money involved in becoming a crna

cathys01 · Dec 11, 2006

The biggest issue with going to school in California will be living expenses. Depending on where in California, it is very expensive to live. There are much more inexpensive places to live that have great programs. Try Florida and Texas (no state income tax).

zzzno2 · Dec 13, 2006

Most of the universities cost $35000 -45000 for the entire course , there are only handful universities offer part time it is not recommended .

Total cost of CRNA school is much higher Living expenses vary state by state say 1500$ per month for 30 month =45000 , Loss of pay for 2 yrs is 60k x 2.5 = 150k

Total cost would be =150k+45k+45k= 240 k approx

(most of the students take loan from fed and private lenders )

There is big risk of not able to complete or being kicked out from the program about 15-20% enrolled students wont complete for various reasons, only few universities give an accurate count of how many student enrolled and percentage of completion , what they give is pass rate of the students who wrote certification examination . Another important point is you cannot transfer more than 3 credits to another university . AANA is a pathetic organization they dont support students as needed , they stand for as name implies certified nurse anesthetists and schools I assume schools pay them based on number of students .

Yes if you get admission and make it salary scale is very good for crnas 110-150k range based on location. Good luck

deepz · Dec 13, 2006

...... AANA is a pathetic organization they dont support students as needed , they stand for as name implies certified nurse anesthetists and schools I assume schools pay them based on number of students . .........

One too many unfounded assumptions there. Schools pay the AANA?? The AANA is supposed to 'support' students?

And it's Certified REGISTERED Nurse Anesthetists, actually. CRNAs. 36,000 of us.

Don't know your background (BTW did you mean N2O, zzz, as in nitrous oxide?) but you seem not to appreciate that the AANA actually is very well known as the best at promoting member interests of all APRN groups, and is widely respected in DC for their political muscle.

.

piper_for_hire · Dec 13, 2006

I don't know about that average. There are seven programs in my area and only three are in the $35K range. The rest are $85K and up. Luckily I got into one of the reasonably priced schools. Strangely enough, the better schools seem to have the lowest tuition - at least around here.

I think all nursing schools fudge the pass rate numbers like that. My BSN school claimed a 100% passing rate but they didn't count the 15-25% that fail or drop out. I don't see why MSN programs would be any different in that area.

I think $150K is about right. Most people I know have borrowed $100K-$150K to make it happen. Seems reasonable given the compensation.

-S

ccunurse123 · Dec 14, 2006

will anyone loan you that amount of money ($150,000), and how can you repay it if you're not able to work. can you not make any repayments untill you passed and got a job?

lastly, will they loan that to me if i've only been in the country as an immigrant for say a year?

GunnaBeCRNA · Dec 15, 2006

Wow!!! That's expensive, I start CRNA school at Mayo this fall and their tuition is less than $15K - not even HALF or a THIRD what most of those other programs are! AND....they give you a stipend once you start clinicals which basically covers the entire cost of the program, AND you can get a higher stipend by agreeing to work for them for 2 years after you are done. I don't know about you, but I like getting PAID to go to school! The toughest part is getting in...they really focus on people already IN the Mayo system...so if you are considering going to school there...then you should start working there first.

zrmorgan · Dec 18, 2006

Gotta tell you, my wife is in the KP course, and she has no time at all to work. Her nights are behind closed doors studying and condensing notes. I salute all of you in the CRNA courses, it is at a mind blowing pace, and you have to be committed to becoming one to enduring the hardships, ie family, money, time. I am a stay at home dad, and we are looking at a final debt around 100k, but the salary will compensate. And loan companies are quite understanding about the "no work while in the program" criteria.

Best loans in our economy are education loans...we are done, and ours are all locked in between 3 and 6 percent...it would do us better to pay off the mortgage first...

