Nazareth Hospital, Phila, PA

TraumaNurse · Feb 18, 2004

Hi Pete495,

Congratulations on being accepted. I can't tell you any specifics about the program but I do know some of the current students since they rotate through Cooper University hospital where I work now. The students I spoke with really like program and they seem to do very well in their clinical. Good luck with your program.

Pete495 · Feb 19, 2004

Thanks for the information. I haven't met that many people from the school, or the surrounding area, but I do have a lot of friends down that way. It is a small program, but growing every year. They are taking a lot more students than they have in the past. Cooper is one of their satellite hospitals from what I understand. They also use Lehigh, St. Francis, St. Agnes, and albert einstein, and maybe a couple others that I don't know of yet. Though I have been there a few times, I'm not entirely familiar with the philly area, so it should be interesting to say the least. I thought the program was the most impressive out of my interviews.

If anyone else would like to know the specifics on the interview, you can pm me.

Pete495

Hi Pete495,
Congratulations on being accepted. I can't tell you any specifics about the program but I do know some of the current students since they rotate through Cooper University hospital where I work now. The students I spoke with really like program and they seem to do very well in their clinical. Good luck with your program.

crna29 · Feb 19, 2004

I'm a Naz grad and I can tell you that they have a great program. Any program that you attend is going to do what is necessary to prepare you to give safe anesthesia and pass the boards. When I went to Naz it only accepted 10 students at a time so you got very close with your classmates. It is challenging and demanding but the forum at Nazareth is family oriented - you are now part of the Naz family and they will take care of you. The clinical sites are all great sites (some I also rotated to or have worked at) and the instructors are there to help you learn and to guide you through the process. The program combines the didactic and clinical portions fairly early, so you put into practice what you are learning. I took all of my classes at St Joe's in the year before I started the program. If you can get any classes under your belt before you start the better off you will be. If I can answer any specific questions please let me know.

Pete495 · Feb 26, 2004

Thanks for the info CRNA29. Where are you working now? The interview went very well. I actually got the acceptance letter today. They had called me last week and wanted me to come to school this fall for 2004. Originally, they had me slated for fall of 2005, but had an opening so wanted me to come this year. I certainly wanted to, but have been forced by family and personal circumstances to wait until 2005. I am hoping I can take the St. Joe's classes over the next year, and get them all in. How much time did it require of you for MSN classes? Did you take 1-2 classes a semester? I think it would be better off for me if I could get them out of the way before clinical and CRNA classes start.

Anyway, the interview went like this:

I am from about 3.5 hours away, so I arrived 3 hours early, and spent some time wandering around checking out the hospital (on a side note, the yahoo directions took me through central philly, and I got stuck behind multiple trolleys). I went to the cafeteria, and had the hardest pancake I ever had for breakfast. I had to eat it with my hands. It was kind of funny really because it was a tyical hospital cafeteria. because I got there at the end of breakfast, everything laid out was old or hard. It just so happen to be anesthesia week though, and the CRNA dept. had a bunch of presentations set up in the cafe, so I got to check out all the classes over the last several years. I was surprised by how small they were. In the interview, they told me they are now starting to take more students. they take like 18 a year now.

The secretary came and got me when I paged( about 45 min. early), and took me on a short tour of the OR suite, and told me a little about the place. She brought me up to meet the two directors of the program, then I went on a more extensive tour of the OR facilities w/ a junior student. I tried to ask as many questions as I could think of. We saw another student along the way about to do a case, and I asked her lots of questions too. Then I came up and interviewed with the director, and asst. dir. of the program. I was extremely impressed with the interview. It was more like a discussion about anesthesia, and they made me feel extremely comfortable. They did not ask me any real clinical questions, but I interjected some of what I knew about hemodynamics in the interview, which seem to impress them.

