Getting in to CRNA school

Nursing Students SRNA

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I'm currently doing my pre-reqs for nursing, but I know that I want to be a CRNA. I love the thought of being able to make it so people don't experience any pain, what better job could you possibly have? I want to know the best way to position myself to get into CRNA school, while I still have time to make those changes. In high school I had an internship at a hospital and I job shadowed a CRNA already, but he was very busy so I didn't have much time to talk to him. Any advice would be great! Also, I am a freshman in college, so I probably wouldn't try to get into CRNA school until 2017 or 2018, so what will the job outlook be for CRNA's in 2020? In demand, or not? I want to be realistic. I want to get the DNP instead of the masters program.

Specializes in Anesthesia.

1. It is the AACN that came out with formal guidelines/suggestion for the DNP.

2. It doesn't matter if the ANA backs the DNP or not. The ANA does not provide certification exams for APNs.

3. CRNA schools have developed inside and outside of schools of nursing. The AANA and the COA have adopted the idea of an entry level practice doctorate. Nurse anesthetists will be required to have a doctorate (DNP/DNAP) to sit for initial certification by 2025.

4. APNs are stuck because schools of nursing that offer APN programs are moving to the DNP, so if you want to get your APN then you are going to have to get your DNP. It doesn't matter if the states or credentialing centers require a DNP or not, if all the nursing schools only offer a DNP track for graduation then all new APNs are going to have to the DNP.

"Park Ridge, Ill.—Two years after convening a high-level summit meeting and appointing a task force to thoroughly explore interests and concerns surrounding doctoral preparation of nurse anesthetists, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has announced its support of doctoral education for entry into nurse anesthesia practice by 2025." http://www.aana.com/news.aspx?id=9678

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
4. APNs are stuck because schools of nursing that offer APN programs are moving to the DNP, so if you want to get your APN then you are going to have to get your DNP. It doesn't matter if the states or credentialing centers require a DNP or not, if all the nursing schools only offer a DNP track for graduation then all new APNs are going to have to the DNP

*** Plenty of schools that have NP programs are no going to DNP and claim no intention of doing so. In my area (the upper mid west) only the state universities have gone or are going to DNP for NP. I haven't heard of any of the private schools doing so. I attended an informational meeting about the FNP program at one college in July and they said they have absolutly no intention of ever moving to DNP unless it became a requirement for practice.

There will be MSN NP programs for into the future.

Heck who knows, maybe someday the ridiculousness on requiring a docterate for advanced practice nurses will be realized and they will go away. We can always hope.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
*** Plenty of schools that have NP programs are no going to DNP and claim no intention of doing so. In my area (the upper mid west) only the state universities have gone or are going to DNP for NP. I haven't heard of any of the private schools doing so. I attended an informational meeting about the FNP program at one college in July and they said they have absolutly no intention of ever moving to DNP unless it became a requirement for practice.

There will be MSN NP programs for into the future.

Heck who knows, maybe someday the ridiculousness on requiring a docterate for advanced practice nurses will be realized and they will go away. We can always hope.

The can claim whatever they want, but it is only a matter of time IMO. American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) is recommending the DNP. There are 670 schools of nursing that are members of the AACN (membership doesn't mean changing to the DNP is mandatory, but encouraged). There are over 200 DNP programs right now, and another 100 nursing schools considering making the switch. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/DNPProgramList.htm The DNP provides more profit for schools overall by keeping students in school longer. There is push for APN programs to consolidate their core courses, and one of the easiest ways to make these changes is to do it all at once with the change to the DNP. The only thing that I see that is stopping certain schools from transitioning to the DNP/DNAP is the lack of Doctoral prepared faculty. That will change with more DNP/DNAP programs opening all the time.

The decision for nurse anesthetists has been made already. We will be making the switch by 2025.

A lot of the change to DNP/DNAP is more about politics than anything else.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

the dnp provides more profit for schools overall by keeping students in school longer.

*** yes, hence a part of the reason they exisist.

a lot of the change to dnp/dnap is more about politics than anything else

*** i agree. imo another part of the reason for the change is nursing's chronic lack of self esteem.

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