know this, but any CRNA program I've ever heard of requires 1-2 years of ICU nursing experience minimum. There are fewer than 100 schools in the country and they are all extremely competitive; you have to be top of your class to get in ...especially with the minimum experience. If you're fortunate enough to get an ICU job right out of school (a big IF the way the job market is), that's still 3+ years from now. Maybe it's a bit premature to start looking at CRNA schools. Who knows if you'll even be interested at that point. Much of an NP program can be done online, and the salary is nothing to sneeze at.

I definitely think starting a family while doing a CRNA program is next to impossible. Nursing school is nothing compared to being in a CRNA program. You would be putting that family on hold for a while.

Terpole · Sep 23, 2013

CRNA Schools and Programs | Nurse Anesthetist Programs
I assume you already know this, but any CRNA program I've ever heard of requires 1-2 years of ICU nursing experience minimum. There are fewer than 100 schools in the country and they are all extremely competitive; you have to be top of your class to get in ...especially with the minimum experience. If you're fortunate enough to get an ICU job right out of school (a big IF the way the job market is), that's still 3+ years from now. Maybe it's a bit premature to start looking at CRNA schools. Who knows if you'll even be interested at that point. Much of an NP program can be done online, and the salary is nothing to sneeze at.
I definitely think starting a family while doing a CRNA program is next to impossible. Nursing school is nothing compared to being in a CRNA program. You would be putting that family on hold for a while.

not to be a stickler, but there's a lot of misinformation in this post

ICUsleep23 · Sep 23, 2013

Agreed (about the misinformation part). Where I live, NP's in general practice areas make less than I do as a staff nurse. I work with a lot of nurses who are in NP programs right now, and though a portion of classes can be online, there is still a large clinical requirement that must be satisfied by self-arranged, legitimate clinical experiences. A great place to start researching requirements on how to become a Nurse Anesthetist is the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists website. They have a comprehensive list of accredited programs (114 to be exact), which includes links for each program website, the name of the program director, and each programs requirements. I was not at the top of my class (I had excellent nursing school grades and honor society designations though), and I now find myself accepted to a Nurse Anesthesia program. It took hard work and retaking some science classes to prove my abilities. Honestly, speaking with a few program directors to gain a better understanding of what they were looking for was essential. It helped me focus on gaining acceptance to the best program for me, but it did take a couple of years longer then I thought. Good luck to you, no matter what you decide.

JessyPaige_93 · Sep 24, 2013

Agreed (about the misinformation part). Where I live NP's in general practice areas make less than I do as a staff nurse. I work with a lot of nurses who are in NP programs right now, and though a portion of classes can be online, there is still a large clinical requirement that must be satisfied by self-arranged, legitimate clinical experiences. A great place to start researching requirements on how to become a Nurse Anesthetist is the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists website. They have a comprehensive list of accredited programs (114 to be exact), which includes links for each program website, the name of the program director, and each programs requirements. I was not at the top of my class (I had excellent nursing school grades and honor society designations though), and I now find myself accepted to a Nurse Anesthesia program. It took hard work and retaking some science classes to prove my abilities. Honestly, speaking with a few program directors to gain a better understanding of what they were looking for was essential. It helped me focus on gaining acceptance to the best program for me, but it did take a couple of years longer then I thought. Good luck to you, no matter what you decide.[/quote']
thanks, its just been something i have been interested in since i was told about it by a friend of mine. i will check out that website for sure though! :)