I have a B.S. degree, what would it take to become a CRNA?

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I currently have a Bachelor's degree in Applied Professional Studies, which is completely unrelated to Nursing. I would like to go back to school and become a Nurse Anesthetic. I think I need to become an RN first. Every time I look at colleges, it seems the programs are for people who are already RN's and would like to become BSN's (???)

I would like to know if anyone has an idea what would be in store for me. I have an appointment to meet with a guidance counselor locally this coming week, but after reading about the program, I don't think I qualify because I'm not an RN. Please help!

Specializes in I.C.U. / P.A.C.U..

Actually you dont need a nursing degree.

Visit this site for more information... http://www.anesthesiaassistant.com/

Aesthesiologist Assistants are highly skilled, Knowledgeable,

Master degree earning members of the anesthesia care team who

with their impeccable safety records work side by side with Certified

Registered Nurse Anesthetist's ( CRNA's). The Anesthesiologist

Assistant functions as a specialty physician assistant under the

direction of a licensed Anesthesiologist. The Anesthesiologist

Assistant's responsibilities, in the hospital setting are identical to the

CRNA. The Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine approved

the first Anesthesiologist Assistant license in Florida at their recent

meeting, held March 31, 2005. The 2004 Legislature passed senate

bill 626 and was signed by Governor Bush in June 2004. The bill

creates the licensing of Anesthesiologist Assistants in Florida.

Florida is considered a key state in regards to the licensing of

Anesthesiologist Assistants throughout the country. Due to this recent

approval from the boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine the

doors are now open for the remaining states to follow suit.

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Specializes in I.C.U. / P.A.C.U..

And to Mister johnnybravo8802

It is called a SWAN-GANZ catheter after the 2 doctors, its inventors Jeremy Swan and William Ganz, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who developed the Thermodilution Pulmonary Artery Catheter.

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Actually you dont need a nursing degree.

Visit this site for more information... http://www.anesthesiaassistant.com/

Aesthesiologist Assistants are highly skilled, Knowledgeable,

Master degree earning members of the anesthesia care team who

with their impeccable safety records work side by side with Certified

Registered Nurse Anesthetist's ( CRNA's). The Anesthesiologist

Assistant functions as a specialty physician assistant under the

direction of a licensed Anesthesiologist. The Anesthesiologist

Assistant's responsibilities, in the hospital setting are identical to the

CRNA. The Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine approved

the first Anesthesiologist Assistant license in Florida at their recent

meeting, held March 31, 2005. The 2004 Legislature passed senate

bill 626 and was signed by Governor Bush in June 2004. The bill

creates the licensing of Anesthesiologist Assistants in Florida.

Florida is considered a key state in regards to the licensing of

Anesthesiologist Assistants throughout the country. Due to this recent

approval from the boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine the

doors are now open for the remaining states to follow suit.

If you are a nurse, the AA path is not a good idea. The AA is based on the medical model and the CRNA is based on the nursing model. The AA requires all pre-med pre-req's and is a lot more science involved-I like that model better because I think they are better prepared for what happens after the medicine is in the body. You'd have to start over with a lot of core courses and that's not a good idea, unless you have a couple of extra years to do it.The problem with the AA is that you're nothing more than the extension of the anesthesiologist and operate strictly under his license-The good news is that he's ultimately responsible and his insurance carries you. As a CRNA, you operate under your license, your insurance, you have more autonomy, you can do more procedures, and you make more money. The bad news is that you are ultimately responsible. The other bad news with becoming an AA is that only certain states accept them and you have to live in those states if you want to practice-The CRNA can go anywhere and you can even do private practice-You can't as an AA. I interviewed with the head of the AA program at Emory University to find out this info.

You're right about the Swan-Ganz but it can actually be spelled either way-Look it up.:)

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Specializes in Medical.
You're right about the Swan-Ganz but it can actually be spelled either way-Look it up.:)
Google scholar has around 19 hits for "Schwann-Ganz" and around 38,500 hits for "Swan-Ganz" so I'm pretty sure the former's incorrect, albeit not uncommon in non-academic writing. I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread...
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You do NOT need a BSN if your goal is to be a CRNA. It would be helpful but a BSN is not required. A bachelor's degree is required but you already have one. What you must do is become an RN. There are several options. You could go to a community college. That would take 2-4 years depending on where you live and the type of admissions they use. Other options are to do an accelerated BSN. These are intensive nursing schools that are between 12-18 months long. You could also do a a regular BSN. That would take you about two and a half years.

You must get very good grades in nursing school to have a good chance of getting into CRNA school.

After you are an RN you can start to think about getting into CRNA school. You will need to get a job as an RN in an intensive care unit. The bigger the unit with the higher acuity (sicker patients) the better. One year of ICU experience is absolutely required but to be competitive you will likely need 2 or 3 years. After you are an RN with some ICU experience you can apply to CRNA school. It is highly competitive with lots of fully qualified applicants not getting accepted each year. That said every single person I know who has ever applied has got in, maybe not on their first try though.

