current BSN student looking to become CRNA

[Spine_CRNA]

HI! Some Background info: I'm 21 y/o male in my 3rd year BSN program (first semester doing nursing classes/clinicals). My overall GPA is currently 3.14 . I'm interested in becoming a CRNA for the advanced scientific thinking and job autonomy.

My plan is to finish my degree, work 1 yr in the navy somewhere in ICU to get the critical care experience necessary to apply to CRNA school and hopefully have them fund it. I'd like your opinion on whether this is a realistic plan for me. Please offer all your educational experiences on the road to getting into CRNA school/ obtaining the certification. What were your grades like? How competitive was the program? How many years did you work prior to getting into a program, etc? Also, I'd be nice to know how old you were when you became a CRNA because I want to see how realistic my straight forward plan is. Thank you for any and all opinions and responses. If possible, include when they are changing the degree from Master's to Doctorate and any options you people have to offer.

[Servingshots]

The queation was directed to Wtbcrna .The AANA is a great reaouce but looking for something a little different, thanks though!

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Wtbcrna,

I have been looking for guide books specific to Getting into crna school And books that have personal stories from CRNAs in regards to thier stories and experiences. Seeing as you are a crna, do you recommend any or are there even any out there?

You can do an internet search for nurse anesthesia and come up with several websites of interest. Your state nurse anesthesia website is always a good place to look, and good way to find local CRNAs. http://www.all-crna-schools.com/ is a newer website with some good information about most of the nurse anesthesia schools. There isn't a tried and true book about getting into CRNA that I know of, but the basic information doesn't really change (good grades, organic chem or biochem, good GRE scores, and at least one year of acute care experience). The minimum standards for nurse anesthesia school are set by the COA. You can find the link to the COA on the AANA. COA and the AANA are separate entities, but work closely together.

[bibibi]

You don't need many prereqs for crna school. Depending on a school of course. Some of them require statistics and no chemistry or only gen chem 1 and sometimes 2 as well. You should work on your gpa. Also you will probably have to take the gre. Many schools require it. A few that don't rely heavily on your gpa and experience which will be a disadvantage for you if you are planning on applying soon.

[Spine_CRNA, BSN, RN]

Hi all,

thank you for your responses. My overall goal for this forum was to devise the most straightforward plan to getting into CRNA school. To all the CRNA's out there, what was your path like? Your GPA, etc.?What can i do to increase my chance of getting an ICU position once I graduate? What type of externship should I apply for this summer? Also, is there a preference between ICU areas like the nursery or pediatric, etc.? Thank you all again!!

[Spine_CRNA, BSN, RN]

I'm new to this site. It is so informative. I'm interesting in becoming a CRNA. I start my first semester in the nursing program. Thanks for asking infor about becoming a CRNA Newmail445 & thanks for the response Mindlor

Hi! how far along are you in your education and how prepared do you think you are for CRNA school?

[Spine_CRNA, BSN, RN]

The Navy does not take new grads into the ICU unless things have radically changed in the last couple of years. It takes about 18-24 months to get accepted into the military from when you first start your paperwork.

Active duty applicants have to meet a minimum number of years on station/TOS before they can apply to school. It is usually 2yrs TOS. You apply one year for the following school year, so at a bare minimum it is 3yrs before you could goto school. As a new grad in the Navy you will have to do 2-3+yrs on med-surg etc. before you can move to the ICU, and then usually another 2-3yrs there before you can apply to school.

In other words: 18-24months to get into the military, 2-3yrs med-surg, 2-3yrs in ICU before applying to school, and 1yr wait after you apply to get into school. It takes most active duty applicants 5+yrs before they get into nurse anesthesia school.

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Hi, thanks for your response. You said the minimum time of service is two years. But realistically, what is the average time before they move you on to CRNA school?

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Hi, thanks for your response. You said the minimum time of service is two years. But realistically, what is the average time before they move you on to CRNA school?

It is competitive based. You would spend 2-3 in ICU or ER before being able to apply for school. That doesn't include time spent as a new nurse on med-surg (typically another 2-3 yrs). Realistically you are looking at 6-7 yrs as a new nurse entering the military before you could goto school for nurse anesthesia.