CRNA school prep

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So I got accepted to start May of next year in a program. What are some suggestions for studying before classes start?

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I read some anesthesia textbooks before school but it was a waste of time. I didn't have enough background to understand it. The best advice is to really focus on the "why" behind everything that is happening in the ICU. Why certain pressors are chosen in certain situations, etc. Also, for every drug you give, look up the drug class, dose, MOA, and onset/peak/elimination times. If you are at all unsure about parasympathetic vs. sympathetic and the different types of adrenergic receptors then those are a good thing to study.

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Don't try to study before school starts. It is a waste of time. You are going to school to learn that stuff. The two books I would recommend that you read before starting school are, "Watchful Care" and "What I was not (nessessarily) Taught about Anesthesia." If you had to choose just one, then let it be "Watchful Care."

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If you know you are weaker in some anatomy/physiology/pathophysiology areas (neuro for me), I would look at those chapters in the books you are assigned. And watch YouTube videos on the concepts. My program started off with neuro right off the bat. Luckily I had talked with some professors and knew the reading assignments a month before school started. I also had a shoulder injury, so I couldn't work and was bored. Long story short, I studied neuro ahead of time and it really paid off when we did start school. Because w anesthesia, everything relates back to neuro.

Other bits of advice: work as much as you can and also take a vacation or mini vacation to relax before school. Spend time with friends and family, especially if you have kids or a spouse.

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thanks guys and I will take all this into consideration

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Specializes in CardioThoracic Surgical ICU.

I am currently in the application/interview process with a school. Provided I get in, is there any suggested reading outside of a CCRN manual that someone can suggest to help me prep for the content in a CRNA program. I want to refresh and make sure that I have a firm foundation. I have plenty of experience, but as you all know, what your hospital does vs what the book suggests can be very different depending on where you work and practice. So while my clinical knowlege is strong, I want to make sure that my book knowlege is also.

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Specializes in ICU.

Every student I’ve spoken with has told me to relax and not to worry about doing any academic preparation for school. You will learn all that you need to know during the program.

If you are worried about it, it wouldn’t hurt to review CCRN material and go to ICUFAQs.org And go over all the basic ICU nurse material to refresh yourself.

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Barry University offers a great online 3 credit review of the fundamentals and intro to the concepts used in practice, called Transition to Nurse Anesthesiology (ANE 695). It is not designed to be a difficult course, and is as beneficial as you make it. As I said the modules are available online. I will share some of the materials with you if you want to share your proof of acceptance with me. If you have not yet been accepted to a program and need to strengthen your application, and can afford the course, I think it made my interviews go easier to speak with enthusiasm about a graduate level science course that is specifically targeted towards hopeful SRNAs.

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Wow, that prep course is $3k! ?

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On 12/27/2019 at 8:08 PM, ReginaphalangeRN said:

WOW!, that prep course is $3k! ?

Yes a drop in the bucket relative to most CRNA programs. Are you prospective or accepted?

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