I'm in at case western 2010!!! Anyone else??

SCVICURN · Jan 24, 2010

Lyela,

Hey!! So since I can't PM you I will just answer you here. The deal with CCF clinicals is that you will get $1000 a month plus health insurance and PTO time. After you are done with school, they will offer you a job and you will make their starting salary and you will owe them 30 months before that school money is paid off. If you can't stay, then you work out something with the CCF office and pay them off in a year. It doesn't matter if you work there or not ahead of time, you have to take the money. Have you thought UH or Summa? Are you local to the area?

lyela · Jan 25, 2010

Scvicurn,

Thanks for the explaination. I have much to learn. Still a little confused. My lettter, check and head shot has to be to admission by 01/29/10. I sent it express and the USPS delivered it to the wrong Post Office- I will have to trouble shoot it tomorrow. I am not local to Cleveland.

nursingdude78 · Jan 25, 2010

I took stats 9 years ago, all the other programs I applied to are fine with that. All the MSN anesthesia programs have nursing theory, but the MS in Nurse Anesthesia programs do not have nursing theory, their didactic is more focused on the hard sciences. Look at the curriculums, they vary widely. Ultimately all programs give you the the ability to be a CRNA, it just depends on your preference. CCF will provide unmatched acutiy, but do you have to take a 2nd seat to MD Anesthesia residents? I have heard of some horror stories from some MSN programs (not Case Western) where they had to write a ton of papers and do all this BS that was in no way related to anesthesia.

I got accepted to Mercer and am waiting to hear from USC and Kaiser. I like Mercer because it is a medical school with no anesthesia residents, so SRNA's = residents = great training. Plus they average 1200+ cases, more than anywhere else I have talked to. I also liked that the curriculum was mostly free of fluff classes.

USC program looks strong. Have heard awesome things about Kaiser, but again they have a ton of fluff classes too. Congrats to everyone who was accepted, Case Western has a great name and I am sure you will be happy there.

AltruisticRN · Feb 1, 2010

I interview in two weeks, how intimidating was it? I've already met with Paul when I shadowed a CRNA couple months ago and he seems like a very nice guy but I haven't met with anyone else on the panel. Any insights?

FatCRNA · Feb 6, 2010

Having interviewed way back in Novemeber and not having heard anything, except the "We will let you know late Feb/early March" I can only assume that I did not get in at this point.

Does anyone know of any stories of where someone DID get if they did not get letters as fast as the ones who did get in?

:confused: Actually, it kind of stinks. If they don't want you, they should let you know as fast as the ones who did get in.

I have a friend who interviewed in January and they have not heard anything either. They, too are assuming they did not get in.

All of my sources (2 people) on the panel have told me off the record that they pretty much know who they are going to take before you even walk into the room for the interview. As I mentioned in another post, someone who they know they want has to really screw up the interview not to get in.

Conversely, they also know beforehand if they don't want you. No matter how good you are in the interview, they have already made up their minds that you are not in. The one person told me she can remember maybe one time where a person was tagged as "unwanted" beforehand but then made it anyway.

Basically, if you are stellar, they will want you, and DESERVINGLY so.

BUT, there are cases of inferior people who haven't even met the one year minimum ICU experience requirement who have gotten in. There are people who have literally graduated as a nurse in May, interviewed in the fall of the same year, and then got in!!!

OK, so maybe they have stellar grades. But, is it really fair that they are not following their own guidelines for admissions?? They claim to put so much importance of experience and yet they take people who are barely off orientation in their FIRST nursing job!! Heck, most of them have never even seen a code, much less participated in one.

I have also heard, although they didn't tell me this, that they highly recommend the book "Sleep With This Book" as a guide for getting into the program. I did some research on the book. Turns out that the person who wrote the book applied to 50 (yes 50) schools and never got in.

Maybe I am sounding like a sore loser...But is it really fair that:

- They make people wait so long to find out that they did NOT make it.

- They don't even follow their OWN guidelines of minimum requirements?

- They recommend books that are both slammed by Amazon.com reviewers and whose advice never worked for the author?

I don't have a problem losing out to more qualified people. The role of a CRNA is a very serious one. Only the best should make it. Having read some of the bios of these posts and it certainly appears that they are very qualifed. So, congratulations to those who made it.

What I do have a problem with are those few individuals who really don't deserve to get (which is not to say they wouldn't be qualifed with more experience).

As for me....I am burned out on bedside nursing so I guess I will go get a job at McDonalds making cheeseburges and obliging to the customer who request extra pickles on their triple decker big mac. :eek:

nursingdude78 · Feb 7, 2010

It is a bummer to wait so long for an answer. They are not breaking their admission rules though. You have to have 1 year ICU experience before the program starts, so someone who graduated in May can qualify to attend school in August of the following year.

