ICU experience

[dbeniman]

Hi everyone,

I am interested to get in to CRNA program. I have been RN for 10 years, most of orthopedic floor. I am planning to transfer to MCICU to get more experience. Do you think I have to apply for entrance 2015 or 2016? Another thing, for Rosalind Franklin school, do you able to work during 27 months of school? Thank you for your response.

[bibibi]

Depends on when you transfer and when the program starts in 2014. You need 1 year of ICU experience before the program starts. Don't rely on working during CRNA school.

[CRNA, DNSc]

The other thing you need to look at is how old are your prerequisite courses. You may have to repeat some and that will take time as well. Good luck

[Yuppers21]

From what I have seen, most schools strongly discourage if not outright forbid working while in the program. Also, the 1 year ICU requirement is a bit trickier than it sounds. Some schools require 1 year before applying, others only before the actual program starts. Others even require 18-24 months. Keep in mind, while schools will often post minimal critical care experience required, it does not mean you will necessarily be a competitive applicant if that is all you have.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I also recommend taking some graduate courses before trying to go back to NA school, if you haven't been in school for more than 4-5 years. Students that have been out of school for more 4-5 years statistically have more trouble when going back to grad school. It takes a few classes to get back into the swing of being a student again.