Is there any CRNA schools that did not fill seats

mwbeah · Aug 28, 2005

So tell me, are you having fun yet! :wink2:

Just wanted to say hi, my PhD program in Neuroscience at USUHS has started and they came out sprinting! (ooooof) But you know me, I live for this stuff. Tell everyone I said hello.

Mike

Neilsbiggestfan · Aug 28, 2005

But there is an age limit on joining the army resrves? At 30 I think I've missed that ship.

William_SRNA · Aug 28, 2005

But there is an age limit on joining the army resrves? At 30 I think I've missed that ship.

It is much higher than that for CRNAs and Nurses I want to say 47 or somewhere there abouts. I think the military way is a plus for some, but for others the regimental lifestyle and deployments will strian marriages. I know the Army reserve talks about 90 days boots on ground, but I would imagine for full timers you will be deployed in Iraq for quite a spell. The pay is low compared to civilian world and I do not forsee any Lochum Tenens options at Baghdad Memorial any time soon.

vaRN · Aug 28, 2005

So tell me, are you having fun yet! :wink2:
Just wanted to say hi, my PhD program in Neuroscience at USUHS has started and they came out sprinting! (ooooof) But you know me, I live for this stuff. Tell everyone I said hello.
Mike

Hey Mike! Glad to hear your doing well. I know you are in for some late nights, but it will be worth it, a PhD in neuroscience is a great accomplishment! I am loving the OR. We have had to deal with being the first VA guinea pigs but the faculty are doing well at working out the kinks. Tomorrow is my first day at Ft Gordon. Everyone is doing fine out here and can't wait for Dec 2006! Happy studying.

Heather

RNNJ · Aug 29, 2005

I didn't think that you came across condescending or rude. However, do you think that the army is a good choice for everybody? I mean you sort of have to buy into the whole idea and be prepared to be receiving orders and whatever side effect of being in the army is. Like you will be moved all over the country when you are not ready to. That is not a good way of raising kids, I don't think. I have a special needs child who would pretty much make it veeeeeeery hard to move for uonss. So the army is what it is and not desirable by a long shot for all. It sounds like a great fit for you though and go for it. That is great...But the rest of us have to pay for many reasons...

mwbeah · Aug 30, 2005

I didn't think that you came across condescending or rude. However, do you think that the army is a good choice for everybody? I mean you sort of have to buy into the whole idea and be prepared to be receiving orders and whatever side effect of being in the army is. Like you will be moved all over the country when you are not ready to. That is not a good way of raising kids, I don't think. I have a special needs child who would pretty much make it veeeeeeery hard to move for uonss. So the army is what it is and not desirable by a long shot for all. It sounds like a great fit for you though and go for it. That is great...But the rest of us have to pay for many reasons...

We have a special needs child as well, the Army enrolls you in a special program and other than the paperwork involved my son has received every type of therapy you could imagine (physical, speech, OT, equestrian (aka dynamic platform).

Your right the military isn't for everybody. But as a Nurse Anesthetist it is a great lifestyle. Yes I have been to Iraq, Yes I have earned a substantial side income in my off time, the yearly lump sum bonus has increased, yes the training was fully funded, yes the Army has fully funded my PhD program. As an Officer, and an Anesthetist, you pretty much are responsible for yourself (maintaining PT, showing up for work, etc). There aren't the formations and regiment that may accompany a line unit.

As for the pay, like I stated, the yearly lump sum bonus has increased to 40k per year if you sign up for 4 years, 35K for 3, 25K for 2, and 15K for one. If you enter the program, you sign up for training and a time obligation of 7 years (30 months training, 4.5 yr after). During that time your yearly lump sum is 15K per year. The pay is right now for me, I am a CPT with 12 years so I get roughly 5K per month in base pay, 2K for housing allowance, board certification pay, my yearly bonus, health and dental benefits, a cheap life insurance policy, and subsistence allowance. Yearly I make roughly 103,000 and I do not have to pay for insurance coverage. Also, I can moonlight and add anywhere from 30-55K per year extra.

Training, well our reputation speaks for itself (in my opinion, none better! I am extremely proud to be an alum and my goal is to continue the tradition as faculty.

When we move the Army picks up the tab, they contract out and the movers show up and pack you out (everything is boxed), pick up and deliver. You and your family pack a few things and meet up at your new residence and either immediately meet your delivery or set a date for a few days later for shipment. (I have moved roughly 5 times thus far (1988-1991, 2000 - present).

Deployment, ahhhh, as an active duty anesthetist you will deploy more than likely 2 times at least. One tour will be a year and one will be 6 months (average I would say). I won't lie, that is an issue, and the smaller our ranks get, the more the turnover for deployment. But the bottom line is that soldiers need strong solid anesthetist.

