Help with advice on CRNA programs

Just curious, why do you want to be a CRNA?

I would say you should take your time here and work on getting a good ICU job first, which is tough in itself right now. Work as a CNA in a hospital that you would like to work at and try to get into ICU as an aid if possible. Take general chemistry and more if you can.

I got my bachelors in bio before receiving my bsn through an accelerated program. You have so much time during your pre-nursing years to get a hard sciences foundation. Many CRNA programs suggest orgo, physics and biochem. I did the pre-med requirements so I had to do gen chem 1-3 before orgo 1 &2 but I believe there is a watered down orgo for nutrition majors you may be able to take. You are definitely on the right track for realizing you need the sciences for CRNA. Having them really helped me get a 3.9 in my accelerated nursing program and will make the CRNA classes a lot easier.

Everybody wants to be a CRNA. I ran across a girl today handing in her application packet. She said "I want to be a CRNA."

I should've jumped on that bandwagon in 2002 when I had the chance. From what I hear there's a glut of applications now. Oh, well, I don't want to work critical care so I don't guess I'll ever be a CRNA. Really it doesn't interest me all that much. What I like about it are the level of education (I like DETAIL), sedated patients, and real autonomy.

Kah5209-

I've had a couple surgeries myself and the most interesting part to me was meeting the anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetists and talk to them about what they would be doing and how it would affect my body. I kept asking more and more questions because all of it was so interesting and fascinating to me. I've always wanted to be a nurse, mainly because I love helping people, but never really knew what I wanted to specialize in. I originally thought of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner because I love kids, but I have talked to many nurses who did the same thing and so many of them changed their specialty because of dealing with terrible parents.. Ha! But that is still my second option because I still think I would enjoy that, but I think becoming a CRNA would always keep me interested and enjoying my job.

Brandon-

I hadn't thought about CNA before, I was originally thinking of becoming a certified pharmacy technician. Would that help because I would be around and learning different drugs and what not or do you think CNA would still be better? I think you're right, CNA could help me get into the hospital I want to work at and give me experience already in the hospital when I want to switch to ICU when I get my RN.

Mrshouse-

Thanks! I will definitely look into taking some of those classes, I want to do all I can with how competitive CRNA programs are! None of the BSN programs require physics or biochem so it's nice to find out now that taking these will help me in the long run.

What does it mean that most of the people who come in here asking about becoming CRNAs are not yet even working as nurses? That's not a judgement, just an observation, and I am curious. Right now I work in an ICU and have no desire to be a CRNA ever, but I have watched co-workers go through the process. Here is what I have gleaned:

Make sure that you take an organic and/or bio-chemistry class before you graduate and while inorganic chemistry is still fresh in your mind, even if it is not required by your BSN program.

Ditto for a statistics class.

Take the GRE right after you graduate so that studying for it is not a big painful review, trying to remember everything you forgot from college.

Cultivate relationships with instructors in nursing school and maintain them after you graduate--at least one of your letters of recommendation will come from one of them.

When you get an ICU job (there's your major speed bump these days) treat your co-workers and management really well--you will also be asking a couple of them for letters of recommendation. Schools don't like it when all your letters of recommendation come from MDs believe it or not, and I know one nurse who was turned down for that reason.

Start doing some volunteer work in the community well before you begin the application process.

If you can't get a job in an ICU right away, try to get into a surgical step-down unit and then transfer asap.

Get your CCRN as soon as you qualify to take the exam, as well as CSC and CMC.

Get perfect grades.

Know what a CRNA does and be able to articulate why you want to be one without mentioning money or expressing a dislike of bedside nursing or conscious patients (even if that is what you tell your friends).

Good luck!

Rabid Response-

Thanks so much! That is a lot of great advice, and I will definitely be taking all of it.

I posted on the CRNA forum because that's the best place I can get advice for this profession. Going to the Pre-Nursing forum and asking these questions would get me no where because they have as much experience and knowledge about it all as I do, which is close to nothing! I'm asking now (before I'm even a nurse) because I want to do all I can as early as I can to help my chances, because I know how insanely competitive these programs are. Things like getting my CSC and CMC are things I would not have thought about on my own, or making sure I have a good amount of community service as well, which is why I came to this forum to ask! I know maintaining relationships with my teachers, future employers, and future coworkers is very important because of needing recommendation letters, and getting as close to straight A's as I possibly can is very important as well but these other things you've listed and the others have listed too are things I wouldn't have thought of this early on on my own.

So thank you so much for your very helpful response!

