CRNA program RE-applicants 2021 start

TNRN11 · May 7, 2020

On 1/5/2020 at 5:48 AM, fluffy said:
been working as a travel nurse to level 1 hospitals. I reached out to all the programs and none of them were able to tell me why I was not invited and what I can do to improve my chances for next cohort. They keep saying, "It is competitive"?

I finally started CRNA school in January after 3 years of applying- I was a travel nurse most of that time.. I can tell you that traveling does NOT help your application (although you would think it would). In most school's minds it means:

1) you are "money-hungry"

2) you are "flighty" and don't want the responsibility that comes with working in one place for long

3) that you don't get the "sickest" patients..

^^^ These are actual comments I got from programs when asked how to improve myself after not getting in.. I DO NOT agree with any of that, travel nursing for 3+ years was the best thing I did for my career. Personally, it helped me become more flexible, taught me so much about different ways of practicing, most of the time you are the most experienced nurse on the unit so you HAVE to take the sickest patients, and it made me able to work with ANY type of personality- but unfortunately, travel nurses get a bad rep and schools do not see it as advantageous..

I had almost 6 years when I applied. Mainly MICU, Neuro, ED.. but had some SICU/CV/trauma experience (enough to "be dangerous") and my GPA was 3.2, "A" in a graduate anesthesia/chem course, CCRN, 301 on GRE (NOT impressive) but I can tell you, once I stopped traveling and worked full time at a level one- I got in the next time I applied.

Also, can't stress the importance of knowing someone connected to the program- whether it's a CRNA in the area or another student. The opinion of people close to the faculty is probably the most important factor in getting in (in my experience- I used to work with an upperclassman in my program). Don't give up!! It is beyond frustrating to get rejected, but the pay off is worth it. You can do it!

fluffy · May 8, 2020

Thank You TNRN11.

I picked up travel nursing to diversify myself. I see your points about the pros and cons of travel nursing. At times, I am not getting the sickest ICU patients so I am considering applying for a staff job. I just finished advanced patho and my GPA as calculated by the Nursing Cas is really low. I think my next steps are to find programs that only look at my last 60 credits (which are solid). Do you know any specific programs that I should look at?

I am working on another certification and because I am not a staff nurse I am struggling on how to develop leadership or be more active in the community. Do you have any suggestions? I am all ears.

Lastly, I only know by acquaintances people who are CRNA's. I struggle with getting recommendations because I am a bit introverted and a travel nurse.

Anyway, Thank you for reaching out and listening. I am currently down about the admission process and trying to find the strength to re apply. I feel very discouraged and have been trying to think of ways to not let my past GPA of 25 years ago keep me out of the game. I feel judged for my past and dismissed because of it. I know that I am a great nurse and that I can be a great CRNA. I just need to find some program to give me a chance.

Sorry so intense but that's what I got.

jshtoole, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · May 18, 2020

On 4/21/2020 at 1:47 AM, JMurse89 said:
Has anyone done anything with research? I know getting your name on a published study is huge. I wanted to try and conduct a study about adenosine administration straight vs in a 10cc flush... It has been done but the sample size was small. I have our PharmD onboard (her idea really) but am not sure where to proceed from there. Obviously I'm going to talk to our educator and manager but just wanted to see if anyone had done something like this before.

It’d be easier if you’re associated with a university center and go through their IRB. They’ll have more of the information you’ll need, because controlling and executing that study would be difficult. You’ll need a large volume of patients over a set period of time, controlled materials (saline locks, tubing, saline, flushes, pharma, etc...) buy in from staff and management for policy mitigation (as I am sure your hospital has a specific policy for adenosine in dysrhytmias), a way to record it all and hopefully some undergrad or med students to do r values and data interpolation/extrapolation.

you may be better off collecting data in ncbi, nejm, jems, up to date, and er wiki. Then you could do a meta analysis and submit it to the the peer reviewed journal of your choice.

TNRN11 · May 20, 2020

On 5/8/2020 at 9:26 AM, fluffy said:
Thank You TNRN11.
I picked up travel nursing to diversify myself. I see your points about the pros and cons of travel nursing. At times, I am not getting the sickest ICU patients so I am considering applying for a staff job. I just finished advanced patho and my GPA as calculated by the Nursing Cas is really low. I think my next steps are to find programs that only look at my last 60 credits (which are solid). Do you know any specific programs that I should look at?
I am working on another certification and because I am not a staff nurse I am struggling on how to develop leadership or be more active in the community. Do you have any suggestions? I am all ears.