Right now you should forget about CRNA school and just concentrate on becoming a good RN. One other thing. If your goal is to go CRNA I would kind of keep that to yourself when applying to nursing school and for sure keep it to yourself when applying for ICU RN jobs.

2 questions....do they look at your pre-req grades or Soley ur nursing school grades? Or do they combine them?

Also what's the reasoning behind not telling anyone ur going to CRNA school??

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Specializes in I.C.U. / P.A.C.U..

Thanks Johnnybravo. I find your post to be very well thought out and informative. I was trying to give the original poster an alternate option... It is for him to decide which route to go.

As far as SWAN-GANZ catheters, I have only known that spelling. I was an anesthesia tech in the 70s before becoming an RN. I've never seen the other pronunciation. Googling it only brings up "did you mean swan-ganz"

I work in Florida and our hospital uses the AA. We have 2 of 'em. They do everything the CRNA does, central lines, a-lines, intubate, etc. Our anesthesia group even has them tutoring new Student Registered Nurse Anesthesists. Oh well times are changing. The CRNA aren't really too friendly with them but you can understand.

We had 1 patient that was having some gi bleeding, the CRNA mentioned a Blakemore tube and the A.A. was asking what that........So what can I say. The docs like them because they only supervise 2. They need to supervise 4 CRNAs.

Thanks for your informed views....

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
2 questions....do they look at your pre-req grades or Soley ur nursing school grades? Or do they combine them?

Also what's the reasoning behind not telling anyone ur going to CRNA school??

*** It depends on the school but your science grades are going to be the most important. A very good friend of mine is in CRNA school. He had a previous degree with very bad grades but then, years later, was an outstanding nursing student and got great grades. He didn't have any trouble getting into CRNA school and was accepted to 3 programs the first year he applied.

As for not mentioning your desire to go to grad school. ICUs spend a lot of money and time training nurses to be ICU nurses. Some of them are not going to want to spend all that time and money just to be your stepping stone to CRNA school. It is for that exact reason that the Critical Care Nurse Residency program at my hospital (a 7 month training program to train new grads into the ICU) no longer hires new grad BSNs into their program. It doesn't say any place that they don't hire new grad BSNs but they don't and haven't for over a year. Our nurse manager told us that they would no longer be hiring new grad BSNs at a unit meeting well over a year ago. She said that in response to complains from senior nurses who serve as preceptors that they where spending all their time training grads only to have them go off the CRNA school when they got their year or two in. In 2007 the residency program graduated 9 new grads into the SICU. Of those 9 there where 7 BSNs and 2 ADNs. One of the BSNs became a stay at home mom, 6 went to CRNA school. The only two who still work in the SICU are the two who where ADN grads.

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*** It depends on the school but your science grades are going to be the most important. A very good friend of mine is in CRNA school. He had a previous degree with very bad grades but then, years later, was an outstanding nursing student and got great grades. He didn't have any trouble getting into CRNA school and was accepted to 3 programs the first year he applied.

As for not mentioning your desire to go to grad school. ICUs spend a lot of money and time training nurses to be ICU nurses. Some of them are not going to want to spend all that time and money just to be your stepping stone to CRNA school. It is for that exact reason that the Critical Care Nurse Residency program at my hospital (a 7 month training program to train new grads into the ICU) no longer hires new grad BSNs into their program. It doesn't say any place that they don't hire new grad BSNs but they don't and haven't for over a year. Our nurse manager told us that they would no longer be hiring new grad BSNs at a unit meeting well over a year ago. She said that in response to complains from senior nurses who serve as preceptors that they where spending all their time training grads only to have them go off the CRNA school when they got their year or two in. In 2007 the residency program graduated 9 new grads into the SICU. Of those 9 there where 7 BSNs and 2 ADNs. One of the BSNs became a stay at home mom, 6 went to CRNA school. The only two who still work in the SICU are the two who where ADN grads.

Thanks for clarifying this for and for the heads up! I have excellent grades in my sciences but a 1 C and D in classes that dont matter and I will be starting the Nursing program in the Fall2010 and I just want to be as prepared as possible so I can get the best grades and resources available. Can you offer any advice in regards to doing well in Nursing school?

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Thanks Johnnybravo. I find your post to be very well thought out and informative. I was trying to give the original poster an alternate option... It is for him to decide which route to go.

As far as SWAN-GANZ catheters, I have only known that spelling. I was an anesthesia tech in the 70s before becoming an RN. I've never seen the other pronunciation. Googling it only brings up "did you mean swan-ganz"

I work in Florida and our hospital uses the AA. We have 2 of 'em. They do everything the CRNA does, central lines, a-lines, intubate, etc. Our anesthesia group even has them tutoring new Student Registered Nurse Anesthesists. Oh well times are changing. The CRNA aren't really too friendly with them but you can understand.

We had 1 patient that was having some gi bleeding, the CRNA mentioned a Blakemore tube and the A.A. was asking what that........So what can I say. The docs like them because they only supervise 2. They need to supervise 4 CRNAs.

Thanks for your informed views....