Another question Rabid Response-

Is there a certain type of volunteer work that would help me the most when applying? Like is it better to volunteer in a hospital, or is volunteering in the community anywhere just as effective in making my application stand out?

Thanks!

I am a recent CRNA school grad. The key is to start working in an ICU as soon as possible. Get your CCRN. If you can become an ACLS instructor etc. it helps. Start educating yourself about what CRNA's do and read posts on here to prepare yourself for interviews, how to choose references, and what types of things to write in a goal statement that most programs require as part of the application. Start learning about different programs: when they start, application deadlines, cost of attendance, cost of living, class sizes, and program design(front-loaded vs. integrated). Only take classes that programs require. Better to get an "A" in a chem class that will work vs. a "B" in one geared more toward pre-med etc. The chem and physics in CRNA school are not hard. I think any kind of volunteer work looks good. I had one year in the ICU when I applied and about two when I started school. Do the best you can on the GRE.

Hello,

I am currently a traditional student in my second year of college. I have applied to 6 nursing schools to hopefully begin this fall (Aug 2011). There are only two I really want to get into, and will be crushed if I don't.. But that's besides the point. I want to get my BSN and go on to become a CRNA. I know the CRNA programs are extremely competitive, but I am ready to handle that and work my hardest in my BSN to get the best GPA and recommendations I can. I am looking for some advice on what classes I should take during my undergrad that would help in my application to CRNA programs (some say they like physics and more chems than what is required.. things like this) and what jobs/extra curricular things I can do to better make my application stand out? I cannot work as a nurse yet, since I am still a student, so I am wondering what jobs are out there that are medically related and will look good for my application that don't require a degree yet? What are the average GPA's for most of the CRNA programs? (if you are a CRNA currently, what was your GPA and previous work experience?) Also, If I wanted to apply to a CRNA program with only 1-2 years of experience in ICU (I know they suggest 2-3 and +) what are the chances I could be accepted, provided my GPA is high enough? Did anyone you know or you possibly have little experience when you applied to the CRNA program?

B-dog

I am looking for any help and advice I can get on this topic. I would like to start ahead on working towards making my application stand out and having experience in other areas as well, but am lost as where to start.

Thank you to anyone who can help!

Rabid does give excellent advice, additionally consider becoming involved in you hospital's committees or another type of leadership role.

B-Dog,

Thanks for some great advice as well. I am willing to do any and everything to help my chances, so thank you for your help!

Thanks Wolfpack as well, I'll remember that when I start working as an RN. I can imagine that will be important as well.

Let me just add - I'm someone who was *sure* I wanted to be a CRNA from well before I started nursing school. I geared my entire life toward that goal - and I achieved getting accepted into one of the top tier programs in the country. I got half way through it, well into clinicals, when I realized that I **REALLY** didn't want to be doing this for the rest of my life. There are parts of it that are fascinating to me, and that I really enjoyed. The academic part is far and away the hardest thing you're ever likely to attempt. Just be ready for that (you really can't be ready, but try...). I was doing fine in that, and I was doing fine in clinicals, with the odd bump here and there that's typical. But I came to the realization one day that this simply wasn't what I could see myself doing for the rest of my career.

Quite frankly, not only is the clinical training often more akin to fraternity hazing than professional medical training, but I met a large percentage of CRNAs who, despite having "the best job in the world" and consistently having stratospheric job satisfaction ratings (if you believe what you read), are just plain miserable, unhappy people. Not just one here and there - a very large percentage of the ones I met. Very, very unhappy people. And there are a lot of them with little or nothing in the way of social/people skills. Why? I haven't figured that out, but I know I don't want to be one of them. I'd rather be poor and content than more well off and unhappy about life.

To be sure, there are many wonderful CRNAs and MDAs out there, and I met a lot of them. There are some ** fantastic** clinical teachers out there, and I met some of them. But a lot of what passes for SRNA training is (in my opinion) very unprofessional, and for the most part counterproductive to real learning. Being yelled at, called names that I stopped using in 5th grade, having things jerked out of one's hands (for no really good reason, and nothing to do with patient safety), having snarky comments made behind one's back, etc, etc, etc really made me wonder. There were two research articles in the AANA Journal this summer (2011) about this very subject. Well worth reading if you want your eyes opened. Both are available as PDFs on the AANA web site.

I hate to discourage anyone from a chosen career path in medicine, but be sure you ask a LOT of questions before you commit yourself to this path. And don't just talk to CRNAs. Talk to OR staff. They see a lot of stuff, and they'll usually give you the unvarnished truth about it.

Best of luck...