Possible CRNA

[rysgst1]

Hey there!

I just have a few questions about CRNA's I was unable to find here.

I am new here to this site and without getting to into it a little background on me:

- 26 years old, BS in finance, worked at a top i-bank for a couple of years and decided that was enough.

- have a background in the medical field ( worked as a CNA all through college)

- quit my job at the i-bank and am currently work at a hospital as a CNA again, was looking at becoming pre-med. ( anesthesia, it has always fascinated me, I have shadowed one) But recently decided that having somewhat of a life before I turned 40 would be nice. I have known of the CRNA profession for quite some time and think that this would be a great career to have to pursue my passion.

Now my questions,

1. Like med school, is it essential to take pre-req classes for nursing school and then CRNA school at a 4-year university, or would taking them at a CC be fine? ( I know for nursing school it is fine, but didn't know about CRNA school)

2. Given I have my CNA I can probably get a job in the ICU to gain experience there, once a nurse will I be able to get a job directly in the ICU to get my 1 -2 years of experience there? Do you really need more than 1-2 yrs experience in the ICU to be competitive? Its not that I would not love to be a staff nurse for longer, I would just really like to have my "career" as a CRNA by the time I was 33ish.

Thank you in advance for your input.

[AmiK25]

Welcome to the board and good luck in your pursuit...anesthesia is awesome! Anyway, to answer you questions:

1. You can take you pre-reqs for nursing school anywhere you want....when you apply to anesthesia school, they are not going to look at where you took them...just be sure to make A's in the science classes. Also, look at the anesthesia programs you are going to apply to because require other courses such as Organic Chem and Physics and it would be easier to take those before starting nursing school (you just have more time).

2. It is not necessary to have more than 1-2 years of ICU experience to be competitive. There are many people on this board, including myself, who applied to anesthesia school with one year and got in (then you have 2 years when you start). The important thing is getting quality experience in a large ICU where you work with the sickest patients. It is also helpful to get your CCRN before applying if you have less experience because it shows that you have the knowledge necessary to care for critically ill patients.

Anyway, hope that helps and good luck.:welcome:

Ami