Kaiser Permanente or USC??

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I've heard nothing but great things about Kaiser Permanente's School of Anesthesia Program here in So Cal, but hardly anything about USC's CRNA program. I've heard only one thing about USC's program from one person and that was their clinical experience is better because their students rotate through a lot of the Level I Trauma Centers. Just wondering if anyone here had any input, positive or negative, about the two programs. Any issues with either school with having to compete with med school students or residents for some of the cases? If you had to pick between the two, which would you choose and why? :)

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I don't know much about the differences. I know USC asks the applicants to know conversational Spanish. I don't have that skill or I would have applied there. I did apply to Kaiser and am waiting for a letter to tell me if I'm invited to an interview or not. If anyone out there has heard from Kaiser, please let me know. I'm curious whether they have sent any letters.

I know Kaiser has a lot of different clinical rotations also. That's one of the things I like about the school. Did you apply for this Fall or are you still debating where to apply?

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USC also requires undergraduate physics......if that matters to ya.

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If you had to pick between the two, which would you choose and why? :)

From what I can tell ... USC costs nearly $30,000 more than Kaiser does. So, that's one compelling reason to go with Kaiser.

But, I'll probably apply to USC anyway since Kaiser takes less than 10 percent of the applications they receive. Apparently they receive up to 400 applications ... they interview about 80 of those ... and only 30 actually get in.

:typing

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To HopkinsAlum,

Thank you for your reply. To answer your question, I work in a critical care unit of 7 beds. We handle surgical and medical cases, ventilated patients, septic patients, etc. I also float to a much larger unit where the acuity is usually higher per patient.

I applied to Kaiser in October and have not heard back. So the letters don't go out until the end of January? Wow. I have an interview at Newman U. in about two weeks. I would prefer to go to Kaiser for several reasons but if Newman offers me a position earlier (I'm being optimistic), then I will have to decide whether to wait for Kaiser or not.

That's a big risk. I guess "a bird in the hand..." and all of that.

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I've applied to both programs so I'm aware of the prereqs and differences in tuition. I was just wondering if anyone had any insight on differences in the programs themselves, say for example if I happened to be accepted to both... what a great problem that would be! I know USC is part of the School of Medicine, Dept of Anesthesiology, would that make a difference in training?

And fyi, the letters are coming, soon...

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I heard that USC has a patient simulator that you can practice on and that it doesnt go that much into nursing theory more medicine related to anesthesia. I also heard most clinicals are at county USC, USC university hospital, USC norris cancer center, childrens hospital and cedars sinai.

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I've been researching CRNA programs ALL over the country. Does anyone have any insights into the program in Charleston, West Virginia? Anything beyond the usual web-site info. would be appreciated. Also, does anyone out there know if the Kaiser program favors Kaiser employees? Thanks for any information.

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Gonju,

Where are you from. I start Kaiser fall 2006...

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Congrats! I live in Orange County now... starting to look for places in Pasadena- need a roommate? :)

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Hi,

It's very thoughtful of you to reply. I live in Marin County, CA. That's just North of The Gate. I had been looking for places on the East Coast truthfully because of cost of living. I am from LA County. Long Beach/Lakewood area. My sister still lives down south. I like the Pasadena area but I am not a fan overall of S-CAL. I hope that doesn't offend. One of the major reasons is I have a 12 year old daughter and I am looking for the best public schools for her. She is in a great school system here. I DO intend to apply to Kaiser and Samuel Merritt in Oakland, as well as Duke and Raleigh in NC. Any information about these or the program in West Virginia are BEYOND WELCOME. I just got an email back from someone at Wake Forest Baptist--it said I'd pretty much have to go back into the ICU--FULL TIME, TO GET 2080 HRS (THE REQUIREMENT IS 2080 HRS ICU WITHIN THE LAST 3 YRS) THEY DO NOT CONSIDER ER/TRAUMA SUFFICIENT--I really would not consider working full-time while finishing my BSN. Bummer--I visited their facility/area and I really LOVE IT. I have many friends from the Army that have ETSed in that area too. I read everyones' posting on this topic with great interest. Keep them coming. I will share any information I get as well. Please let me know what you think of the Kaiser Program--I could consider private school for my girl. (The other 2 are almost done with college) it would be nice to be in CA for them too. My husband is GREAT and says he'll move anywhere I'm accepted!

Sincerely,

91CRN

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I am a current Kaiser student and think that the program is excellent. I don't have anything to say about USC except that it is very expensive relative to the cost at Kaiser, so if you can get in to Kaiser, that should be your first choice. (I do know some USC grads, and they are very good... I don't think a grad from either program is superior to another.) A Kaiser student may rotate at between 8-12 different clinical sites, so there is an excellent variety of cases. Of course, I believe you get out of it what you put in, so individual experience varies. To answer an above question, Kaiser does not give admission preference to Kaiser employees, however, it may be easier to get employed by Kaiser as a CRNA after graduation since you will have likely rotated through many Kaiser hospitals and are able to network. You would also have the opportunity to rotate out of state (Oregon, Hawaii) if you so desire.

If you are concerned about schools for your children.... yes, LA has a very poor public school system, and a lot of research should be done about neighborhoods and schools. The district in the city of South Pasadena (not a part of Pasadena) is probably one of the best in the city, so if you can afford an apartment there, then that's where you ought to live if you have school age children. The good value of the tuition at Kaiser would offset the high rents in S. Pasadena....

Hope that helps!!!!

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