There are different opinions about the experience factor. I have talked to a lot of CRNA's and anesthesiologists who basically say that there is little correlation from ICU to Anesthesia and you should just get on with school and learn anesthesia. I have also talked to CRNA's who felt extensive ICU experience was critical to learning anesthesia well. I think a lot depends on the individual. I personally think 2 years is a great number. You become pretty comfortable in the ICU by that time, but not yet an expert. After 2 years, the law of diminishing returns kicks in big time.

FatCRNA · Feb 7, 2010

I agree about the "diminishing returns" after two years. But, I have a problem with the one year before the program starts. I have personally seen people with less than one year experience who have applied, got accepted, and then quit their job to take a "break" before the program starts.

Case puts way too much emphasis on GPA. A person can have lousy GRE scores and limited experience but if they have a great GPA all their "weaknessess" are forgotten about.

It should be a combination of everything. A medicore GPA (2.8 - 3.3 range) with great GRE scores and loads of experience should be investigated more by the school in the interview process. Was the person working full-time while attending school? Was there some sort of family crisis in their lives? Neither of those apply to me, so I can't use them as excuses. The point is that wham! you don't have a 4.0 and you are instantly ruled out.

Case also, in general, tends to favor younger people. The basic bio is under 25, sensational GPA, and female. If a person meets those criteria, then all else is overlooked.

The *current* class (who started in 2009) has ONE person over age 25 in it. Just ask Case about that. They will freely tell you that.

Off the record they will also tell you that they frown upon older people because they have too much going on their lives. While older people do have alot going in their lives, this is age discrimination.

They also highly prefer bigger hospitals. They would rather take someone from a speciality ICU at a big hospital than someone with general ICU experience at a smaller hospital.

The overlook or don't realize the fact, that in smaller hospitals an ICU nurse actually becomes better than an ICU nurse at a bigger hospital. Bigger hospitals tend to be so "recipe" like. It takes thinking out of the equation. There are so many resources to turn to when problems arise.

As I mentioned before, I read some of the bios in these postings and they are extremely impressive. It seems like the ones who truly qualify for the program and who got accepted are taking advantage of these forums as opposed to the ones who really should not have got in.

But, what do I know? I got turned down by Case and might be just trying to let off steam in these forums.

Bottom line is that applying to CRNA schools is a two way road. I am interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me. I have promising interviews at other schools. Even if I was accepted into Case, I would probably not take a spot because I don't like their overall admission process and their bias towards a certain demographics.

nursingdude78 · Feb 8, 2010

Hopefully you get in to some other programs. I was the same way when I interviewed. I asked a ton of questions and basically interviewed them. I liked that Case Western starts their clinical training early and you get over 900 cases under your belt by the time you graduate. I did not like all the nursing theory classes and would not be excited about being 31 and the oldest one in the class. I have decided to attend another program.

I will have 18 months ICU experience when I start, so I hope I feel comfortable and ready. I study a lot and feel pretty good about my ICU knowledge, but am far from an expert.

I agree that the big teaching hospitals may not be the best, even though all the schools seem to think so. You want to be at a place big enough where all the sick patients get sent to you and don't get transported off to another hospital, but if it is big university hospital, then you always have residents and other people nearby to go to. At my hospital, you have to rely on yourself and other staff nurses, which I think is a good thing.

trav2CRNA · Feb 8, 2010

I was just wondering where everyone's getting their facts about Case?? Or about the real world of nursing and ICUs outside their little box?

My ADN GPA 2.9 and my BSN 3.45 makes an average 3.1-3.2?? and my GRE 1140? both mediocre at best.

But my experience is what got me in. (8 years now). Even got me a letter postmarked 3 days after my interview!! I've done level 1 trauma, open heart, neuroICU, burn, transplant, HIV ICUs, been in 100 codes, etc, etc.

After getting my experience on staff at the highest acuity place yet Ive been to 40+ hospitals doing travel and per diem. And yes I learned and experienced 100 times more at NY Presbyterian Cornell & Columbia, Brigham & Womens in Boston & CCF then any rinky dink community hospital. (They are top ten hospitals for a reason.) And the fact they have such high acuity levels and a great learning environment I am expected to not only know everything- a good nurse does not hand it to their resident- they actually collaborate with them!! Having a huge resource in the hospital should make a nurse better- stronger &smarter!! The fact you see it as a hindrance makes me wonder.

And the fact that Im 33 and Ill be in the program must make me ancient???

It sounds actually that Case is making some right decisions about who they are selecting and that gives me a little bit more confidence about the next couple years. :)

nursingdude78 · Feb 9, 2010

I liked a lot of what I saw when I interviewed at Case. It sounds like they accept a wide variety of people. I had never heard anything about them only accepting younger people until I read it on this forum. Hopefully that is not true. It was a tough decision for me deciding where to go.

