Just graduated from CRNA school

Nursing Students SRNA

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I just graduated from CRNA school, and boy does it feel good. I remember coming on here asking if my GPA was good enough (my undergraduate GPA wasn't the best), and reading threads about what type of ICU I should work in.

I was a non-ICU nurse who had a comfortable forever job with a great pension, but I got bored and decided to pursue CRNA in the Fall of 2014. Started in ICU in 2015, took the GRE, CCRN, and CMC, and I'm just now graduating.

Anyways, a lot of people answered my questions, so I'm happy to pay it forward and answer anybody's questions about CRNA school or the process of applying and getting accepted, since I'm not doing anything else but studying for boards now!

Specializes in Anesthesia.
2 hours ago, RomanNoodlesRN said:

Hi there!

Congrats on finishing! It must feel fantastic! Reading what you initially wrote I feel like I am very similar to you. I currently have a great job but I am finding myself craving to learn and do more. I am going to start shadowing some CRNAs to see if this is the right path for me. My question is when you made the switch to ICU how long did stay there before applying to school?

I interviewed with a little less than 2 years of ICU experience, and had nearly had 3 years of ICU experience when I started. I had about 6 years of bedside RN experience total. Some people are of the thought process that you need more ICU experience than that, but I believe 2-3 years is enough, and 1 year isn't enough. I felt like I had a leg up going into the ICU because I started out in a stepdown unit, so the transition wasn't all that difficult and a lot of what I learned in stepdown carried over into the ICU. Everybody will be different and have a different situation though.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
1 hour ago, go_jets82 said:

Thanks for the post and congrats! What state do you plan on working in when you pass your boards? Also, you talked about taking out money to live off of, is this through the school or did you have to seek out private loan companies?

I'm staying home in California. I want to move because it seems like CRNAs get better deals elsewhere in terms of salary to cost-of-living ratio, but all my family is here and I feel stuck.

In regards to loans, it was all federally backed loans through the school (stafford and grad plus loans).

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8 hours ago, ProgressiveThinking said:

Some people did travel and paid cash for tuition

Do you mean travel nursing? So apparently, that was seen in a favorable light by the program director. I've debated on doing some high pay travel assignments to save up some cash before applying to NA school, but worried at the same time that it may not be helpful (competition for admission, I mean) due to various reasons. Any thoughts?

Do you also have any insight on market saturation projections? I know the NA market right now is very robust and full of opportunity. Just wondering if in your lectures, or clinicals etc., you happened to hear if there is concern for over-saturation, decreasing or increasing salaries for CRNA's.

Your starting salary sounds pretty dang amazing. You'll pay it off easy. The thing about CA is...yes, they have wonderful ratios and cushy jobs, pensions, and great pay over six figures, but you're confined to that state, along with their taxes. In NA, you can go anywhere in the nation and make at least 120K+, and that's a huge perk.

One more question...do you have any opinion on advising if new grad CRNA's should seek hospital employment with a wide exposure to Neuro, OB, hearts, blocks, etc., VS. taking a laidback low stress Endo job? I wonder about retaining crucial skills like blocks and lines if one were to end up in the latter setting.

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Also, how many hours of shadowing do you recommend? Prior to school.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
3 hours ago, ICUman said:

Do you mean travel nursing? So apparently, that was seen in a favorable light by the program director. I've debated on doing some high pay travel assignments to save up some cash before applying to NA school, but worried at the same time that it may not be helpful (competition for admission, I mean) due to various reasons. Any thoughts?

Do you also have any insight on market saturation projections? I know the NA market right now is very robust and full of opportunity. Just wondering if in your lectures, or clinicals etc., you happened to hear if there is concern for over-saturation, decreasing or increasing salaries for CRNA's.

Your starting salary sounds pretty dang amazing. You'll pay it off easy. The thing about CA is...yes, they have wonderful ratios and cushy jobs, pensions, and great pay over six figures, but you're confined to that state, along with their taxes. In NA, you can go anywhere in the nation and make at least 120K+, and that's a huge perk.

One more question...do you have any opinion on advising if new grad CRNA's should seek hospital employment with a wide exposure to Neuro, OB, hearts, blocks, etc., VS. taking a laidback low stress Endo job? I wonder about retaining crucial skills like blocks and lines if one were to end up in the latter setting.

Yes, I mean travel nursing. A lot of my classmates did travel nursing prior school, and it didn't seem to affect them. I'm sure it's program dependent though. The good thing about travel is you can do assignments at a lot of the big name hospitals that look good on an application.

No insight into the market here. The market is difficult to predict. When I first started school I thought that I would have to move to get a job since the market was so terrible. The good news is baby boomers are set to keep retiring, and I've read somewhere that the average age of CRNAs is ~48 which leaves a lot of people closer to retirement.

