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?
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.
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.
I want to be a CRNA and have been doing a lot of reading on what you are talking about, the Hazing. This absolutely blows my mind. I can't imagine a school allowing such poor treatment of their students. When I was in nursing school that kind of behavior was never allowed from the staff in the hospitals and if it happened the professors would alert the managers and the problems was quickly and effectively taken care of. Why is this behavior allowed?? We are all here to better care for our patients so shouldn't that be more important that feeling superior to someone? I have followed many CRNA's, Anesthesiologists, and student CRNA's during my clinical's in the ADN program. All of them were extremely receptive to me even as a student nurse. Also the SRNA that I followed on an OB unit who was following the anesthesiologist was treated very well. He was allowed to do his part with no interruptions and was congratulated on his job well done. And during the procedure the anesthesiologist taught me exactly what he was doing and why.
Is the hazing so bad it's not worth it? I don't want A**holes to ruin my goals. Is there anywhere that hazing doesn't happen very often?
I am currently in the end of my first year of nursing school, but am looking ahead into my future goals. CRNA is the goal I'm working towards. I apriciate all the feedback, it's great and helpful. I do have one question, what pre-requisits do the schools look at? Do they look at your nursing school grades?
I can't speak to any program except the one I was enrolled in (although I have heard similar stories from around the country). I can state that I never had an issue with any MDA acting anything but 100% professional. Most of them were excellent clinical instructors, and I will say I came away feeling much better about my skills at the end of those days more of the time than when I was with CRNAs. A lot of that has to do with the facility you're at, because (as you probably already know) every hospital and outpatient facility has its own unique personality. I've been at hospitals where *everyone* treated SRNAs with respect and endeavored to provide a truly wonderful teaching/learning experience. Then there are "those" places. They tended to be filled with Type A (sometimes A+) personalities, and usually you could slice the tension with a knife around their OR areas. That can't help but soak into the people who work there, and most of it (IMHO) comes from the leadership and trickles down. Poor leadership leads to lousy places to work.
You might not be able to imagine a school allowing such behavior, but I firmly believe that not only do they allow it, in some cases I think they foster it. Remember, "they" (the schools) are made up of the very same people who perpetuate this kind of nonsense. "If I had to go through it, you should too" is (again, IMHO) the attitude that allows it to continue. Also, keep in mind that clinical placements for SRNAs are golden. They can't risk pi**ing off institutions off for fear of losing clinical slots for their students. In some cases, the hospital is affiliated with the school, so what can they really do?
My experience was that if there was a third party in the room, even the worst CRNA clinical instructors would be on their best behavior. But when it was one on one, the real person came out.
As I said, I don't want to put anyone off of doing something they really, truly want to do. But I wish someone had opened my eyes a little more before I went in. This kind of behavior itself is not why I chose to leave the SRNA path. I was doing fine in clinicals, with the evals to prove it. I just couldn't see myself wanting to do this job for the rest of my career, especially if the people treating me like this were going to be my "professional" colleagues. Not a world I want to be part of.
I recommend talking to as many current SRNAs as you can find to talk to, and ask them to be *really* honest about their experiences as a student. Use that to help guide your choice. If you're really into it, it's a great career field, without doubt. Just make darn sure it's what you want before you subject yourself to what it takes to get there.
I am currently in the end of my first year of nursing school, but am looking ahead into my future goals. CRNA is the goal I'm working towards. I apriciate all the feedback, it's great and helpful. I do have one question, what pre-requisits do the schools look at? Do they look at your nursing school grades?
Thanks again.
You need to have outstanding undergraduate (BSN) grades. They have their choice of applicants, and it's **very** competitive. I'd say for most schools, if you have less than about a 3.5 undergrad nursing GPA, don't waste your time. There's no hard and fast rule on that, and it depends on the applicant pool at the school and in the year you're applying.
Each school will have different requirements for things like organic chemistry, etc. Check into the school(s) you want to apply to well before hand, and know what their requirements are, then work toward them. If you haven't taken O-chem, and they require it, jump in and take it now. If you don't like the grade you get, take it again.
They also look at GRE scores (for those schools that require it). I had a GRE score of 1280, and it seemed to impress them. But what seemed equally impressive to at least one faculty member with whom I interviewed was the fact that I'd been certified to do PICC lines before I applied. It showed that I was serious about wanting to improve my clinical skills and do something relevant (in a very small way) to CRNA duties. Anything like that that you can do well in advance of applying will be ammunition in your pocket come application and interview time.
BuddhaGuy
8 Posts
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...