CRNA School Help

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Hi everyone. So I'm currently an ICU nurse planning to go to CRNA school and would love some advice from potential applicants, SRNAs, CRNAs, or anyone else who has some advice. Please feel free to be honest thank you! Below are my stats

  • Bachelor in Science 3.4 GPA 
  • Bachelor in Nursing 3.4 GPA (this was an absn program) 
  • 1.5 yrs experience at MICU 
  • CERTS: CCRN, CMC 
  • shadow: 40 hours 
  • Im part of committees at my job and also volunteer in blood drives and other healthcare events hosted by my hospital 
  • I plan on taking a mission trip & attending some conferences this year. 

so my question is do you think my application is strong enough to apply this application cycle? I know my GPA is on the lower end & my ICU experience is low but I was hoping with my certs/volunteer it would help. Or do you recommend I wait another year & possibly get a job in the CVICU? 

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Specializes in SRNA.

I say if you have everything you need, go ahead and start applying! If you don't get in this year, you can always get more ICU experience and try again next year. In the meantime, try to gain experiences such as precepting, running CRRT or any other equipment you can train onto. Retake any science classes that you have less than a B in as well. 

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Specializes in Nurse Mentoring & Tutoring.
ICU_RN6 said:

I say if you have everything you need, go ahead and start applying! If you don't get in this year, you can always get more ICU experience and try again next year. In the meantime, try to gain experiences such as precepting, running CRRT or any other equipment you can train onto. Retake any science classes that you have less than a B in as well. 

Solid advice! 

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Specializes in Nurse Mentoring & Tutoring.

Like ICU_RN6 said-- APPLY! You won't know unless you try.

Every program is different, every program weighs different aspects of requirements differently. For example, some really want a strong GPA. Others don't mind a lower GPA if you show strong critical care knowledge, have great leadership and can display emotional intelligence qualities. 

I would urge you to consider staying in your current ICU-- switching units could cause you to not get the "sickest of the sick" patients-- and acuity is what you're after. Vents, drips, devices etc. Don't worry about MICU/SICU/CVICU as that's less important. 

Even 4.0 students get rejected, and 3.2 students get accepted. Don't worry about anyone else stats but your own-- and start preparing for your interview NOW. 

I'm not kidding about that; you should start a binder while you're working beside, tracking meds, uses-- asking WHY while at work. 

Trust me, admissions committees will want to see your critical thinking skills and understanding, not memorization, during the interview. Your confidence and EI is what most will be looking for. 

Above all else-- your application may get you the interview, but your interview is what gets you accepted. 

Check out my recent podcast post with Chris-- he was a 4.0 science GPA applicant with strong experience, but was rejected TWICE before gaining acceptance. 

He outlines how a mindset shift helped him, and shares details into his experience preparing his application and interview. 

Once he had the opportunity to SHINE in his interview- he snagged that coveted YES acceptance! 

Trust yourself, trust your journey and trust the timing. 

YOU CAN DO THIS, future CRNA! 

PS here's the link: https://crnaschoolprepacademy.com/podcast/CRNA-school-rejection-the-mindset-shift-chris-needed-to-succeed

Cheers to your future! 

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I have a question I have non science GPA of 3.94 but my ABSN GPA is 3.5 is there any chances of getting admission to a CRNA school will they look purely at ABSN or undergrad? 

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Specializes in SRNA.
laila23 said:

I have a question I have non science GPA of 3.94 but my ABSN GPA is 3.5 is there any chances of getting admission to a CRNA school will they look purely at ABSN or undergrad? 

Every school is a little different, you'll just have to research them individually. They all will look at your science GPA, but different schools will calculate different classes into this. As far as cumulative - majority of schools will look at ALL previous credits. But there are some that will just look at last 60 credits or so. 

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Specializes in Nurse Mentoring & Tutoring.
laila23 said:

I have a question I have non science GPA of 3.94 but my ABSN GPA is 3.5 is there any chances of getting admission to a CRNA school will they look purely at ABSN or undergrad? 

You can ABSOLUTELY gain admission to CRNA school! As Laila23 mentioned above, there's a lot of variations and nuances in how different CRNA programs calculate GPA, so researching programs first is KEY. 

You'll also want to find other ways to STAND OUT as a candidate-- meaning, things like Shadowing hours, leadership roles, and truly, WOW'ing them in the interview is what will get you in. 

We've seen nurses with 4.0 get rejected while nurses with 3.0 gain acceptance strictly due to the interview. 

"The application gets you the interview, but the interview is what gets you accepted" 

CRNA Programs are moving more and more towards a holistic viewpoint of applicants-- it's not "just" about GPA. They want to see clinical knowledge/experience, they want to see EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. They want to see passion, a strong study/determination/support system to get thru school because it is HARD. 

This is what CSPA will help you with! 

Check this article out for more: Why Your Interview Matters Most

We'll see you inside the Academy when you're ready-- in the meantime, we are cheering you on and rooting for you! 

PS- We have a ton of helpful tools and resources for helping you do program research too 😉

Cheers to your future! 

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