Deciding on which route I should take....

D1914 · Nov 11, 2011

Option 3: Go to dental school

Becoming a CRNA generally takes 7-8 years.

4 years for a BSN

~2 Years ICU (you need at least 6 months to a year before you can begin applying so by the time you actually start crna school you'll have close to 2 years nursing experience.

2 years and four months on average for CRNA school.

Lets say hypothetically you graduated nursing school in May, and were lucky enough to begin an ICU job in June. Your ICU orientation would be 3 months long. During this time you would need to study and score well on the GRE minimum 1000, get all of your certifications completed ACLS, PALS, BLS, you would not be eligible for the CCRN exam because you need 1,750 work hours to be eligible (not necessary but most candidates have it), and you would need letters of recommendation from the same people that are currently training you to be a nurse, so basically you would be telling them that you are leaving soon and trust me they won't want to hear that from someone who is still on orientation.

Applications would be due between August and December for next years incoming class. Then If, you are invited to interview, you wouldn't know very much as you would have just a few months of critical care experience and you probably would not have a very competitive interview. Most of the interviews are intense and they are going to expect you to know your stuff and you won't unless you've seen enough critically ill patients.

This is just real talk. I'm not trying to discourage you from CRNA school, I'm just telling you that it takes longer to get accepted than advertised. If you want Dental school than go for it, don't let time be a factor. Everyone has bills to pay and family hardships, but there is no shortcut to the $.

Snowbird17 · Nov 15, 2011

Become a CNA to see if nursing is even a viable option! It will help your application to nursing school if you decide to go that route. Then, if you still want to go into nursing, apply to every program you can. Right now, admission to ADN and BSN programs are highly competitive- so don't limit yourself.

If you go the ADN route, you will build experience will pursuing your BSN. Either way, you are at least 6-7 years away from being qualified to apply to a CRNA program. I agree with D1914, don't rule out dentistry because of the time commitment.

CABGx4, ASN, BSN, MSN, CRNA · Nov 16, 2011

Agree w/ pp's. If you want to be a dentist, then don't let anything stop you. However if you want to be a CRNA, go for it. Timeframes for both are about the same. Whatever you choose, make sure it's what you want to do as it would be difficult to cross over between those two.

I am on your Option A route. I started as a CNA in 2003 and have just applied for anesthesia school. I could have finished my BSN a little faster but bought a house & had 2 kids right after nursing school. So, 10 years for me start-to-finish. I don't really care how long it takes. I will be a CRNA. Just keep moving your feet forward! Good Luck

ABuckeyeRN · Nov 22, 2011

you should check out http://www.diversitycrna.org There are many minority male CRNA's and SRNA's involved in that organization.

MC1906 · Jan 5, 2012

Go after what you want the most. It is possible to find scholarships that may defray some of the cost to either nursing or dental school. You could always get your Bachelors in Nursing and then apply to dental school. You need a bachelors anyway, so why not go after something that will allow you to earn some money when your done. That leaves you the option of going in either direction CRNA or Dental school. Of course the prereqs may be different but its an option. Don't worry too much about the debt....there are programs, scholarships and loans available to help with that! Focus on getting good grades and graduating!

Good Luck!