How can I become a nurse anesthetist if I have a bachelors degree in biology?

Reno1978, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2008

Most nurse anesthetist programs require 1-2 years of critical care nursing, so the first step would be becoming an RN. I would think they'd prefer you have a BS in Nursing, so look into programs for people like you who already have bachelor's degrees, they're usually called fast-track programs or something like that.

987! · Aug 29, 2008

You need to get your Bachelors in Nursing -- become a registered nurse and then get atleast 1 year experience working in ICU.

After you get that you can apply to a school that has a Nurse Anesthetis program, where you will be receiving your Masters in Nurse Anesthesia. I guess it depends where you go but I know of one program here in NY that you must attend the program full time and I think you are done in less than 2 years.

chare · Aug 29, 2008

this statement is not entirely accurate. at least one program i am aware of, the camc school of nurse anesthesia in charleston wv, does not necessarily require a bsn. the following is taken from their admission requirements page: "graduate from an approved baccalaureate or higher degree generic program in nursing or graduate from an approved associate degree or diploma program in nursing along with an appropriate baccalaureate degree."

graduates from this program are awarded a master of science degree in health care administration.

this might change as they have now implemented the first entry level nurse anesthesia doctorate program, the doctor of management practice in nurse anesthesia (dmpna).

Happy Halothane · Aug 30, 2008

Not all programs require a BSN; some find merit in untraditional backgrounds that provide a diverse experience leading into anesthesia education.

I'm assuming you have been preparing yourself otherwise: RN obtaining "significant" critical care experience, CCRN, and GRE >1000.

Make sure you shadow CRNA's in a couple settings to determine if this is what you really would like.

I personally have a Bachelor's in Business, with a complete pre-med curriculum. After getting my RN, I made sure to work in the most challenging areas available...making myself a stronger applicant.

A bachelor's degree is basically an accomplishment. It says that you can follow something through to the end. In your case, I feel that a Bachelor's in Biology is much more challenging than a BSN, and provides an extra science foundation that prepares you for the physiology and chemistry concepts of anesthesia.

I don't really see a reason to go back another 2 years for a second undergrad degree. It would be a waste of time and money. However, make sure your education history is relatively recent. School "10 years ago" doesn't look promising today. Graduate-level courses can help "re-prove" yourself if needed.

Good luck. Go to aana.com and research the accredited programs.

loveanesthesia · Aug 30, 2008

Go to aana.com and research the accredited programs.

Look for the programs that don't award a MSN, there are a lot of them. About half of nurse anesthesia programs give MS degrees, but not a MS in Nursing. Those programs will be very likely to look favorable on a Biology degree.

As said above, if you are not an RN, then that is your next step. There are a lot of accelerated nursing programs where you could do that in 12 intensive months with your Bio degree. Then the ICU experience-I think 2 years is best and some programs will require that rather than the 1 year minimum required by the accrediting body.

I've worked with many students with a Bio degree and accelerated nursing program background. As a group they've done well. Good luck.

bailey4036 · Oct 28, 2008

I am in the same situation as the original post. I am working on my preq's to get into an accelerated program. I am also working as a cna right now to gain some experience in the healthcare setting. My question is should I pursue a direct entry MSN or BSN if my ultimate goal is to become a nurse anesthetist? Thanks!!

loveanesthesia · Oct 29, 2008

My question is should I pursue a direct entry MSN or BSN if my ultimate goal is to become a nurse anesthetist? Thanks!!

I don't see much advantage to the direct entry MSN, unless you could use some of the graduate hours towards the requirements of the nurse anesthesia program. That may be possible in a few nurse anesthesia programs, but the MSN would not get you any advanced standing in many nurse anesthesia programs. I'm not sure what you mean by 'direct entry BSN', if you mean in contrast to completing an ADN to get the RN, then I would reccomend the BSN. An accelerated BSN would actually be faster than an ADN program and you could then apply to any nurse anesthesia program. You could apply to about half of the nurse anesthesia programs that are not in College's of Nursing with an ADN and BS in Bio.

chococherry · Oct 29, 2008

I have a BS in biochemistry, then I went to an accelerated program, got my BS in nursing. Worked 2 years in ICU, then applied and got into CRNA program. There is no shortcuts here, you need critical care experience in order to make you a better candidate and get outstanding references. Plus, you really need to be familiar with critical patients before you attempt to be CRNA. If your grades from your bio degree are not so great, nursing school is a chance to redeem yourself, study hard and get your GPA up. Plus, accelerated programs are very rigorous, and they pull a lot of weight during the admission process. If you can complete an accelerated program with good grades, it shows that you can successfully handle a CRNA program. Good luck.

JadamR15 · Oct 30, 2008

St. Joe's/Nazerath Hospital in Phili also takes a non-BSN undergrad degree. Need that RN, though. If you live in Florida (or a few other states in the south) you could always become a AA. (Anesthesiology Assistant)

Josh L.Ac. · Oct 30, 2008

I had a BS in biology and went into an accelerated BSN program, but instead of applying to CRNA school, I applied and was accepted into AA school. If you plan on working in the city under the ACT model and live near one of the 5 schools, then AA school is an option.

My accelerated BSN GPA was very high but didn't help much with my application since they focused more on my pre-med prerequisites. I also had to do a crash prep for the MCAT and scored fairly well, although I was tempted to retake to see how I could have done with a more intensive prep.

But like I said, if you didn't plan on doing locums to rake in the cash and plan on working under the ACT model, live near one of the five AA schools, and plan on practicing in one the states that AA's or licensed (or work in the VA system), then AA school could be an option.

loveanesthesia · Oct 31, 2008

you could always become a AA. (Anesthesiology Assistant)

You will have many more employment opportunities as a CRNA. As the push for cost controls in health care intensifies, I think the ACT will be phased out, along with AAs. It is more cost effective to have every anesthesiologist and every CRNA in a room doing a case. AAs can't do that, they must be supervised in an ACT, so the future is not good long term. There has been growth recently, but that is due to strong support from a group of the anesthesiologists. When the money gets tighter than it is now, things can change quickly. You would be wise to stick with your CRNA plan.