Most important thing to look for in training/school

[Suivezmoi89, BSN]

I figure this was more a question for people with experience in this field who have some space to look back on their schooling. I was hoping to pick y'all's brain about what you think was really great about your training, what you wished you had seen/done, and guidance about what's most important in a program.

I've been looking into schools and it seems like there are a million opinions about what makes a "good" one.The amount of schools as options is a little daunting since I'm willing to move whenever for school and only have myself to consider. There's the US News rankings, which some people have said to disregard entirely. A few things have said to look at "first time pass rates" and the percentage that have jobs after. Other things I've read say to look at amount of clinical sites and if you're in competition with medical residents for cases. Another site said to just find the most affordable one and overall they're all the same (this doesn't seem likely though).

I guess I'm just wondering now that you're working what kind of things do you think are valuable in a program?

If you want background on me before responding:

-CVICU nurse of 3 years (it'll probably be 4.5 before I apply) dealing with ECMO and heart and lung transplants

-Willing to move whatever, though currently in LA

-4.0 nursing GPA and 3.65 overall

-Plan to spend the next 3 months studying for the GRE so I'll have some competitive scores.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to SRNA forum

[loveanesthesia]

Are CRNAs teaching courses such as health policy and research? Or are nurse anesthesia students put in a bunch of nursing courses not designed for them? How many months of clinical? It varies from 14 to 24 months across programs. More clinical makes a new graduate more competitive for the more desirable jobs. When considering cost, include the cost of housing at clinical sites. Some programs require the students to move and find housing for themselves. Others include that in tuition and fees. It’s also a distraction to worry about housing at the next site when you are really busy. The USNews and World rankings are a joke.