For new grads, I would advise choosing a hospital with wide exposure, like you stated. A lot of outpatient endo CRNAs don't do much other than start IVs and give sedation. Most CRNAs who do endo do it as a side gig for extra $$. If you did it FT you would lose out on your intubation skills, lines, blocks, etc, which is all of the stuff I enjoy doing.

Some people say a community hospital that allows you to practice independently or with a high level of autonomy doing blocks and lines is the best experience as a new grad, while others say that the experience and cases you get at a Level 1 trauma center is invaluable. That experience varies though because Level 1 trauma centers sometimes have residency programs, and limit the scope of CRNAs e.g. no blocks, MD pushes your induction drugs, no lines. This just varies by institution.

Right now my job is currently going to be in a community hospital that handles traumas. I'll be doing everything from blocks to OB to central lines, pre op, maintenance, post op, the whole schabang on my own. I just interviewed for a level 1 though, and I really liked the culture there, so I may end up doing that because the benefits are ridiculous and I'd have wide exposure along with a second set of hands and backup. As a new grad, sometimes this is the safest bet while you continue to learn and build your skills up. especially if you trained in an ACT. Only downside is no blocks, but I would have a PRN job that allows me to do them. There are too many options right now, and I'm indecisive.

2 Votes
Specializes in Anesthesia.
2 hours ago, ICUman said:

Also, how many hours of shadowing do you recommend? Prior to school.

I shadowed 8 hours and that was enough for me to know that I would like it better than bedside nursing. My program didn't have a set hourly requirement. It was just expected that you've shadowed a CRNA. I would ask the programs you apply to if they have an hourly requirement. Otherwise I would say shadow for as long as it takes you to figure out if it's something you really want to do or not.

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Thanks. What was the average age of your classmates in school?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
1 hour ago, ICUman said:

Thanks. What was the average age of your classmates in school?

Early 30s. Some older, a couple WAY older, and a few younger. Coincidentally, Most of us were 30 when we started.

2 Votes
Specializes in CRNA.

Job market will continue to be strong-biggest factor is the greater utilization of CRNAs in several regions of the country. There’s a lot of room for growth in the western 1/3 of the US. Biggest problem is difficulty finding CRNAs to fill the available positions. Any CRNA able to practice independently will have many opportunities.

3 Votes
2 hours ago, loveanesthesia said:

Any CRNA able to practice independently will have many opportunities.

And the ability to be able to practice independently stems from years of experience? Or perhaps depends on which program you went to?

I guess I’m confused as to what would allow some anesthetists to practice independently vs. those who are not.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
2 hours ago, loveanesthesia said:

Job market will continue to be strong-biggest factor is the greater utilization of CRNAs in several regions of the country. There’s a lot of room for growth in the western 1/3 of the US. Biggest problem is difficulty finding CRNAs to fill the available positions. Any CRNA able to practice independently will have many opportunities.

I agree with this. One of the MDs who trained me is convinced that there will be more MD anesthesiologist only practices and more CRNA only practices in the future. In his residency, saying you didn't want to do your own cases and wanted to work in an ACT was viewed at as taboo (he works in an ACT now though lol). CRNAs are the more cost effective option when they're allowed to practice to their full scope.

2 Votes
Specializes in Anesthesia.
24 minutes ago, ICUman said:

And the ability to be able to practice independently stems from years of experience? Or perhaps depends on which program you went to?

I guess I’m confused as to what would allow some anesthetists to practice independently vs. those who are not.

I think it's a mixture of both training and experience, but it's mostly dependent upon the individual. Some new grads who graduate from programs that promote independence and full scope practice come out and are able to practice independently right off the bat. Some people advise against this and suggest that you find a level 1 that isn't restrictive and allows you to continue to do big cases with guidance.

OTOH, I was able to work with SRNAs from a program like this who would rotate to our site (where we had more autonomy than probably 95% of other programs, e.g. CRNA or MD is present for induction and nothing else because they're supervising other SRNAs), and most of them seemed like they were not clinically ready to practice independently, and that's okay.. Everybody learns and becomes more comfortable at a different pace.

Some people get experience in an ACT, continue to work and grow with guidance, and then take the leap to independent practice when they're ready. Others stay in ACTs because they like it or because they're confined to a location because of family, and that's okay too. I've seen some super bad*** ACT CRNAs. I think it mostly just depends on whether or not the individual feels ready and they take the leap and just do it. There is no on size fits all recipe to becoming independent.

I personally trained with the mindset that I would be practicing independently as a new grad, which I think helped me get more out of my education. The job I'm currently signed up for is independent practice, and 90% of the time I do feel ready, but 10% of the time I have my doubts, which I think is healthy.

3 Votes
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