A word of advice to all. If they don't ask you any specific clinical questions, make sure you are telling them what you know. Talk about hemodynamics and what drips you have experience with, the difficulties you've had with them, and the positive experiences you've had as well. I was honest about my strengths and my weeknesses, and most of all I said I wanted to become a CRNA. Believe it or not, that phrase goes a long way even though they've heard it before. My current supervisor had told me to talk myself up, tell them what I know, and advertise myself to them. That is what candidates should do during the interview process. I'm not saying come off as over confident, because that is a turn off. That is why I was honest to admit my weaknesses, but I also suggested ways in which I have been trying to get better at those weaknesses.

They laid out the entire program for me during the interview. I am not entirely sure, but I get the feeling they do a lot of interviewing over time, and select the best candidates in the spring. They seem to care about their students and operate as a family. from what they told me, they have a 100 percent grad. and board passing rate. This impressed me. He also talked a lot about the new fiberoptics they had available. I had a cartoon with me at that moment that showed a rather harsh nasal fiberoptic intubation.

The only confusing part in the interview is where I would be all the time. They said I would be stationed mostly at one facility, but there were a bunch of satellite hospitals that I may have to attend to get speciality experience, like Regional, Cardiothoracic, etc. It would require a bit of travelling, but I expected this to happen no matter where I went. I will have to sell my gas guzzling Jimmy, and find something more economical though.

All and all, it was a good interview, and after the interview I decided if I got in, it was where I wanted to go.

Let me know if anybody has any questions. Pete495

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2004

I'm getting my application to Nazareth together now for start date 2006. One of the nurses from my unit is a current student at Nazareth and loves it, she enjoys the family-type atmosphere. I just graduated from nursing school in October so I would like to have more time to retake some science classes from my previous bio degree that I did poorly in, but all of the schools require you to apply so far in advance. This means I won't be able to sit for my CCRN before I apply either. Anyway, do you think I have a chance at getting in? By the time I start in 2006, I will have about 3 years experience in a busy MRICU at a huge Level I trauma center. My GPA from my bio degree was a 2.85, from my BSN program 3.9, and my GRE scores were 1510 (old test). I'm also a member of Sigma Theta Tau and the AACN. So far I think Nazareth is my first choice and I really hope I get accepted there!! Oh, one more question: They require a letter of recommendation from a supervisor. Do you think a letter from my preceptor would be okay? I've only been there 5 months so far so I think my preceptor knows my abilities more then my manager at this point. Thanks!!

CougRN · Mar 4, 2004

EM, I was in your situation too when i needed my recs. I would tell your AD or supervisor that you would like a rec and to keep an eye on your progression. When the schools want a supervisor they really mean a supervisor. I asked my AD to do this and she was able to give me a great rec after 6 months. I would tell him/her that you just want to apply to go through the app process. This takes a little stress off the fact they think you are leaving right away. Hopefully you have a good AD that wants nurses to advance. I got lucky that way. You can use your preceptor for a rec but you really need one from a supervisor. Unless your preceptor is willing to write a rec stating that he/she has been your supervisor then this is the only way to go. Best of luck.

Pete495 · Mar 4, 2004

I sent you a pm Emerald

Pete495 · Mar 22, 2005

So I'm scheduled to start my anesthesia portion of my education this fall with Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia. I've been taking MS classes at St. Joseph's University for the last year. I will finish those up this summer with Research, and another elective.

Just wondering if there's any NAZ lurkers left out therel? I have to move down between the Lehigh Valley and philly area. I will most likely be doing my clinical at Lehigh Valley Hospital from what I understand. My biggest thing right now is deciding where to live in between there because there is quite a trip between Lehigh valley and philly. Need to know where I'm spending the most of my time. Any former graduates who went to Lehigh have any advice?

Nervousness and Excitement go hand in hand here. It may sound cynical, but I'm also ready to be done with my education already, although I look forward to everything being a crna has to offer. After this, I will have been through enough schooling for a lifetime. My hospital where I work now may end up paying for my education. They pay full tuition, plus a stipend every 2 weeks based on a 40 hour work week, which is def. a plus. plus, if I decide to go somewhere else at the end, i simply pay it back at no interest. it's a year you give them for every 4 thousand dollars in tution, and a 5 year max.

Well, just thought I would share my experience thus far. Please let me know if anyone else hears or knows anything else.

Pete495