CRNA Schools, where did you go?

skipaway · Nov 17, 2004

I am just wondering where everyone went to school to become a CRNA. Did you apply to more then one school, how did you go about choosing a school? How did you like the school you attended and did you feel it really prepared you for being a CRNA?
How do you feel about schools like Samuel Merritt College that seem to be online. Correct me I am wrong about this school.
Thanks

I graduated from the Medical College of Virginia's program and felt it was a good program. I graduated feeling very confident in my skills and also felt I'd pass boards without much trouble. One very good thing about MCV was the regional training I received. There was very little possessiveness from the MDs. I graduated with over 90 SABs and quite alot of epidurals/ax blocks and supra-clavicular blocks. One negative against the program and I'm not sure how it is today but we competed with residents and they did get a lot of the big cases. There are alot of affiliate sites that we went to in order to get those cases. This in itself was positive b/c working in the real world vs. a medical university is like night and day. So your 3-5hr Total Hysterectomy at MCV with resident surgeons takes 45 min with private surgeons in the outlying hospitals. Way different scenerios and great learning experiences.

MCV was the only one I applied to. I wanted to stay in Richmond and got to know some of the CRNAs and talked a few times with the director about nurse anesthesia. Kindof got my foot in the door so to speak. If I had not gotten in, then I'd have re-applied and then also applied to a lot more schools. The goal is to become a CRNA, no matter how or where.

BeesAngel · Nov 17, 2004

I graduated from the Medical College of Virginia's program and felt it was a good program. I graduated feeling very confident in my skills and also felt I'd pass boards without much trouble. One very good thing about MCV was the regional training I received. There was very little possessiveness from the MDs. I graduated with over 90 SABs and quite alot of epidurals/ax blocks and supra-clavicular blocks. One negative against the program and I'm not sure how it is today but we competed with residents and they did get a lot of the big cases. There are alot of affiliate sites that we went to in order to get those cases. This in itself was positive b/c working in the real world vs. a medical university is like night and day. So your 3-5hr Total Hysterectomy at MCV with resident surgeons takes 45 min with private surgeons in the outlying hospitals. Way different scenerios and great learning experiences.
MCV was the only one I applied to. I wanted to stay in Richmond and got to know some of the CRNAs and talked a few times with the director about nurse anesthesia. Kindof got my foot in the door so to speak. If I had not gotten in, then I'd have re-applied and then also applied to a lot more schools. The goal is to become a CRNA, no matter how or where.

Thanks for responding!

kmchugh · Nov 17, 2004

I graduated from Newman University, in Wichita Kansas. I was in their first class, so attending was a bit of a gamble. In all, though, I'd have to say the education was first rate. My entire class passed boards on the first attempt. Dr Tony Chipas set the program up, and he did a great job of it. He recently left, to become director at another program in South Carolina. Three classes graduated under his tenure, and as far as I know, they had maintained a 100% first time board passing rate.

I went to Newman mostly out of convienence. I happened to live in Wichita at the time.

Kevin McHugh, CRNA

mwbeah · Nov 18, 2004

Replying to your question, I went through the Army's program and graduated in Dec. 2002. I had great training and our class average for the boards was 595/600.

Mike