Is it true that CRNA programs want at least 5 years of experience?.....

[JoeAnaesthesia]

Hey everyone!,

I just got out of a small meeting with a dean of a large med/nursing university here in the Northeast. She told me that she has only 18 seats each year for her CRNA program and around 200 RN applicants each year for the 18 seats. She then said that they want from 5 to 10 to 15 of RN/ICU experience to be able to get a seat...and not just ANY ICU, but something in like a cardiothoracic ICU, or a burn ICU, etc.....Hey, personally, I find this just a bit much in overkill for entrance into a CRNA program. Does anyone have any insight into what's going on in the CRNA scenes in their part of the country regarding entrance requirements, etc? Maybe it's just this local area that creates such a quasi-ridiculous overkill entrance requirement environment for the program. What do you think?....Thanks for the input!! Please feel free to comment.

[Qwiigley, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Said by a youngster! Many, many schools take a wide range of ages and experience. This broadens the education of all the students. I was 40 when I went to CRNA school. I did not have the distractions the 25 year olds had. Enough said.

[olderthandirt2]

obviously this is a blanket statement but i have heard (hearsay) that it is better to only have like max. 5 years' experience. the longer you wait after your BSN the harder studying becomes (with age). i know that many people of various ages do CRNA programs all the time and do them successfully. but as a general rule of thumb academics become more difficult with age.

Yi,Yi,Yi, Yeeeeeee,

Ohhhhhh my, better watch your tongue there buddy.

I am 47yr with 2 Masters, (last one in 2007) and currently in a PhD program........uh, yeah and......just got accepted in the USAGPAN (Army CRNA program) "2nd in the nation", while working full time as a FLIGHT RN.

........and Just improved my GRE by 29%..............

So, what was that about "academics become more difficult with age........"

c.

[My_brain_hurts]

Maybe as one ages the crazy hours required to pass some classes won't be as easy to take --shoot, I can't stay up and pull all nighters now like I did in my first degree, and that was just ten years ago. Well, I can pull the all nighter but I'm not nearly as perky or coherent the next day. But honestly I don't think age has anything to do with ability to learn, barring any disease processes of course!!!

But back to original topic:

I got interviewed and accepted with a little under 1.5ys experience and will have just under 2 yrs when I start the program. So, we'll see how I survive! HA!

Anyways, don't let people tell you that you can't do something. I started ICU as a new grad because for me personally I knew med/surg wasn't for me and I would just get burned out and maybe even quit before transferring to ICU. Get good grades in nursing school if you can, take extra science classes (and make good grades!) if you haven't had a lot of science (I had more science than was required for a BSN) and study hard for the GRE. Getting CCRN is also good. I didn't have it, but most other applicants I met did, and it will give you a confidence boost to know you have it. And don't forget that when you interview, BE YOURSELF. They don't expect you to know everything, just be upfront and say you don't know --and that you'd have to look up "XYZ" to be sure. Being pro-active is always good I think. Good luck!

[hbgwan, LPN, LVN]

[/i][/b]

Yi,Yi,Yi, Yeeeeeee,

Ohhhhhh my, better watch your tongue there buddy.

I am 47yr with 2 Masters, (last one in 2007) and currently in a PhD program........uh, yeah and......just got accepted in the USAGPAN (Army CRNA program) "2nd in the nation", while working full time as a FLIGHT RN.

........and Just improved my GRE by 29%..............

So, what was that about "academics become more difficult with age........"

c.

i did not say ALL people have more trouble as they progress in age.

it obviously was not my intent to offend people

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

17 year nurse here and I will be applying for school--14 years CVICU, CCU, Trauma ER, and 3 years Level 3 NICU. Although I haven't been in school for awhile, I have a 4 GPA and chemistry is second nature. Not being in school doesn't make it harder, if you've got the gumption to go for it--and let's face it, you have to be able to do the schoolwork. Period.

I currently work in a Recovery Unit and notice--take this as constructive criticism please--CRNAS with minimal experience in the "regular" nursing field--are academically trained well....but CLINICALLY..I see a bigger learning curve. There are HUGE differences in someone with more background (even as a new CRNA) compared to one who is new to nursing (3 years or less) AND a new CRNA. It's very, very obvious.

See it ALL day long...I've seen them push Fentanyl too quickly and cause apnea and wonder why we have to ventilate the patient....extubate 90 year olds with VT that were less than 300 and wonder why patient's not exchange well and ETCO2 is 100. Wondering why the QRS is widening and not llnking metabolic acidoses as the problem--and more than that, not fixing it. I lot of it has to do with "comfort" zone and not just utilizing critical thinking...concepts are there...but so is a lot of fear--due to lack of exposure to these types of situations.

Although it is not a requirement for many programs. for excellent patient care as an overall patient and not just an anesthesized one....I highly suggest getting as much experience as possible.

It will only benefit you.