I would say overall, if CRNA is REALLY what you want to do, bite the bullet and take a full time job at a level one teaching facility in CVICU/SICU/trauma (most of the people in my class are from trauma.. but we have people from every type of unit). Most schools only require 1 year experience so if you get one “good” year under your belt, you will automatically be more competitive- you can start applying as soon as you start your new job.. by the time interviews roll around, you’ll have enough experience to talk about your specialty.

Reach out to schools you’ve applied to before and see how you can improve in their eyes, do what they say, and apply again. I know it is BEYOND frustrating to go through all of that (and expensive if you retake classes and take a pay cut) but if it is what you truly want to do, then go for it! I was so reluctant to do it, but it paid off!

Also, when you get the perm job, make good contacts! Be someone that people want to work with- be open, friendly, a good team player. Make a good name for yourself (especially if your facility is in the city which you want to apply) shadow the CRNAs and ologists there. Be a sponge and take any advice they can give. They 10/10 will know people on the admissions board at the school near their hospital. (ALL of my school’s faculty still practice at the local hospital here- some full time)

I paid for my own CCRN when I travel nursed. But some hospitals will pay for your fees if you are full time. I definitely would recommend getting that. And any cert that relates to your speciality. (Open heart, trauma, etc) Again, these are a pain in the butt- but schools know that.. so if you take the initiative to do it, it looks good!

I didn’t have any leadership experience when I got in except charge nurse. But that definitely helps on your resume and is hard to get as a travel nurse. All the more reason to be perm for a little while ?

If you are looking at schools that are “easier” to get in to: usually newer programs are more lax on their requirements but you take a big risk with the quality of the education sometimes- not always, obviously. (I know of people who have gone to a “newer” program and now that program might possibly lose their accreditation)

all in all, for me, it was not a “quick” process. Persistence is key if it’s what you truly want to do. Getting in is not easy for everyone (doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified, that’s just the way it goes sometimes unfortunately) but schools will notice your drive and work ethic to get in- things you will need to be successful in school. Again, you can do it! If I can do it, so can you. Keep your chin up and don’t let rejection get you down. (Easier said than done, I know)

I didn’t get in to my upper division nursing program until my 3rd time applying and didn’t get in to CRNA school for almost 3 years. But I *finally* did it and you can too! Doesn’t mean you “aren’t smart enough,” you just have to work a little harder to get where you want to be! Just keep working hard ? it is worth it!

fluffy · May 23, 2020

Thank YOU Thank You a million times over. I have taken to heart your journey and I am so glad you took the time to write all this. I am applying for a full time job currently to become staff so that I can have the more challenging ICU patients instead of babysitting.

I have my CCRN already and I am working towards the pain certification now. I am taking the transition to nurse anesthesia course at barry university this Summer. I feel once I am staff then possibly people will get to want to know me more so I am hopeful that someone would be able to write a recommendation towards my applications.

I have reached out to the previous schools but most of them just tell me "It is competitive" and don't really give me any guidance. In fact, One program director literally took the time to send me an email with one sentence saying " I have no time to give you advice on your application".? WOW!.

Anyway, I am keeping my chin up and encourage myself to be strong and brave and to not give up. I am going to start working on my essay for the applications and focus on the things that I can control.

Thank you again for helping me and encouraging me. In this global crisis we are all experiencing, Kindness is what we need more of.

Stay safe

helllooownurse, BSN · Aug 26, 2021

On 5/23/2020 at 6:34 AM, fluffy said:

Thank YOU Thank You a million times over. I have taken to heart your journey and I am so glad you took the time to write all this. I am applying for a full time job currently to become staff so that I can have the more challenging ICU patients instead of babysitting.

Fluffy, and anyone else here who is working on improving their application, be sure to join CRNA Prep Academy and join their free facebook group: ICU Dreaming About Anesthesia. They have LOADS of good resources for mentoring members through application. Mock interviews, transcript review, resume review, etc. Tons of clinical education opportunities, Q&A's and they do have AACN C.E.'s offerings also. There is also an excellent podcast by the same name. They get results, they are totally legit, and even have program faculty members who work as mentors. I wish I would have found them long ago.