CRNA/SRNAs : Did/does your school have a strong clinical component?

tcvnurse, BSN, RN · Aug 4, 2016

You may want more experience. A year really isn't long enough. Do you have your CCRN? Hope your grades were good. The nurses I work with that applied and got in all had 3+ years of ICU experience, had advanced on the clinical ladder and certified. They all had very high gpa's as well, and not all of them got in to CRNA school. It's very competitive these days.

Good luck!

chocolateistheanswer · Aug 4, 2016

Hi there,

Yep, its competitive. By the time I apply I will have 2 years experience, I am in the preparation phase right now and am researching schools. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, I am the chair of my unit council and Magnet Champion at my hospital. I perform as charge nurse on my unit, have shadowed a couple of CRNAs, plan to shadow more and am taking my CCRN next month then start studying for my GREs. I understand it is competitive, but it is still worth at try in my eyes :)

joanna73, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2016

On average, applicants for these programs have anywhere from 5-10 years of experience in acute care and the ICU. It never hurts to apply, but 2 years won't make you a competitive applicant.

chocolateistheanswer · Aug 5, 2016

Thanks everyone for the strong words of encouragement!! My question however was, not your opinion on how competitive I am as an applicant but-- has anyone gone to CRNA or is an SRNA and is or was in a program with a strong clinical component.

If you can provide any meaningful input that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

CardiacDork, MSN, RN · Aug 5, 2016

Not to deter the OP's original question but I would like to add that from speaking with a former coworker AND an professor in an anesthesia program in Houston (which happened to be one of my professors in ICU rotation) - you do NOT need 5 to 10 years to be competitive. That's ridiculous. As he said, you can only learn so much at the ICU bedside. You are bound to hit a plateau and while you may always learn new things every now and then, 5 to 10 years of routine after routine after ROUTINE is not going to make you a more "competitive" candidate or better suited for anesthesia school. He said there were nurses decades of ICU experienced that totally bombed the program.

His WOA? Focus on excelling academically and being involved in hospital committees and continuing education. They want someone who will pass their classes and ultimately the boards.

Maybe I'm doing myself a disservice by providing my future competition with said tips but please do not wait 10 years before applying to a dang CRNA program. Ugh no!

CardiacDork, MSN, RN · Aug 5, 2016

Edit: I'm also very curious about the clinical component. Namely the psychomotor aspects of the practice of anesthesia. Would programs in rural areas as opposed to large medical centers with medical schools such Houston provide better opportunity? My thought is that being away from mega medical schools will allow for more opportunities to practice skills and be more clinically involved.

We we all know our weaknesses and for me conceptualizing/connect dots has never been an issue for me and in fact is my forte .....

but I do need practice with psychomotor skills! Idk if that's me being hard on myself or that it takes me a bit to pick up on the "feel" "psychomotor" "muscle memory". Lol.

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 5, 2016

On average, applicants for these programs have anywhere from 5-10 years of experience in acute care and the ICU. It never hurts to apply, but 2 years won't make you a competitive applicant.

Not true in my area. I worked in the CICU for 4 years and at least three people from my unit went to CRNA school. They all went to the best school in the state and none of them were terribly experienced, one of them even had an online Master's from Phoenix U and only had 1 year of experience. Yes, it's competitive, but they look at the individual uniquely and all of these candidates were exceptional and got accepted on their merit. OP sounds like an exceptional candidate too. Wish you luck! Go for it!

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 5, 2016

Thanks everyone for the strong words of encouragement!! My question however was, not your opinion on how competitive I am as an applicant but-- has anyone gone to CRNA or is an SRNA and is or was in a program with a strong clinical component.
If you can provide any meaningful input that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
You should check out Fairfield University's program in Connecticut. I don't know where you're based but several of my friends went to this school and it's widely recognized as excellent.
Fairfield University - Doctor of Nursing Practice Anesthesia

Trauma Columnist · Aug 5, 2016

Moved to SRNA forum

chocolateistheanswer · Aug 5, 2016

You should check out Fairfield University's program in Connecticut. I don't know where you're based but several of my friends went to this school and it's widely recognized as excellent.
Fairfield University - Doctor of Nursing Practice Anesthesia

Thank you Rocknurse and Cardiacdork for all your helpful info!

I will definitely look into Fairfield University as an option. Thats an interesting question CardiacDork about being in a more rural area and if it will possibly benefit you by allowing you to be more clinically involved.

I think the best thing to do to get these answers is for us to attend info sessions and ask specific questions like how many clinical hours do we get in different areas. Like how many such and such lines do we place, how many epidurals, etc. I think asking for specific numbers will be super helpful.

Best of luck to all of you !

ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA · Aug 5, 2016

While experience is good, I was told by a PD that being out of school > 5 years is usually held in a negative light by ADCOMS. The longer you're out of school, the more difficult it becomes to get back into student mode, especially when studying material that's more difficult than nursing school. I'm sure it varies from school to school though.

Your stats look great OP. With a 4.0, I'm sure you'll get into whatever program you want as long as you're humble and personable in your interview, and get average scores on the GRE.

The best DNP program is going to be USAGPAN, since they train you with independence in mind, and send you to different clinical locations throughout the country on the government's dime. If you work for the VA, you can matriculate without ever joining the military. It's not all that competitive, but to be accepted, you have to physically qualify for the military, meet their minimum requirements (297 GRE is a must), and be willing to give them 5 years in exchange for your education. I'm a healthy/fit person, and even I couldn't get an old football injury that no longer affects me waived. I regularly lift weights, do 10+ mile hikes, and jog a couple of miles daily. It didn't matter because of my old injury.

You really just have to do research to find out which programs aren't associated with medical schools, and don't compete with residents for cases. Email the program directors of schools that you're interested in. From my experience, they're usually more than happy to respond. Unfortunately, a lot of the "big name" schools are associated with sites that have anesthesiology residencies. So a bigger/better school name does not necessarily translate into a better anesthesia education.

During my interview last week, I was told that Barry University is attempting to transition to an entry-level DNP next year. While West Coast schools are generally known to promote more independence, I was told by a student in the South Florida location that they do not compete with residents at their sites. They also graduate with an average of 1200+ cases, which is close to double of what the COA requires, so their graduates feel really prepared post-graduation. It's a very science and clinically based program. I've researched a lot of schools, and I have not seen a school that graduates individuals with more hours/clinical cases. However, it is an integrated program. This means that you have to juggle clinical hours with the didactic portion, so if your time management isn't very good, you will fail out.

Ultimately, you may have to choose what's more important to you: Obtaining a DNP, or matriculating at a school with good clinical experience. If you wait a couple of years, more programs will transition to the DNP, and you will have more options. However, if you apply sooner rather than later, you may have to find some compromise if you're set on the DNP.