...highest salutations to the stay at home dad, my wife stayed at home with our children, without her support anesthesia school would have been a nightmare...

tuition... 50K

books, living expenses for 28 months, 600 gallons of coffee, and acid reflux medications... 50K

interview expenses for a CRNA position...paid by employer

the look on my wifes face when we passed boards...priceless

CaliGirlCRNA · Dec 19, 2006

In response to zrmorgan,

you hit upon a critical part that seems that everyone has missed, the emotional and personal toll that becoming a CRNA entails. It is not just about having your financial ducks in a row. If you are married, you need to make sure that the relationship is strong enough to weather the long hours of not "being together". I get to see my wife when she wakes up for about 20 minutes, and about 30 minutes for dinner. Weekends for her are re-reading chapters, making note cards, or writing papers. Thank God our relationship is strong enough to deal with this. The financial aspect really isn't a major concern, the loan companies will help, and CSU has numerous loan programs to assist. Be sure to have a rock solid marriage or relationship, a positive outlok on life and know that at the end of the tunnel is a bright future.

endorphinrush · Dec 20, 2006

Where I live we have 2 schools here locally. One is private (Samford U) and the other is UAB. Samfords total price totals out around 70k (have a friend in the program there now), I was accepted at UAB and they claim it will total out around 32k. Of course I won't be working so I have to cover expenses. I have been blessed in that I can carry some of the load with past stock market investments but it wont cover everything. Just look around, google search for loans. You can get well over 100k total in loans to cover living expenses while in school. The majority of CRNA's I know have a 100k or more in debt. They don't sweat it. "Just pay the minimum even if it takes forever" is what I am told. Works for me.

lady_db_programmer · Dec 21, 2006

The biggest issue with going to school in California will be living expenses. Depending on where in California, it is very expensive to live. There are much more inexpensive places to live that have great programs. Try Florida and Texas (no state income tax).

I'm just gonna jump in here...Texas only has two CRNA courses. One is in the DFW area at Texas Wesleyan and it's horrendously expensive tuition-wise. The other is in Houston at UT Health Science Center and the cost of living is very cheap, but the University of Texas system is generally VERY selective at the graduate level, so no slip-ups.

Frankly I'm surprised UT Southwestern in Dallas hasn't jumped on the CRNA bandwagon; a friend of mine's dad is a doc at the hospital complex there and says they are absolutely begging for them and paying them starting salaries well into the six figures. Hell, I'd consider going for it myself but I don't think I have the scientific aptitude for it.

The cost of living in Texas is pretty low, but salaries are lower too; that's something to consider. There's no state income tax, but sales tax and property tax are higher than neighboring states. Real estate in decent areas of Dallas itself will cost you a pretty penny; the 'affordable' houses are either in iffy neighborhoods or off in the suburbs, in which case you'll have quite a commute on your hands.

(I'm a Dallas native.)

MethaneMan · Dec 22, 2006

Correction...there are four CRNA programs in the state of Texas (five if you count the Army's program in San Antonio). Texas Wesleyan, UTHSC-Houston, Baylore and TCU. Also, Wesleyan is reasonably priced with a total cost of $42,000 (that includes EVERYTHING). As well, the sales tax in Texas is anywhere from 7.5%-8.25% depending on where you are at...I think you will find that to be similar to anywhere else. Property tax I cannot refute as I sent a check for $5,200 last week to the taxman. Also, salaries for CRNAs are notoriously on the high side in the state of Texas. Check out "gaswork" if you need more proof.

lady_db_programmer · Dec 22, 2006

Correction...there are four CRNA programs in the state of Texas (five if you count the Army's program in San Antonio). Texas Wesleyan, UTHSC-Houston, Baylore and TCU. Also, Wesleyan is reasonably priced with a total cost of $42,000 (that includes EVERYTHING). As well, the sales tax in Texas is anywhere from 7.5%-8.25% depending on where you are at...I think you will find that to be similar to anywhere else. Property tax I cannot refute as I sent a check for $5,200 last week to the taxman. Also, salaries for CRNAs are notoriously on the high side in the state of Texas. Check out "gaswork" if you need more proof.

I was going by discovernursing.com's listings. I'm sure they'd love to know about their mistake.

Sales tax in DFW is pretty much the highest in the state, though it's a bit lower in SA. Your property tax is only $5,200? Lucky! My parents paid about $8,000 last year. Texas-sized property tax bills are one thing I'm not looking forward to when we move back. The British complain about council tax (similar sort of tax) being over 1,000 pounds, which is less than $2,000. Hahaha, if they only knew.