Things have been worse for Army Nurse Anesthetists, but our benefits have greatly increased with the inception of MG Pollock.

The Army is not for everyone, but if your willing to give it a shot and are motivated to become a CRNA, all I am saying is that it might be worth looking into.

Have a great day :)

Mike

sandman1914 · Oct 15, 2005

bump ..........

sky_limit · Oct 15, 2005

I am very seriously considering doing this.

My main concern is the age requirement. I see somebody above posted they *thought* the age limit to enter the Army as a nurse was 47. I did read the requirements link provided, but didn't see anything about the maximum age. For some reason, I had 43 in my head; I hope it is actually 47. Seeking confirmation, please.

sandman1914 · Oct 15, 2005

I am very seriously considering doing this.
My main concern is the age requirement. I see somebody above posted they *thought* the age limit to enter the Army as a nurse was 47. I did read the requirements link provided, but didn't see anything about the maximum age. For some reason, I had 43 in my head; I hope it is actually 47. Seeking confirmation, please.

a. Age. To be eligible for appointment as an Army Nurse Corps officer you must be less than 46.5 years of age at the time of application; you must commission before your 47th birthday. For applicants that currently hold an Army Nurse Corps Appointment (Army Reserve/ARNG), ask your Health Care Recruiter about any possible age or age-ingrade restrictions.

http://www.dns.amedd.army.mil/crna/Application_Information/application_info_for_civilians_and_reservists.htm

sky_limit · Oct 15, 2005

Much obliged, Sandman.

47 is what I wanted to hear. : )

Corvette Guy · Oct 16, 2005

i have only posted here a couple of times but i have a few things to share that may help some of you out. first off i am not a recruiter. okay, now that i have that one out of the way, let's get down to business. please take the time to read all of this, ignore my sometimes tough, maybe even arrogant and condascending tone because i'm actually a nice guy and don't mean to offend anyone. if i do, then i apologize in advance and don't mean to be that way but it's how it comes out sometimes folks. please have an open mind for all of you who are still applying to school or having troubles as there is still time to take advantage of this diamond in the rough that i am about to share with you. trust me you will learn something with what i am about to say.

i second what mike had to say about the army program. the army this year had 34 applicants for the 50 seats available (been like thise for years people). i was one of those who applied this year. the official selection board does not convene until the 12th of sep but i can assure you that all of us who applied and meet the qualification criteria will be selected for the class of june 2006. this is according to those who are closet to the program and have the inside info. i'm sure that mike will back me up on this one.

i am currently in the navy and will be switching to the army to go to school. after finding out about the army's program on my own i solicited advice from those who are intimate with the army's program. i had a loooong telephone conversation with mike about the good and the bad of the army's program. imo the only bad thing (according to some but not me) about the army's program is the obvious: possibly being deployed somewhere you may not like during conflict or time of war. however, keep this in mind when there are no conflicts or wars going on chances are pretty slim to none that you will be deployed. i know that the army's program is the best kept secret of all of the anesthesia programs out there. how can i make such a profound statement you may ask? well, here are the facts:

1. you get paid to go to school vs. paying to go to school. me personally i will make 75,000 my first year while in school and the pay will increase every year thereafter due to increases in rank and congresss mandated annual pay raises. i will also have 1st rate healthcare for me and my family at no cost. 30 month program means that on the low end i will walk away having made 187,500.00 to go to school. also, i will have no debt as the army pays for school. while some folks will be eating pbj and oodle noodles:o, i'll be eating surf and turf :chuckle . hell, i just finished the plans on my custom home that i'll be living in while in school. no living in some small apartment, penny pinching, backing up on my standard of living and worrying about money here folks.

2. some of you will have to shell out a ton of money just to move to other parts of the country just to go to school. it would cost about 10,000.00 for me to move from where i live to go to school in texas where the army's program is located. however, i will not have to pay on red cent to move cause the army is gonna foot the bill to move me. heck, i will actually get about 2,500.00 to move. in the military when you move from one place to the next you get what's called a dislocation allowance.

3. autonomy is second to none in the military as a crna. i can guarantee you that you will be very hard pressed to find a situation that offers more independence as a crna than in the military. yes, they do exist on the outside but that is not the everyday norm. in the military you are trained and expected to be independent from day one. some programs out there aren't really traing people to function as an independent provider from the start of class. some are forced to learn this on their own after graduation. in the military's eyes not being able to function each and every day on your own is counter productive to the mission and needs of the military.

4. the quality of education that you will receive is truly top notch. i know that many of you will say that your program is the best and yes i will proudly admit there are some incredible programs out there but here is one fact that very few of you folks know about. not many schools have human simulators. well, guess what, the army is the beta (experimental) test site for the company that manufactures the simulators that is in each of the schools across the nation be it crna or mda programs. that's gotta say something to those of you reading this. heck, the army even has a simulator dedicated for the purpose regional training. also, i will be issued a laptop that i plug into network everyday that i am in class with my notes pre-downloded on it. how many schools can boast that?

