HenryH

Thanks for the info! I was searching for "direct entry nurse practitioner programs" and not finding much, so maybe using those specific search terms was the problem. Do you know if there is some kind of master list of direct-entry NP programs somewhere?

Does anyone know of any other direct-entry NP programs that are similar to Vanderbilt's, where students with non-nursing bachelor's degrees are able to become NPs after 2-3 years of coursework/clinicals?

Thanks for the clarification. Do you know if all of Vanderbilt's Acute Care specialty tracks require students to stay in TN during the specialty year?

Thanks for the words of encouragement! Maybe I'll just give it a shot and see what happens. :-) BTW, can anyone clarify whether the specialty portion of the AGAC-NP track can be completed in a student's home community? Or do they have to stay in Nashville to complete it? I've heard different things but haven't been able to get a solid answer either way, so I was just curious.

I'm confused -- I thought Vanderbilt's website states that there actually isn't a deadline?

I know that Vanderbilt's program technically doesn't have an application deadline, but realistically speaking, would there be any hope for me if I applied now? I would be applying for the AGAC-NP specialty track, so I'm not sure how competitive that one is, or if they even have any unfilled spots remaining in the class for this upcoming fall.

I understand that all CRNA programs require a year of critical care experience, but didn't you state earlier in the thread that there was one that granted acceptance to applicants without it, on the condition that they have to have obtained it by the time they matriculate into the program?

Sorry to bump an old thread, but do you know what the name of the school is?

Actually, I don't have a BSN (I have a BS degree in a non-nursing field). Do you know if the AG-ACNP track tends to be just as competitive as the FNP track?

I'm definitely going to be a latecomer to this year's application cycle (I haven't even applied yet!). Is it even worth it to apply at this point? I'm primarily interested in pursuing the Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) track. Does anyone know how competitive this specialty track tends to be? My quantitative GRE score is pretty low, so I have a feeling that's one detractor that will prohibit me from being accepted. Also, I hate to barrage you guys with so many questions, but does anyone know if the AG-ACNP track is one for which clinicals can be completed outside of TN? Or do clinicals have to be completed in/near Nashville? Thanks...

Congratulations on getting accepted to your top choice! Can I ask what your GPA and GRE scores were, and how much ICU experience you had? Also, just out of curiosity, why did you decide to change course from your original goal of going to medical school?

It's good to hear that most schools didn't require you to re-take your courses. Yeah, I also took Statistics as part of my Biology degree, but it was catalogued as something like MATH1123. So hopefully most CRNA programs won't require an upper-level Statistics course to have been taken. In your personal experience, did you find that your Biochem degree made you a more competitive applicant? Do you think you received any interview invite offers that you wouldn't have received if you hadn't had the degree?

Could you name some of these programs? Thanks...

Thanks. Wow... if most programs have 5-7 year expiration dates, then I'm going to have no choice but to essentially re-take every pre-requisite science class that I took for my biology degree. The only exception would be biochemistry, which I took during the fall 2010 semester, but even that will be cutting it close since I won't graduate with my nursing degree until July 2014. Looks like I'll have no choice but to apply to CRNA programs with

I am interested in becoming a CRNA and still have a year to go before I graduate from my undergraduate nursing program. I was previously awarded a science degree in 2010, and my course requirements for that degree included general chemistry 1 & 2 as well as organic chemistry 1 & 2. However, I took general chemistry 1 & 2 during the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters, and I took organic chemistry 1 & 2 during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters. Considering that it will be another year before I even start working as an ICU nurse, my chemistry courses will be pretty old by the time I'm ready to apply to CRNA programs. So having said that, is it common for CRNA programs that require the above-mentioned chemistry courses to also have "expiration" dates on how long ago they may have been taken? Organic chemistry 1 and 2 were especially painful educational experiences for me, so if I'm going to have no choice but to re-take those courses to be eligible to apply to the schools that require them, I think I would honestly rather just apply to CRNA programs that either don't require them or which don't enforce time limits.

Do the majority of CRNA programs require an organic chemistry course? I took Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters as required courses for my first degree, but I'm afraid these classes may be too old by the time I'm ready to apply for CRNA programs (I still have one year to go before I graduate from my RN program). Does anyone know if most of the schools that require O. chem. also have "expiration dates" for the course?

I got my acceptance letter in the mail earlier today. I think having a good score on the entrance exam helped my chances. Best of luck to you in regards to getting accepted off the waitlist...

Are you talking about an acceptance packet? I haven't received anything yet...

I hope you get in as well. I think I want to be some form of advanced practice nurse (maybe an NP or a CRNA), and I am intrigued by all the different career pathways offered by the nursing profession and the fact that they all lead to a career that gives you the ability to impact others' lives for the better, even though all the different nursing specialties are so different. I talked with someone at the nursing office again the other day, and she again stated that everyone who meets the requirements is accepted, so hopefully we won't have much to worry about in regards to getting in.

It sounds like you've come a long way to get here; I wish you the best of luck with your schooling and nursing career. I suppose you could always work as a nurse in the military and then maybe make your way back to aviation. I actually don't work at Fort Benning at the moment or have any military background -- I have applied for a teaching position and am waiting to hear back (hopefully by next week). Hopefully I'll hear good news!

Unfortunately, I have not taken all my pre-requisite classes; I am currently taking A&P II, Medical Terminology, and Psychology, so I realize that not having those courses already completed will put me at a disadvantage. I still have to take the TEAS, so I will study hard for that so I can try to make up for it with a high TEAS grade. If you don't mind me asking, what job do you hold at Fort Benning?

I do live in Columbus; how about you? In regards to how many students they accept for the Fort Benning program, I was told that in previous years, they accepted everyone who applied who met the requirements (so there must not be very many applicants in a typical application cycle). Do you know of anyone else applying to the program? I'm just trying to gauge how competitive it's going to be for this cycle.

I'll be applying to the traditional track. How about you? If so, are you applying for the traditional track or for the healthcare professional track?

Thanks for the responses so far. I checked into Western Governor's program and emailed them, but unfortunately, I don't think I live in a state in which it would be possible to participate in clinical rotations for their program. If anyone knows of any other online BSN programs, please post them here.

That's what I thought at first, but then the other day, I found out about Texas A&M's program as well as the University of Texas at Arlington's program. Apparently, they are both online and *may* accept students from outside of Texas depending on if there are any local hospitals that will allow students to undergo clinicals in their facility. Since I found out about those programs by accident (not via Google), I figured there might be at least a few more similar programs out there.