New RN grad wanting advice

nebnurse · Feb 9, 2010

i am in the same boat. however i am commissioning into the army for my first 3 years of nursing. but generally speaking, in order to get into a crna program you need a couple years of ICU experience, and most schools will want you to pass the GRE with a fairly high score.

best of luck!

carebearsRN · Feb 9, 2010

def. get some experience at an ICU , critical care setting before you consider doing CRNA

baylor06 · Feb 9, 2010

CRNA programs require a minimum of one year, sometimes two, of critical care experience. ICU, sometimes ER, will open that door for you. Good luck!

Jasondark · Jun 17, 2011

You would need to get your bsn, then a minimum of a year in an ICU, and I would do 80 hours of shadowing a crna then apply and hope for the best. it's very competitive so getting good grades is a must and getting good scores on your GRE is important also!! good luck!!!

ICU, RN, BSN, B.S. · Jun 30, 2011

Do you have a BSN? THat is a pre-req.

yankeesrn · Jun 30, 2011

My advice is to work as an RN first in an ICU and see if you like it. You can apply with 1 year experience but you will have to be exceptional.

SRNA2011 · Jul 6, 2011

When I was a senior (4th year) in nursing school, it was also my plan to go to CRNA school afterwards. So as an undergrad, it's definitely helps that you have good grades in all your science courses and graduate with a high GPA as possible. Although most CRNA schools/programs only require 3.0 minimum GPA, a lot of applicants have a much higher GPA. I graduated with my BSN-RN, passed the NCLEX, and went straight to the ICU as a new grad. Before I thought I wanted to apply to CRNA school with 1 year of ICU experience aka "the minimum". But there was still so much to learn as a new nurse that I decided not to apply after just 1 year. Instead, I decided to take some graduate-level courses and study for the CCRN within the next year. After 2.5 years later, I felt more confident and "ready" to apply. It also made my application look better since I had 2.5-3 years of ICU experience, CCRN Certification, took graduate-level courses, and shadowed a CRNA.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though you may feel now that you want to start CRNA school as soon as possible, you might feel differently about doing just the "minimum" when you actually start to work as a RN. But I always kept CRNA school in my mind and always worked towards that goal. Good luck!!!

bibibi · Jul 6, 2011

Get a job in ICU. And BSN if you don't have it. You can start applying even before you complete your 1 year experience in ICU as long as you have it before you matriculate.