MUSC vs. VCU

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Hello all. This is my virgin post... go easy on me :eek:

I currently live in Richmond and work at VCU in the CCU. I have this burning desire to get out of Richmond as it's not the city for me; I have lived here all of my life and am ready for a change. VCU's CRNA program is ranked #1 by U.S. News, but this is from an older survey in 2003 (objectivity and validity of the survey is, of course, unknown). I can, however, attest to various nurse anesthetists who have either come from or are in the program that is is outstanding. There is word from the Program Director that a nurse anesthesia practice doctorate (DNAP) will be available as an optional 3-year program, making it great for "one stop shopping."

Here's my quandry.

I love South Carolina and the charm of Charleston. Homes are cheaper as is the cost of living, and I have heard relatively good things about MUSC thus far. My partner is graduating from nursing school in one year. Here are my options:

1. Stay in Richmond, continue to rent, and go to VCU.

2. Move to Charleston in one year, buy a house, and go to MUSC.

Providing the housing market improves, I need some suggestions or playful prodding from those with experience with either program. I'm a sucker for used car salespeople, so, give me some input- I'm far too indecisive to make the decision on my own.

Thanks!

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Are you ready to apply to VCU ? And if so, do you meet their strict and competitive admission criteria? If you do, then you may want to consider applying to VCU and see what happens. If you get in, you could always relocate to SC once the "work" of school is over. An out of state move, a new job, and all that comes with it is a bunch of stress on top of graduate school. Just my opinion, though. You should also look into the SC school in more depth and compare the two programs. It might help you make a decision that is more tailored for you!

By the way, I work at VCU too. In the STICU.

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By the way, I work at VCU too. In the STICU.

Ahhhh.... I'm a "alumni" of the STICU. I worked there from 1987-1990. Then got accepted to Anesthesia school at MCV (now VCU). STICU was a great unit and I loved my time there. I had the greatest schedule. I worked 2 -12hr nights and 1 -16hr double shift and had tons of time off inbetween.

To the OP's question. I got a great education at MCV and highly recommend their program. It is hard for me to believe that the cost of living is higher in Richmond than Charleston. But I haven't looked at any numbers so I guess you must be right. I think that KannRN's advice about staying in Richmond and going to school, then moving is good.

Good luck to you.

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Ahhhh.... I'm a "alumni" of the STICU. I worked there from 1987-1990. Then got accepted to Anesthesia school at MCV (now VCU). STICU was a great unit and I loved my time there. I had the greatest schedule. I worked 2 -12hr nights and 1 -16hr double shift and had tons of time off inbetween.

To the OP's question. I got a great education at MCV and highly recommend their program. It is hard for me to believe that the cost of living is higher in Richmond than Charleston. But I haven't looked at any numbers so I guess you must be right. I think that KannRN's advice about staying in Richmond and going to school, then moving is good.

Good luck to you.

87-90? I'll bet there are still a few people there that you would know! I noticed your profile states you are in NC now. Did you go there right after graduation or did you work in Richmond first for a while? And, how was your experience with the anesthesia program? (besides a great education, which I believe they still do!).

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87-90? I'll bet there are still a few people there that you would know! I noticed your profile states you are in NC now. Did you go there right after graduation or did you work in Richmond first for a while? And, how was your experience with the anesthesia program? (besides a great education, which I believe they still do!).

Yes, went to NC after graduation. I wanted to go to a place that didn't have SRNAs. (No offense to SRNAs) All of Richmond's hospitals have SRNAs from MCV and I didn't want to have to compete anymore for cases. I wanted to develop my own way of doing things and not have to worry about possibly "teaching" an SRNA when I was just out of school myself. Now where I work in NC, we have students and I love to teach in clinical situations.

My only gripe about MCV was competition with residents for cases. I certainly received a topnotch education, but I felt in the time I was there, I lacked "big cases." Even going to the community hospitals didn't guarentee "big cases." But I got a great foundation, and when I started my new job as a CRNA, it didn't take me long to get comfortable with cases that I felt I lacked at MCV. I don't know how much this has changed.

