SLSB2

Anesthesia school is a competitive place. Let's just say that there are more Type A personalities than not. During the residency, you are working with different CRNAs, MDAs, surgeons and OR nurses everyday. Not to mention at different hospital clinical sites. (I went to 8 different sites in 20 months) Everyone has different expectations of you. It is important to assert yourself in every situation without coming off as cocky or over-confident. There is a fine line to walk. I've had neurosurgeons screaming at me to lower the blood pressure and demanding my attending come in the room. Although this is frustrating, I had to maintain my composure. Most of the time the MDA would not defend you and you felt like a jacka**. That is just the nature of a competitive residency. This post is not to discourage anyone from pursuing anesthesia. I just want you to know that the OR is no place for timidity! SLSB2 CRNA

Hi Sue - My program required 1 year of inorganic chemistry (general) and 1 semester of organic within the past 5 years. The first class we took was graduate level Chemistry and Physics, which was the "make or break" class in anesthesia school. This class was very heavy organic chem, and people who had taken it more recently were definitely at an advantage. Hope this helps! SLSB2

I agree, adult ICU is viewed as the best experience for anesthesia school. As a nurse anesthetists you care for patients across the age spectrum. My program also specified they preferred work experience in a large university medical center as opposed to a community hospital.

Hi Nathan - Becoming a CRNA is an admirable goal, and there are many tough challenges to fulfilling it. Don't think for a second you would be "wasting" your time in an ICU. Adult ICU will give you the best preparation for the CRNA role. You learn to manage critically ill patients on vents with multiple drips, Swan-Ganz, ICP monitoring, etc. If you enjoy critical care, you will most likely enjoy anesthesia. If critical care is not for you, you can explore other options within nursing. There are so many roles in the nursing profession. Good luck to you! SLSB2

The program is brand new so I can't tell you exactly what to expect. Most interviews, however, ask similar questions. Such as "why do you want to become a CRNA?" "have you shadowed a CRNA and what was your impression?" "How will you deal with the personal, financial and time commitment of the program?" I think it helps to practice your answers ahead of time so you appear prepared.

Hi Krinkles - I just took the CRNA boards last Friday. I felt EXACTLY the way you do right now. My exam also shut off at 100 questions. I think I was expecting it to stop at 90, when it kept going I panicked. Some of the questions I completely guessed on. There were things I had never even heard of (i.e. side effects of ETOH injections for sclerotherapy?) When I got home I started looking things up that I didn't know. Many of the topics were not in my references, nor could I find the answer on the Internet. I vowed to keep studying every day since I was certain I failed. However, over the weekend, I decided to chill out. There was nothing I could do to change my score. All I can do is wait for the results. If I did fail, I just need to study again and retake it. That would be devastating, but I have to deal with it. The good thing is that most people do pass this exam! You have to score below the 14th percentile to fail. What materials did you use to study? Did you attend Valley? SLSB2

I did not get questions on drugs. They did ask me about hemodynamic monitoring in terms of which monitors I had experience with. I did not have to define or interpret any numbers, if that is what you are inquiring about. The interview is more or less to see if your experience and more importantly, your personality is a good fit for the school. Relax, be yourself, and you will be just fine. SLSB2

Hi- Yes, there are clinical questions in the interview. However, they will not ask you anything specifically about anesthesia. Mostly they want to know why you want to be a CRNA, if you have shadowed one, and what kind of clinical nursing experience you have. The interview took about 4 hours, you meet with both directors, members of the admissions committee, and the MD medical liasion. SLSB2

Hi - Yes, that is correct. They have early acceptance interviews in February, and continue to interview throughout March and April. SLSB2

Hi- I believe it took between 4-6 weeks for the acceptance letter. When was your interview? SLSB2

Hi - The questions in the interview were similar to ones posted on another recent thread: Why do you want to be a CRNA? What do CRNAs do? Have you shadowed a CRNA, what was the experience like? I think they also asked how I was going to finance the program, since you cannot work during clinicals. Our class is about 18 students. There are a limited number of spaces for post-masters students (2-3 per class). Good luck!

If you took the GRE for your MS in nursing, you probably have a good idea of what kind of score you'll get. The format of the test didn't change much for the verbal and quantitative sections. They scrapped the analytical section for the writing. If your verbal + quant score was > 1000, you should be in good shape.

Hi - Yes, there is a time limit, which varies from institution to institution. Check with the schools you are planning to apply to. I would advise waiting until you are serious about applying - the prep materials and exam are expensive!

I agree with gasman! You will have such a steep learning curve as a critical care RN. Transitioning from nursing school to a unit taking care of critically ill patients is very challenging. In the ICU, you will need to learn hemodynamic monitoring, pharmacology and titration of drips, advanced assessment skills, etc. Things they did not teach in nursing school. This will keep you plenty busy, believe me!

Hi - Just curious, how do you have an MS without the GRE? When I took the GRE it was scored out of 2400, and the school posted that 1500 was the minimum score. Now that it has a maximum score if 1600 (plus some writing section), I believe the minimum for admissions is 1000. I don't think that is published anywhere, though, just a guideline that I've heard of. I strongly recommend shadowing a CRNA before putting your efforts into applying. What aspects of nurse anesthesia are attractive to you? Although I personally think it's a great profession, it is not for everyone. Shadowing a CRNA will give you a better idea about what your day will be like, responsibilities, etc. It will also give you something to discuss in the interview! My interview was all day, with the 2 directors, plus 2 instructors. I believe I learned of my acceptance about 6 weeks afterward.