You do bring up a very good point though. Since the OP isn't already an RN and is interested in anesthesia, the AA route is a good alternative-A better one to build on an already BS degree. He will probably have to take some pre-med core classes though. I have heard that the AA's aren't allowed to do certain procedures in certain hospitals per policy. However, if there is an issue with certain things, an anesthesiologist can find a loophole and gain permission for an AA to perform those procedures in those particular hospitals. You are correct about the CRNA's thinking the AA's are incompetent-It's a war that's gone on for years but the CRNA's also think there is no difference between them and the anesthesiologist-Only another 6 years of medical school!!!:rolleyes:If you look at the curriculum of an AA closely versus a CRNA, you'll notice the AA has a much stronger science background than the CRNA. The guy at Emory sold me on this very quickly and even had a side by side comparison. You did come up with the best alternative for the OP though!!!:yeah::yeah:

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Thanks for clarifying this for and for the heads up! I have excellent grades in my sciences but a 1 C and D in classes that dont matter and I will be starting the Nursing program in the Fall2010 and I just want to be as prepared as possible so I can get the best grades and resources available. Can you offer any advice in regards to doing well in Nursing school?

The best advice for doing well in nursing school is to become good at test taking. I was never a good test taker but had to learn to become good or not make it. They give you a lot of scenarios and there appear to be several correct answers but you can only choose one. It's all about prioritizing and deciding what should be done first-It's sort of like the ABC's in CPR-I still refer back to that a lot. You really have to learn to be a critical thinker-That's what is so neat about the ICU-It makes you think and you feel good about what you did at the end of the day. You take the answers for that test you just made an A on and apply it to your clinicals and watch it all come together-You watch your competence build.:yeah: Good luck with your quest!

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What if you have your bachelor's in Respiratory Therapy! and worked it for more than a year are you still able to apply to become a CRNA???

A CRNA is an advanced practice nurse. You must be an RN with experience in critical care before applying to a CRNA program.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

You know, I know I'm going to come off as an ass with my reply

*** Yes you did.

but, I think it's time for some tough love. Let me get the story straight-You're not even an RN and you want to become a CRNA?

*** So what? My two best friends are currently in CRNA school and they went to nursing specifically to go to CRNA school. Lots of people so that.

I want to make sure I get that part right. First off, you obviously have no interest in becoming an RN or you would start there. Most people are RN's for a while, get some really good ICU experience under their belt and decide to advance their career through becoming a CRNA-That's the way it normally goes.

*** Except for all the people who have no intention of being a nurse except to gain experience for CRNA school. What somebody elses motivations are are none of your business. Why would you even care.

This couldn't be about the money, could it? Hmmmmm....I wonder.

*** I don't know but so what if it is? Nothing wrong with that.

We just got through with a thread about people going into nursing for the wrong reasons and here we go....

*** Why anyone else goes to nursing school isn't any one's business. We all have our reasons. Personally I could care less what motivated my co-workers to become nurses. I care that they are good at their jobs. I became a nurse when I decided to quite dairy farming and learned from the local community college that I could be an RN in only 9 months. I did it because it was quick and easy.

You have to start out with being an RN first-BSN minimum-

*** You are misinformed. A BSN is not required to be a CRNA. Some schools require it but many do not.

This is a master's level program. Then a minimum of 1 year ICU experience. Most programs will hardly look at you unless you have around 5 yrs.

*** I don't know about most programs but I do know about the 4 programs in MN and the one in WI and that is not even close to being true for them. 1-3 years of solid experience is plenty.

of ICU experience-I'm not talking about the community ICU either, more like Level 1 trauma center ICU. You really need to have a strong cardiac background. This is just the beginning.

*** Naw, nurses from our PICU go to CRNA school all the time and they have very little cardiac background. I don't know how hard it is for them but they all seem to come back as CRNAs.

Then you have to take the GRE and pass it

*** Maybe for some schools, but lots don't require it at all. Your choice whether to take it or not.

When I looked into it, they wanted courses at the bachelor's level that were more Pre-Med level-Bio chem, physics, organic chem, more physics, etc. and they want you to have good grades in those classes.

*** Maybe some schools, for most the science classes most of us took for nursing with the addition of another chem class is fine. Wouldn't hurt to take the classes you talk about but not needed. CRNA programs are designed for nurses.

The next step is to pay off all of your debt because you won't be working for 28-36 months, depending on the program you apply to.

*** Make that 24-36 months depending on the program. Maybe is the OP avoids your unnecessary suggestion of getting a BSN and instead gets her ADN she won't owe money that needs to be paid off before grad school.

When you get out of school, you'll have even more debt from the program. You basically live off of loans or a spouse working or both. Yea, the course is grueling and you can expect to be up at 3AM looking at cadavers. I know these things because I've known quite a few people who were accepted into the program. I was going down that road but decided some things were more important than money and giving up my life for 3 years.

*** Different stroke for different folks. The other big reason guys I know head to CRNA school is to get out of the toxic female ruled world of the ICU while at the same time avoiding grad programs that talk about the stupid and silly "nursing theory" that dominate MSN programs. Another BIG motivating factor is the autonomy and independence offered by being a CRNA.

Ever wonder why 5-6% of RNs are men but 66% of CRNAs are men?

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