GPA Question

[Stina]

Hello all, I'm new to this site and this is my first post!

I'm currently a nursing student in a BSN program with the hopes of continuing on to become a practitioner or anesthetist. I plan to become an anesthetist in the long run, but I am not opposed to completing practitioner first.

I will be graduating the BSN program with a GPA between 3.32 -3.48, a program GPA between 3.00-3.47, and prereques of 3.90. I am concerned as I have B's in most of my BSN classes with the exception of a C in pharmacology and I am not sure if this is considered acceptable or not. Also, I have 6 years experience doing medical billing and managing a chiropractic office - assisting with exams, patient treatments, acupunture etc.

My question is - do you believe that I have a chance (even with the lowest possible GPA of 3.32 overall 3.00 program) of getting into a practitioner or anesthetist program? Am I a weak or stong candidate? Should I be concerned or am I well within the range of acceptance?

Thank you so much for your time!

[Prettyladie]

i know here in texas, the nurse practitioner programs, well some that i seem, only want you to have the minimum gpa, and one year work experience and you're automatically in, but as for CRNA, that i dont know. but good luck. your grades are not bad.

[nminodob]

I think that the admissions panels will look at the whole picture - I graduated with a summa cum laude (4.0 GPA), and a 4.0 in all my pre-reqs as well - but I didn't get in to a masters program. I believe it was because I had not worked at least a year as an RN. I definitely know of others who have gotten in with lower GPAs but more experience. At UC here in California, they are also interested in learning about your volunteer/community involvement, so if you have any interest in helping others in your community, now is the time to think about where you can express that.

BTW -I have come to the conclusion that not getting accepted into the program immediately after passing NCLEX was a good decision on the admissions people's part - there is still too much I don't know to embark on advanced practice.

Good luck!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Congratulations on thinking long-term & planning for your future.

While GPA is not the end-all, be-all as a criteria for graduate education, it is a strong indicator of the applicant's willingness to work hard. CRNA curriculum, especially, is fraught with very challenging 'hard science' and 'hard math' coursework. You will need to demonstrate that you are able to learn large amounts of material in a relatively short amount of time - and that you are a self-directed learner. GPA remains the best indicator. Remember, you will also need to meet a criterion score on the admission exam that is used for the graduate program you want - normally GRE or MAT.

No matter what the minimum criteria is, you will be competing for graduate admission with others who are just as determined as you are. These are the people you need to be comparing yourself to - not your fellow undergrad students.