Do you have to have a BSN for acceptance into a CRNA program?

meandragonbrett · Apr 14, 2005

It depends on the school. Compile a list of schools you are interested in. Look at their admission requirements and go from there. Some schools will accept a non-nursing BS and others won't. Those that do accept a BS require you to have RN certification.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2005

I am 100% sure you need a BSN. I see you live in Texas and I know TWU and TCU require it. You would not want to practice as a CRNA without a good nursing foundation anyway. You are also going to need at least one maybe two years of ICU experience. Now I am not a CRNA but I have checked the requirments for the schools in this area. Good luck to you!!!!!

I would really like to become a CRNA but I am confused as to what the requirements are for admission to a CRNA program. Do you have to have a bachelors in nursing or could it be in something like biochemistry?

elizabells, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2005

I am 100% sure you need a BSN. I see you live in Texas and I know TWU and TCU require it. You would not want to practice as a CRNA without a good nursing foundation anyway. You are also going to need at least one maybe two years of ICU experience. Now I am not a CRNA but I have checked the requirments for the schools in this area. Good luck to you!!!!!

I hate disagreeing with people whose posts I love as much as yours, but there are some direct-entry CRNA programs that do not require a BSN, per se. What you do is you go for a year, get either an accelerated BSN or RN certificate, then work one (or more, depending on the program) year in an ICU, then return for the CRNA program. So technically one could say you have to have a BSN, but not to get into the program. At Columbia U. you have to have a bachelor's in something, but not any specific discipline. I leave the debate about the program to others, I've had that argument too many times already! Try looking at allnursingschools.com under "direct entry masters"

Maxs · Apr 14, 2005

There's no need to argue about this because it is a professional courtesy that you be a BSN first. Just like you have to be an MD first before you specialize, you should be a BSN first before you specialize as well. Must I remind some of us that this is not a communist country? This is why I love America.

Max

kmchugh · Apr 14, 2005

There's no need to argue about this because it is a professional courtesy that you be a BSN first. Just like you have to be an MD first before you specialize, you should be a BSN first before you specialize as well. Must I remind some of us that this is not a communist country? This is why I love America.
Max

Ummmm....huh? What are you trying to say?

If you are saying you MUST have a BSN to go on for CRNA, you would be incorrect. It is not even considered a "professional courtsey" to get your BSN before obtaining your CRNA. At many schools, including the school I attended, you had to be an RN, and had to have a bachelor's degree, not necessarily in nursing, to attend. While I had my BSN, the director of the program at the time had neither a BSN or MSN. He had earned a diploma as an RN, as well as a CRNA. He had BS, MS, and PhD in education, which seemed to make him very suited to starting a CRNA program.

Kevin McHugh, CRNA

chaskirst · Apr 14, 2005

I agree Kevin that last post was something to get the mind around, too slippery. I also want to throw my thoughts in this BSN/RN discussion and highlight something I've only briefly seen here. I believe the BSN can be overrated. It does provide a strong undergraduate curriculum for a young student who is going to college immediately after high school. It may cumulatively even teach them how to make logical arguments, write, research, and improve interpersonal skills. But the BSN is evolving as many of us know. It is becoming less the formal four year degree and options for attaining it are multiplying. I believe this is the case for two reasons. First, the community colleges are doing an excellent job of training a large percentage of our nurses. They often have nursing instructors who maintain hands on experience in the clinical arena. These instructors often do not have the expectations for research or writing that university based instructors do and consequently can give a great deal of face time to their students. The community college option also cuts away the "fat" off a BSN degree. Thus a mature adult can enter into the profession quicker than having to apply and complete a BSN program, not to mention it is often cheaper. The second reason has to do with the type of person attending these community colleges. I concede that the quality of students attending community colleges may fall within a broader continuum but it is those students that fall in the top half to which I am referring. Often these student are older, they have previous college education, professional and life experiences, etc. They have learned in their previous careers how to work in groups, how to write an essay, make presentations, and have gone to conferences about leadership, education, or ethics. This is why CRNA programs are increasingly (and the profession of nursing as a whole) becoming more progressive in their admissions criteria and open to diverse candidates. I believe because of my past education (all of which except my ADN was in non-science fields) and experience, I was accepted by multiple schools which did not require a BSN. In fact I know Gonzaga, TWU, TCU, MSA, U of Pitt, Rush, and Newman all accept applications from non BSN trained nurses. Now I am unsure how each school calculates the absence of a BSN but all the schools I contacted assured me they believe that a community college graduate can be equally adept if not at times clinically more competent . Spending another year and more money to attain something which I thought would have been for me redundant was not an option. So if you are looking to become a CRNA and do not have a BSN, contact the schools you are interested in. If you have a passion for physiology, like science, honed your skills at a busy and high acuity hospital, embraced continuing education, the absence of a BSN will be a footnote.

Maxs · Apr 15, 2005

This isn't worth arguing over because if you examine what you are saying, it turns that you go to school for six years. Either way, in order to get into a graduate school, you will need a bachellor's degree. So you're saying get a bachellor's degree and then get an associates degree as a nurse? am I right? and are these 6 years of schooling equivalent to a 4 year BSN? yes.

UCDSICURN · Apr 15, 2005

Maxs,

There is no arguement here. Many folks earn a bachelor's prior to even thinking about becoming an RN, such as myself. So, is it worth it for someone that already has a bachelors to then go ahead and get another bachelors or take the easier/cheaper route by getting the ASN. I do understand what you're saying, it certainly makes sense if you have planned out your future to just get the BSN instead of getting multiple degrees. Most ASN's ususally take a minimum of 3 years anyhow when you figure in pre-req's.

There are many ways to get where we all want to go.

SigmaSRNA · Apr 15, 2005

Very interesting points made by all. My opinion is it really doesn't matter if you are a BSN or an ADN as far as clinically being prepared for CRNA school. However, a bachelor's degree in a certain field is definitely necessary. The ability to do research, write papers, and critically analyze information is key in graduate school and in nursing in general.

chaskirst · Apr 15, 2005

Maxs,

It seems we both made assumption about the original poster. Maybe you thought he had no previous college education while I thought he already had a BA and possibly even an ADN. Obviously four years is more appealing than six years. In your scenario, getting the BSN would be the less complicated path. My point was to answer with some explanation his original question of; is a BSN necessary to become a CRNA. If someone didn't have a college degree and was starting fresh, I would still tell him/her to get the ADN first. One year of prerequisites (as previously posted), two years for the ADN, the fourth year working in an ICU and completing a BSN program (which is paid by the employing hospital).

This isn't worth arguing over because if you examine what you are saying, it turns that you go to school for six years. Either way, in order to get into a graduate school, you will need a bachellor's degree. So you're saying get a bachellor's degree and then get an associates degree as a nurse? am I right? and are these 6 years of schooling equivalent to a 4 year BSN? yes.

Heath82371 · Apr 15, 2005

I would really like to become a CRNA but I am confused as to what the requirements are for admission to a CRNA program. Do you have to have a bachelors in nursing or could it be in something like biochemistry?

No. A friend has his BS in Chem from FSU and just graduated from FGCU's anesthesia program. He is an ADN grad as well.