Nurse Anesthetist/Nurse Practitioner?

[ecruz1820]

Hello! I'm 18 years old and a pre-nursing student. I'd seriously been considering medical school, but now I'm questioning it for financial and personal reasons. I'm leaning more towards NA because if I were to become a doctor, I was considering anesthesiology as my specialty. Can anyone tell me what it's like to be a NP or NA? How is it getting a job? Pre reqs for grad school? Student debt? & right now as a student, does

anyone have advice on getting medical experience and networking with medical professionals?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

It's great that you are exploring all your options. I assume that you mean "CRNA" (certified registered nurse anesthetist) because "NA" is Nurse Aide. Another hint - only physicians practice 'medicine'. We practice 'nursing'... two completely different animals, although both professions work in the health care industry. BTW, there are a lot of people with doctorates in our industry, so we mostly use the term "physician" rather than "doctor" to indicate MDs & DOs.

You will need to become an RN first - and have a stellar GPA in addition to at least two years of clinical experience in critical care nursing in order to qualify for admission to a CRNA program. The amount of debt would be largely dependent upon the cost of the programs you choose... it is not feasible to work while in a CRNA program, so that's something you would need to keep in mind.

Best of luck on your educational journey.

[Nonetheless]

Google CRNA schools and look at the requirements for the top universities. Usually you have to have a good GPA, be a CCRN, etc.

I am strongly considering the CRNA path as well and am leaning on the side of pursuing it.

The good thing about CRNA school is that although it is competitive, it is not as competitive to get into as medical school, and you will be working a satisfying career as a BSN beforehand. I am pretty sure if you meet the requirements and apply to 10-20 schools you will get in.

Be open to the fact that you may change your mind and choose something else for grad school instead, and that is okay. Nursing has a billion ways it can go.

also if you don't get a job in the ICU as a new grad you may need to get a year or two of experience in med Surg or whatever unit you are hired in, then switch to the ICU to become a CCRN, then pursue CRNA school.