Reno1978

Decisions went out today, I heard.

Thanks for all of the advice - sorry for my late reply. Things worked out for the best and he was offered a hospital based position before we moved and he only had 8-9 mos of experience at the time, so I feel that was very forunate. I'm shocked at how well nurses are treated here. He's making as a new nurse (1 year exp on the pay scale) as much working a .75 FTE as I was back home working a .9 FTE with 6 years experience. So cool!

Cool! Best of luck to you. nurse-anesthesia.org has a nice interview prep guide somewhere on their forums - check that out! It has many common questions so you can practice and other information you may be challenged to know during an interview.

Well, I'm relocating this fall, too, so the only info I can provide you with is the time to process your license by endorsement. I submit my online application and license verification (I was able to use Nursys) on 4/28. They require a "Confirmation of Nursing Employment" form to be filled out by your current employer, so I did that on 4/29 and mailed the form to the board of nursing on 4/30. My license was issued on 5/5. If your original state of licensure and current state of licensure doesn't utilize Nursys for license verification services, there will probably be further delay as you have to submit a physical form to the board(s) of nursing to verify your license via snail mail. I'm curious if you've had any luck, or even started, with finding employment. My husband is a RN and is looking into the possibility to using a agency to find a job. I'll be enrolled in grad school and won't be working.

I'll be 36 when I start my nurse anesthesia program this fall. 39 when I graduate in fall of 2017.

I'm relocating to Minneapolis for grad school in August and will not be working. My husband is a working RN who will have a year of experience this fall. We were thinking it might be a good idea for him to utilize a travel agency to get his foot in the door at some Twin Cities hospitals. I've heard there is a demand for travel nurses in Minneapolis in the wintertime. This way, we'd get some help with living expenses, and he'd get to check out some facilities and can either move along or pursue a permanent position at a hospital he likes. It almost seems like an easier way to explore job opportunities than trying to secure permanent positions while living/working out of state. Thoughts?

When I was researching how to become a nurse, I learned about the CRNA role. It helped solidify my decision to become a RN. Once I was in nursing school and did my OR rotation, I ended up with a surgeon doing spinal surgeries through a microscope and a 1" incision, so since I couldn't see anything, I hung out with anesthesia all day and watched what he did. After that, I knew I wanted to become a CRNA. I've also shadowed CRNAs on OB floors, outpatient eye surgery centers and regular hospital OR, and it was really nice to see some of the practice settings CRNAs work in. I start my schooling to become a CRNA this fall and I'm excited about my future profession.

1 year is the bare minimum. No programs will accept less than 1 year. Some programs require more.

Get your BSN. Work at least one year in a busy ICU. Apply. SMU interviews in March and classes start in August so that gives you plenty of time to get your CA nursing license, if you're accepted.

I left Renown in 2009 and was making 27.xx/hr as a new grad. 10% night diff, no weekend diff. It's probably higher now.

I think you should pick the job that you'll enjoy more. CRNA programs will want you to be proficient in critical care pharmacology, vasoactive drips, mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic monitoring, and resuscitation. If you can get exposure to this in the neuro ICU, which you enjoy, go for it. I work in a mixed ICU that has an open heart program, a healthy neurosurgery service and your typical MICU/SICU type patients. I would say if I took neuro patients exclusively, I'd still have a solid understanding of the characteristics of ICU experience that's looked for in a nurse anesthesia program. Good luck!

I'd say so! I got 153, 153 and 5.0 and start a competitive program with a small class size this fall. If your GPA is a concern, think about how you'll address a question like this: "Why should we select you over a candidate with a better GPA and GRE scores?"

During my admissions interview I was asked something along the lines of, "Why should we choose you over applicants that have better GPA and GRE scores?" Think about how you would answer this question, keeping in mind they probably don't want to hear excuses, if the topic comes up during your admissions interview someday. If your GPA is a concern, they'll ask about it.

I wouldn't change jobs. As long as you get the big picture and can critically think about what is going on with your patients, you're in good shape. Get comfortable with vents, critical care pharmacology, hemodynamics monitoring, and rescussitation, shadow a CRNA and apply! Good luck!

I've never been exposed to it and I'm starting this fall. My best advice on things to be proficient in would be to focus on vents, hemodynamics monitoring, vasoactive medications/critical care pharmacology, and rescussitation. Best of luck to you!