SRNA Mentor

Hello! I have been busy with didactic work but I am SO HAPPY Jenny has been ensuring you all are getting the help/answers we wish we would have had when we were starting. I have truly never seen a more helpful/supportive community than the SRNA/CRNA community so it makes my heart so happy that this thread has been useful. When writing your personal statement, it's important to remember that they are reading HUNDREDS of them. You may receive different advice from various resources, however, I always recommend you keep your personal statement to 1 page, just like your resume, UNLESS your program gives specific recommendations. When writing your personal statement, remember that there are SO MANY qualified applicants because you are applying to get into school with TONS of incredible ICU nurses.. emphasize what makes YOU stand out from others while exemplifying you are ready/prepared for this next step. Include what you have done to prepare yourself for CRNA school as well. Additionally, CRNA school requires A LOT of grit, determination, overcoming failure, etc. so try to exemplify how you've overcome barriers within your role as a nurse or how you've overcome hardship which has led to your success. I hope this advice helps you a little bit! Ensure you give yourself plenty of time to write it and revise it!

I would definitely go to the open houses of the programs that you are interested in so they can get to know you. They're not always going to be the people involved in the interviews but sometimes they are! This can help you get to know them and vice versa. In an interview, I would honestly address it as what those things have taught you that will make your experience as a future CRNA unique. Think of things that you have that no one else does because you went down those routes. I would also go about it in a way, explaining that you wanted to prioritize starting your family and now that you're kids are at an age where you feel confident going back to school, it was the perfect time to apply. If this is what you really want to do, go after it! Don't let that hold you back at all!

1. Make sure that you have a computer that is reliable and will get you through all 3 years of schooling! 2. My iPad has been AMAZING for school (I am not a tech wizard by any means and I figured it out). It saves SO MUCH money on printing and all of my books/lectures are in one small place which is nice. *Back it up though!* 4. Apple Pencil or a similar cheap one from Amazon - just make sure it works! 5. Notability - I love this for taking notes with lectures and for so many other reasons! 6. A whiteboard with Expo markers so you can understand concepts and write them out over and over again. Honestly, these are the things that I use consistently every single day! I hope this helps!

YESSSS! So proud of you - great job! ? Don't spend money to prepare for school - they will teach you everything you need to know in school after building on your foundational ICU knowledge. That being said, make sure that you are looking into the medications you're giving and start to understand why you're giving those medications and what effect they have on the body when you give them. Start to ask the doctors/respiratory therapists about gases, why they chose ventilator settings, specific medications, etc. A YouTube resource that was super helpful during school is Ninja Nerd and you can definitely review his videos (there are TONS)... and they're FREE. I would recommend the Core Anesthesia podcast once you get IN to school and before school starts I would recommend the CRNA School Prep Academy podcast. Again, congratulations! You CAN do this!

Interview Tips: 1. Don't pretend like you know things if you don't. 2. Show your personality. 3. Instead of giving answers that you think they want to hear, provide specific examples from your own life experiences to answer questions. 4. Type up a list of questions/answers and then alter them as you say them. 5. Prepare ahead of time but when you don't know things, show that you are willing to learn them. 6. Show them examples of grit/resilience as this is the epitome of anesthesia school. Political Issues: Look up information about CRNA autonomy in different states - the AANA is a great resource now that you have a *topic.* ? YOU'VE GOT THIS!!

Great answer! This is a huge one! ?

Personally, I don't think it's just about getting into CRNA school but truly feeling prepared and understanding concepts before you get in. Each program is different but I would personally shoot for 2 years of experience (at least) in a high acuity ICU when you begin to understand things more in depth and begin to gain confidence. There is so much information that is thrown at you so it is so, so important for our patients that we have a firm foundation/understanding of the things we are doing in the ICU before moving on. This is only my opinion, some people may disagree, but I think it will make schooling much more enjoyable as well. With all this being said, it IS possible to get in with 1 year of experience! Hope this helps!

Personally, I would wait until you start your program to purchase any of these. I know each program is different but ours paid for some of the apps that we use frequently and my class was also given a "group discount" for the ones the program didn't cover. Honestly, Ninja Nerd has been so, so helpful during didactic so I would start to look at those videos and start understanding concepts - then get excited to put it all in to practice! ? Congratulations! I am so happy you love the thread - I figured it would be a great resource for people who were in our shoes; something I definitely wish that I would have had! ?

Hi! I LOVE that you are looking into this field, it truly is the best! I think that's wonderful that you started out on med surg as it will be a great foundation to continue building on in the ICU! I wouldn't necessarily look at the "title" of ICU that you are going into (I.e. MICU, SICU, CCU, etc.) but I would rather look at the acuity of the patients each of the ICUs is taking and then pick the one that is taking the sickest patients. How do they measure high acuity? How often are patients on ventilators in the unit, are they on pressors, sedation, anti-hypertensives, etc.? If you don't know the answers to these questions then just ask the unit you are thinking about applying to! I know it can all feel overwhelming at first but it is so, so worth it. Just keep doing the small things like this and ultimately it will lead you there. There are so many mother's that are absolutely CRUSHING these programs so you can too! Another tip, many of the "front-loaded" programs (rather than integrated) have the first 2-3 semesters online before switching to in-person requirements so you can usually still work during this time which might be helpful. Please reach out if you need anything else!

Hello, yes! Definitely research your specific school to know/understand what type of interview you're walking in to. Some school's will ask you about knowledge and other's will just want to get to know YOU! One of the best tips I can give you is speak about anything in your interview that you would be comfortable talking about - basically, anything that you bring up is fair game for them to ask you about so keep your answers simple and don't talk about or bring up topics you wouldn't feel comfortable elaborating on. Also, show them your PERSONALITY! Are you a happy, energetic, person? Show them that! A lot of times people walk into interviews afraid but you want THEM to feel comfortable with YOU too! Pretend like you are the one interviewing and you're trying to make them feel welcome and comfortable! There are TONS of CRNA school interview question examples on Google! I would copy/past them and then type your answers underneath so you can brainstorm the different questions and come up with examples you would like to elaborate on. I will try to find some of the pages with those questions and link them for you! Lastly, show them what you've done to PREPARE to get here as this is basically your next step in the process! Best of luck! Reach out if you have more questions - I'm not sure why I didn't get a notification for these questions. I'll try to figure it out for though!

Hi all! There were so many people who helped me on my journey into CRNA school so, as an SRNA/RRNA, I want to pay it forward and help anyone who has questions or needs advice on stats, interviews, school, etc. It can be a very competitive and sometimes discouraging process but BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! You will get here when it's your time and you won't look back. ? Hang in there!

Congratulations!

Ahhhhhh! Congratulations!

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and advice. It’s truly been so helpful and honestly just welcoming into this new journey. I hope to be like you one day and help those that are following in my path as well. You will be a great CRNA!