Fullerton/Kaiser vs. Sam. Merritt vs. Southern Cal.

TraumaNurse · Jul 10, 2004

Chaphillgal,

Welcome to the BB and good luck with your journey to CRNA school! There have been several threads regarding the CA CRNA schools, so if you do a search on the BB then I'm sure you will get lots of great info. Good luck.

gaspassah · Jul 11, 2004

usc mucho expensive, taught through the medical school. not sure about their clinical rotations.

samuel merrit more exp than kaiser and our pharm teacher does video lecture to them. good clinical rotations.

kaiser least expensive, 24 months, rotate through 20 hospitals, lots of travel. lots of focus on clinical and passing boards. program director and pharm teacher is very good, writes textbooks and makes learning easy.

catcolalex · Jul 11, 2004

USC doesnt have a school of nursing anymore from what i understand, you are in class with residents as a part of the medical school. expensive, in LA, etc. Kaiser is the best one, of course that opinion has nothing to do with the fact that i am going to school there in Sept. hee hee

trakstar · Jul 11, 2004

Samuel Merritt is a great school in a great location with lots of opportunities for clinical rotations. Kaiser's pharm teacher Dr. Nagelhout via video from so cal is a plus. One draw back is the high cost of Bay Area living. If you want more info on Samuel Merritt IM me.

Athlein1 · Jul 11, 2004

Chaphillgal,

Please feel free to PM me about schools in California. I have a good bit of insider scoop on the programs west of the Rockies.

chaphillgal · Jul 11, 2004

Hey guys,

Thanks for replying! I've done lots of reading today, this board has great info.! I'm beginning to feel that Kaiser may be my first pick, based on several factors including variety of clinical sites, quality of education/preparation, geographical location and obviously price. I appreciate your input! Some of you will be receiving PM's from me in the near future as I'm thinking about getting in my application before this year's deadline in November. Whew - the ride begins...:roll You guys are awesome!

-Kirsten

preCRNA · Jul 11, 2004

Hey Athlein,

I was considering some schools west of the rockies. I was wondering if you could enlighten me and some things about them. Thanks. (I would like to know, kinda like Chaphillgal.)

Bryant (preCRNA)

Chaphillgal,
Please feel free to PM me about schools in California. I have a good bit of insider scoop on the programs west of the Rockies.

traumasrna · Jul 15, 2004

Hi all-
New to the list! I am currently working at Duke in the CardioThoracic ICU...getting in my ICU experience before I start applying to schools. My husband and I are considering moving to the California area in the next year or so, and hence I'm looking to go to school out there. I'm trying to compare Univ. of Southern Cal vs. Fullerton/Kaiser vs. Samuel Merritt. I've read some good reviews about Fullerton/Kaiser and Samuel Merritt, haven't heard much about Univ. of Southern Cal.
Any personal reviews/helpful info. on the different schools that you guys could offer??
Thanks,
Kirsten

All three programs are reputable. I start Samuel Merritt in August. I am biased and love the Bay Area. The weather is great but the cost of living is high, probably not to much more than southern Cali. Cali is cali, it's going to be expensive in the metropolitan areas. Consider your husbands profession and the market of both the Bay Area and southern cali. Southern cali is probably more diverse in terms of economic opportunity, depending upon skills/profession.

chaphillgal · Jul 15, 2004

Yeah, my husband and I are planning to visit the Bay area as well as Southern Cali in the near future. We want to get a feel for what the two areas are like. It looks like rent and real estate are pretty high in both places...ugh. Thanks for the feedback!