I agree that a "rinky dink" community hospital is not the way to go. I was comparing a level one trauma center (500 beds) where I now work to a Level one university based hospital where I used to work (1000 plus beds, nationally ranked). I feel like I am stretched a lot more where I currently work, I have not had the residents to use as a crutch. But this is coming from a relatively new nurse, I think a veteran nurse of 8 plus years would benefit more in a university based hospital because they will see the more unique complications etc, and can actually help out the residents who often dont know what to do.

Class2011 · Feb 9, 2010

I suppose everyone is a little bias toward their own experience. Mine is a midsize, level one, teaching facility. It seems to me that as the hospitals get bigger, the icu's get more specialized and the range of patients diminishes. We did everything except hearts in our med/surg icu and i enjoyed the wide range of experiences. Of course, we did ship some, not many, patients to other facilities.

With all due respect to the doctors, you absolutely cannot use the interns as a crutch no matter how long you have been nursing. If you think otherwise, come look around in June when as a whole the interns at the bedside have no idea what they are doing. From day one, it's crucial that nurses consult with other nurses. With experience, nurses become skilled at teaching the interns tactfully and knowing when to call upper levels. The most experienced (generous) nurses end up taking the interns under their wing for the day.

SCVICURN · Feb 10, 2010

Having interviewed way back in Novemeber and not having heard anything, except the "We will let you know late Feb/early March" I can only assume that I did not get in at this point.
Does anyone know of any stories of where someone DID get if they did not get letters as fast as the ones who did get in?
Actually, it kind of stinks. If they don't want you, they should let you know as fast as the ones who did get in.
I have a friend who interviewed in January and they have not heard anything either. They, too are assuming they did not get in.
All of my sources (2 people) on the panel have told me off the record that they pretty much know who they are going to take before you even walk into the room for the interview. As I mentioned in another post, someone who they know they want has to really screw up the interview not to get in.
Conversely, they also know beforehand if they don't want you. No matter how good you are in the interview, they have already made up their minds that you are not in. The one person told me she can remember maybe one time where a person was tagged as "unwanted" beforehand but then made it anyway.
Basically, if you are stellar, they will want you, and DESERVINGLY so.
BUT, there are cases of inferior people who haven't even met the one year minimum ICU experience requirement who have gotten in. There are people who have literally graduated as a nurse in May, interviewed in the fall of the same year, and then got in!!!
OK, so maybe they have stellar grades. But, is it really fair that they are not following their own guidelines for admissions?? They claim to put so much importance of experience and yet they take people who are barely off orientation in their FIRST nursing job!! Heck, most of them have never even seen a code, much less participated in one.
I have also heard, although they didn't tell me this, that they highly recommend the book "Sleep With This Book" as a guide for getting into the program. I did some research on the book. Turns out that the person who wrote the book applied to 50 (yes 50) schools and never got in.
Maybe I am sounding like a sore loser...But is it really fair that:
- They make people wait so long to find out that they did NOT make it.
- They don't even follow their OWN guidelines of minimum requirements?
- They recommend books that are both slammed by Amazon.com reviewers and whose advice never worked for the author?
I don't have a problem losing out to more qualified people. The role of a CRNA is a very serious one. Only the best should make it. Having read some of the bios of these posts and it certainly appears that they are very qualifed. So, congratulations to those who made it.
What I do have a problem with are those few individuals who really don't deserve to get (which is not to say they wouldn't be qualifed with more experience).
As for me....I am burned out on bedside nursing so I guess I will go get a job at McDonalds making cheeseburges and obliging to the customer who request extra pickles on their triple decker big mac.

First of all it sound as if you don't like Case very much so I am wondering why you would even apply there if you feel they are so awful? Second, your facts are a bit off. I know numerous students that are well over 30 that are in school now and that were students there in the last few classes. I myself am 34, and I got in, and I hardly think I will be the old hag in the group. Also, a girl that is in the class that graduates this dec interviewed in Oct but got her letter in Feb. so there is still a 50/50 chance if you didnt get a no letter yet.

In another post there were comments made about big hospitals, and I have worked at both CCF in the heart unit as well as the sicu and some smaller hosp as agency, and there is a night and day difference between them. The acuity that CCF has is way above any others. High quality ICU with really sick pt will far out shine more years a community hospital that ships away those sick pt for the nurses at CCF or another large institution to care for. They are looking at the entire picture of the candidate, and of course they want people with a good GPA because they want students that will pass boards in the end!! Also, the person with one year experience at interview time will have over a year by the time school starts so keep that in mind as the comments are made about the less than a year applicants.