DabofDantrolene

Hi, I'm a prospective applicant for the 2025 cycle. If anyone is still active on this thread, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the program now that you're all new grad CRNAs. Any insight into the culture, didactic, and clinical experiences would help me tremendously. Please reply or DM. Thank you so much and congrats!!

Thank you for the breakdown! Funny enough, my stats are very, very similar, even down to years of experience and specialty mix. Were there multiple interview phases? Was it all in-person, or was it virtual? I'm based on the West Coast and planning ahead.

Awww sorry to hear! It seems they're very GPA-focused and not as focused on a holistic review of each candidate. That is insanely high! Good luck, there is a school out that for you. It's like dating just got to find that one match LOL.

Have you emailed the program? I had coworker who also didn't get an invite and he reached out with no reply back.

We all got into this profession to make a difference (at least I like to think we all do). Being in a situation where you can't because of factors outside of your control leads to moral injury. It's time to move on to a better hospital that will support you, unionized if possible. Your work is too valuable and you will find love for the profession again this way. Good luck.

I like the patient who teeters along in the ICU, and everyone wonders if they'll ever make it out. Then, they make a turnaround. Far and few in between, but gotta hang on to the underdog stories!

Hi, I'm at 6 years of ICU experience. 3 in CVICU and 3 in Mixed ICU. Overall, my application feels strong. I have a 3.95 cumulative and 3.9 Science GPA. I'm applying only to programs without a time limit on coursework. However, at what point do you feel I should retake grad-level courses to be more competitive? Should I only consider it to expand my options of where to apply? Thanks in advanced!

This post hasn't been updated in a while. I hope you all got in! I'm applying to next year's cohort and looking for any insight into the interview process and what you like about the program if you're currently in it.

Are there any updates on those waiting for interviews? Best of luck! Not applying this cycle but the next cycle. How did it go for all of you? If you have an insight into the interview process and can share, that would be nice. If not I understand, congrats if you got in!

For those who have been accepted to a program or are currently applying, what techniques did you use to formulate interview replies? I feel like I have a wealth of experience and stories, but some of my answers feel too long or rehearsed. I'm currently reworking my answers for potential interviews. Thanks!

For those who applied to Loma Linda, how did you approach asking for the spiritual advisor's letter of recommendation?

If your hospital has a union, I'd recommend reaching out to them. Alternatively, consider just getting a new grad position elsewhere. A hostile work environment like this is not where I would want to start as a new nurse. Although you have to take responsibility for your actions, this is out of line.

Do not be discouraged. Keep on pushing you will become a nurse! It may require you to make up a lot of the time you should've had in school building a strong base. Using YouTube channels some have listed here is a good start. Then revisiting practice questions. UWorld's strength is in the review section and how question rationales lead you to topics for review. If you notice a trend, I would work backward to focus on the problem areas you are continually missing questions. If you're looking for mentorship and guidance there are some nurses on TeachRN that may be able to spend hours on personalizing a study plan for you.

The key to passing the NCLEX is practice questions. There is such a wide amount of information covered that practice questions will give you hang of how to answer questions not just knowledge base. I recommend UWorld for the most accurate questions as far as difficulty and type. Spend 2x as much time reviewing answers as you do taking the practice tests. Write notes and star the challenging ones and come back to them every few days with spaced repetition. In 1-2 months you should be ready after at least 1200-1500 practice questions. Also focus on your weakest areas system wise - cards, neuro, endocrine, etc.

It sounds like you're enjoying the program! I heard VCU underwent some leadership restructuring either last year or two years ago, and students felt it was somewhat disorganized leading them to struggle during didactics. It seems those kinks were resolved? I went to an information session in Feb, and it felt like a regurgitation of what was in the FAQ online plus an open floor for individual applicant questions. Hoping for any pearls on what differentiates the program (beyond the marketing) in your opinion. Thanks again!