MCV in it's defense had a very good learning atmosphere especially for Regional anesthesia. I did alot of SAB, Epidurals, Supraclavicular blocks and others. I have nothing but good thoughts about the program and I'm sure I'd choose MCV again.

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Funny, I used to live in NC, just a little north of Charlotte, and relocated to the Richmond area, and later discovered MCV. Their anesthesia program is appealing to me because of geography, and I do have children, so although there are many programs out there, moving around is probably not an option. I could probably work out going to the one in Norfolk, or the one in West Virginia, but MCV is my first pick and I've been prepping for it for some time now--hence the STICU.

Thank you for sharing your information. I need to arrange to shadow a CRNA there---I need to do it for myself, my application, and it will satisfy a class requirement that I will be in in the fall. Do you know who I contact for that?

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Thank you for sharing your information. I need to arrange to shadow a CRNA there---I need to do it for myself, my application, and it will satisfy a class requirement that I will be in in the fall. Do you know who I contact for that?

I'm not sure who is there anymore but Dr. William Hartland is a doll and he's the Director of Education for the Anesthesia school. You should stop up to his office one day and introduce yourself and ask about shadowing.

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Yeah, it's surprising about cost of living, but I have researched and found that the cost of living, mortgages included, is much better in Charleston. With the West End of Richmond exploding, and a new supermall on the way in the Northside, home prices and cost of living in Richmond will soon spiral out of control.

VCU's admission criteria is on target with other schools: 1 year ICU, GREs, orgo... MUSC additionally requires stat and 2 years.

It's probably wisest to hang tight... We'll see. Thanks for the input.

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VCU's admission criteria is on target with other schools: 1 year ICU, GREs, orgo... MUSC additionally requires stat and 2 years.

It's probably wisest to hang tight... We'll see. Thanks for the input.

I want to say that I think VCU required Statistics too. I know I took a undergrad stats course at VCU prior to applying. Good luck to you.

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Celam,

I lived in Charleston for 4 years. I worked at MUSC for almost 2 years in the MICU(a great unit to work in). I have several friends/past coworkers who attend MUSC. The director has been there for just over 2(?) years. He seems like a good guy but there is some reported disconnect between the program and the hosp anesthesia dept. I have heard CRNAs(who work at MUSC) say they would not attend the program under its current situation. These folks were most likely trained under the last director, who was a pretty popular guy. It is a front loaded program, students don't even observe in the OR until the 3rd semester. Competition with residents for big cases is tight. Leading to minimum ranging caseload numbers at graduation. There are also several sites that are out of town, that require overnight lodging(some provided, some not). Also, one of the students told me that they only have one 6 week rotation at MUSC(main hosp). The most glaring reason, I chose not to pursue acceptance at MUSC is when I was applying, the director was the instructor for ALL of the nurse anesth. classes. At the time, he had no assistant director and it seemed to me his workload was too great to be able to handle all of his responsibilities. By this time I had been accepted to two great programs and chose not to interview at MUSC. Yes, it was a total pain in the orifice to move, but I am betting that my education at VCU will help me achieve my goals as a SRNA and in the future a CRNA.

As far as cost of living. If you are looking to buy a home, Richmond is MUCH cheaper. Charleston home prices have gone through the roof in the past five years. Charleston is a great place, but the best option might be to attend school at VCU and then move to chucktown when you finish. Then at least you could afford to live there. On my last shift, I worked with a CRNA who had done just that(she was a new grad from Georgetown). I have also heard that MUSC doesn't hire many new grads from the MUSC crna program.

schway

ps Celam-if you would like more info, please PM me

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Lots of great info there Schway...thanks a ton...

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skipaway--- According to the VCU Department of Nurse Anesthesia, stat is not required.

schway----Here's some food for thought about cost of living in Richmond v. Charleston. The data below is according to a $50,000 per year salary in Richmond:

"The equivalent income is $46,216.21. You may take a 7.57% decrease and still maintain your standard of living."

Check out http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp?a=0&d1=50000&d2=105.895635220297&d3=97.8818947490143.

Thanks for everyone's input thus far.

Celam

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