5. the amount of support that you will get to help you succeed and be the best that you can will not be matched anywhere else. why? here it is simply put: the professors (civilian and military) at the army's program have a much more serious and important goal than any other program in the nation. to train independent functioning crna's who are the best of the best to provide anesthesia to soliders, sailors and marines who, without reservation, volunteer to put their lives on the line in parts of the world that most of you have never been to and never will ever hear of to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy and take for granted

now in return for all of these great things that i have discussed and will receive i have to work for 4.5 years as a payback. but i don't mind cause i gotta work somewhere anyway after school. in my eyes i figure for what i'm getting it's such a small price to pay. this one thing in itself that makes the whole deal worth it for me. at the time i start school i will only have one year of icu experience under my belt. now some but most of the schools won't even entertain my application. not that i am above any one or better than the next person but some of you will still be putting in your 3+ years of cleaning poo, dealing with gi bleeds, doing things that you don't want to do and god knows what else just to make yourself competitive for a school that you may not even get into . not me folks. i will have graduated and be practicing while some of you will be still putting in apps and doing your time doing things to "get in good" and make yourself "look favorable in the eyes" of certain schools . ask your self this is your time not worth something? you will never get those years back spent doing things you really don't want to do. cause lets face it, if you really wanted to be doing all that ridiculous stuff then you would not be trying to become a crna. sneer at me if you want but who really wins in this situation. there is an old saying: take the path of least resistance and that is exactly what i am doing. i encourage those who are trying to get into school to do the same.

so why does a program that has all that going for it have unfilled seats? because people are uninformed, misinformed and afraid to try something different. and some folks just plain want something for nothing. pm me, heck i'm sure mike won't mind you quizzing him up a bit either, if you want to find out more and are ready to make a move that you will never forget or regret instead of being made to jump through all those ridiculous rings of fire that many of the other crna programs will subject you to. thanks for taking the time to read this.:chuckle

"if there is no struggle, there is no progress.the struggle may be a moral one or it may be a physical one, or it may both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. power concedes nothing without a demand. it never has and it never will. find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both." source: frederick douglass

outstanding post, sailor ... soon to be army srna.

everyone of your highlights have been a motivating factor towards my goal to become an army 66f soldier. plus, with 7 years prior service active duty, usmc 1980-1988 [w/inactive time btwn] oorah!, i figure with 2.5 yrs in the program, and 4.5 yrs back to the army, then all i need is 6 more yrs to complete 20 for retirement. :cool:

i, too, have applied for the jun 06 usagpan. i have been working towards this goal [at least in the back of my mind] since i began my health care career back in 1995 as a certified surgical technologist, aas in surgical technology. since 1995, i've been fairly busy; aas in nursing 1998, direct commission 1lt usar nurse corps 2003, and bsn in 2004.

ironically, i've been to the amedd c & s at fsh, tx [home of usagpan phase 1], on a regular basis ever since my son [usar 91d, 2000-2004 & u of h army rotc cadet since fall 2004] participated in a health occupation high school contest conducted at the amedd c & s campus. plus, my usar unit at fsh meets at the amedd c & s from time to time.

anyway, i sincerely hope to receive the "good news" soon cause the anticipation is :smackingf ... tough, to say the least.

READY4ANAP? · Oct 17, 2005

Outstanding post, sailor ... soon to be Army SRNA.
Everyone of your highlights have been a motivating factor towards my goal to become an Army 66F Soldier. Plus, with 7 years prior service active duty, USMC 1980-1988 [w/inactive time btwn] OORAH!, I figure with 2.5 yrs in the program, and 4.5 yrs back to the Army, then all I need is 6 more yrs to complete 20 for retirement.
I, too, have applied for the Jun 06 USAGPAN. I have been working towards this goal [at least in the back of my mind] since I began my health care career back in 1995 as a Certified Surgical Technologist, AAS in Surgical Technology. Since 1995, I've been fairly busy; AAS in Nursing 1998, Direct Commission 1LT USAR Nurse Corps 2003, and BSN in 2004.
Ironically, I've been to the AMEDD C & S at FSH, TX [home of USAGPAN Phase 1], on a regular basis ever since my son [uSAR 91D, 2000-2004 & U of H Army ROTC Cadet since Fall 2004] participated in a Health Occupation High School contest conducted at the AMEDD C & S campus. Plus, my USAR Unit at FSH meets at the AMEDD C & S from time to time.
Anyway, I sincerely hope to receive the "good news" soon cause the anticipation is :smackingf ... tough, to say the least.

Ready to be study buddies? Can't wait to meet you. I too am ready for those results to be made available