High School Student Striving to be CRNA

[haydenute]

Good evening! I am a senior in high school and am graduating from high school with an A.S. degree from a nearby community college. My grades are high and I have a good ACT score. I feel very prepared to move to a university. However, I have been deciding between majoring in nursing or computer science. I want to help people and as a CRNA I would definitely be able to do so.

Anyways, I was wondering what I can do now to prepare for nursing school. I want to learn more. I want to be immersed into nursing more.

I volunteer at a hospital, but do not do much there....

Any advice? I want to learn so I can be more prepared as well as know if it really is nursing I want to go into...

Any response is appreciated!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Your thread has been moved to our CRNA forum to elicit more replies. Good luck with your future endeavors.

[Grumble88]

If you want more "nursing" experience prior to nursing school go get you CNA(nursing assistant) certificate and look for work in post-anesthesia care unit, even med-surg would be a good learning experience.

[Julius Seizure]

I second that you look for a CNA or patient care tech job. But hospitals sometimes don't require you to have a certificate, so you might want to check first. And I would say that ICU would be the area to try to get into. You will see the nurses do sedation and vent management, which is closer to what a CRNA does than you will see in med-surg or even PACU. ICU is also where you will have to work as a nurse in order to get into CRNA school.

[Central BSN, RN]

This is one of those scenarios where I tell people they should crawl before they walk and walk before they run.

You need to get into a good BSN nursing program that is worth it's weight and known for being a respected program. Do very well in the program at least a 3.5 GPA minimum. Next you will need to find a job at a ICU preferably MICU or SICU and spend a minimum of few a years their to "master" the unit.

Beyond that do well on your GRE, shadow some CRNA's, get good recommendation letters, possibly get your CCRN etc.

Than apply for a CRNA program and complete it successfully. I don't say this to discourage. Just focus more on the present instead of CRNA at this point in your journey. That means a well respected BSN program should be your next goal.

2 cents

[twozer0, NP]

https://allnurses.com/student-registered-nurse/advice-for-career-1033436.html

Read up buttercup

[micurn0126]

Very good post. Take small steps first:

Focus on getting into a BSN program. If high school GPA and ACT scores are solid, this should not be an issue. But by the same token, appreciate what an accomplishment that is! Becoming a nurse is a very unique journey and is a huge part of what makes CRNAs different from MDAs. MDAs will train for many years before any form of actual patient care.

Excel in your program: have a solid GPA, stand out, be kind to everyone both in the classroom and in the clinical area. Make good contacts.

Get a job in ICU: immediately. Spend at least one year learning to be a solid ICU nurse before pursuing any further education.

Obtain CCRN; start applying for CRNA schools.

[Bluebolt]

You're in the same place as me 10 years ago. I interview for CRNA school in two days. It's a long road to walk but if it's worth it for you then do it. I added on a couple years because I wanted to travel nurse the US seeing different places, learning new skills etc. Start working as a tech in the ICU asap, it will help you get a job in that unit when you graduate nursing school. The key is to get into the ICU as soon as possible. Don't spend years of time out of nursing school in other area's and then try to secure a job in the unit, that can take people a while.