APwips

Atlantanurse, Pasadena is about 15 minutes from downtown LA and is a great place it live. It's close to LA but pasadena is a really mellow town with great restaurants and an artsy vibe. I would say, just apply and when you come for the interview you can decide whether you like it or not. I moved here from out of state to start the Kaiser program and love it here. There are some areas that aren't the greatest, but near the school is nice. Apartments can be expensive to rent probably around 1100-1500 for a one bedroom. I have friends who just rent room in a shared house and pay around 800. You will dive a lot to clinicals and your research classes which are in fullerton on mondays (for the first two semesters).

I'm in the Kaiser program and I would say the GPA's are mostly from 3.6 and up. However, there are some people with lower GPAs. My GPA was around 3.8 and I was probably the average. Catcolalex is right. This program puts a lot of weight on the interview. They have so many qualified applicants, they get to choose the students that they feel "mesh well" with their program. This is really a great program and I wouldn't hesitate to apply here. The faculty are great and really support you once you begin. As long as your school is accredited, then I don't think it matters where you went to school. There are lots of students who started with their ADN. I even think our director started that way. Your CCRN is another thing you could get. I did it, but there are lots of people who got in who didn't. Good luck.

Kaiser's School in California is 21K total (including books and health insurance) and takes 24 months. There are optional clinical sites in places like san diego, but they arrange housing for you at no extra cost. There is a lot of commuting around LA but at least you'll get to come home every night. Also, it's a great program.

I interviewed in July, there were about 20 people on my day and I believe there were 3 days of interviews. The letters came probably a week or two after they said it would. I actually called them and that's how I found out. For those who are thinking about applying, I would say go for it. The campus looks great, the director seems warm and supportive, and the interview process was really laid back. I interviewed with the director and I didn't have any clinical questions, it seemed like she was really interested in the research projects I did at work. The biggest con of the program for me was all the traveling to various clinical sites, about half seemed to be out of state. They do have an option to do the whole second year at a large hospital in Florida, but you'd have to travel back to AZ to take your tests. They break down the cost of the entire program including cost of living and said it would total to be ~120K. After I looked at their cost breakdown, I wouldn't be suprised it ends up costing more. But it costs money to go to school anywhere, and overall I think they have a good program.

I worked in a MICU for about a year as an RN. Pretty much any patient that doesn't need a major surgical intervention will be there if they are really sick. Common patients we saw had GI bleeds, Sepsis, respiratory failure, TB Isolation, HIV, end stage ocology and drug OD. In general many of the patients had chronic diseases which resulted in high mortality and poor quality of life. Pretty much, it ain't the happiest place to work. It seemed like 90% of our patients were either over 60, over 300lbs, or homeless (sometimes all three). Oh yeah, the MICU has a reputation of being poop party central, definitely WAY more than the CVICU I work in now. But it was a great experience; you work hard and you learn lots about various systems.

I applied to Midwestern in AZ and Kaiser in CA. Good luck!

I had one year medical ICU experience and then began job sharing with a cardiac ICU for 6 months (2 nights medical and one night cardiac). I got into the 2 programs I applied to and will begin this fall with about 2yrs. Your experience sounds great. You should apply. Did you say you racked up 100K in debt in undergrad?! Yikes.

I think on paper you already have what it takes. Just get great references and prepare for the interview; that will make or break it. I start at Kaiser this fall and the interview is REALLY important. They want to see how you will jive with their program. I believe they feel that everyone who gets an interview is definitely capable, you just have to stand out some how. I believe once you get to the interview phase it close to a 50/50 chance. Biggest advice on the interview: don't be overconfident or cocky, they will shoot you down. I feel like they want people who are eager to learn, humble, professional and balanced. It was all personality questions no clinical stuff.

I agree with the above post, but if you really want to get in quick and feel clinically sufficient then I would say to apply as soon as possible. Why wait the extra year if there's a chance you can get in. I know people who have done it with the amount of experience you're going to have. The worst that can happen is that they say no. I just wouldn't apply to a ton of schools and waste good $. Be selective. Good luck.

I was also accepted to Midwestern, but am applying for one more school before I make my final decision. Are you from the arizona area? I'd definitely like to keep in touch.

Most CRNA programs require you to work a minimum of 1 year ICU and you can take the CCRN after about 1 year full time work (1750 hours). Check out the AACCN website for more info. Also, Most BSN programs don't go through the summers, so the summer before you graduate is a great time to take the GRE. And as soon as you meet all the requirements, just go for it and apply. These programs are competitive but there are lots of people on this board who have gotten in with minimum time requirements.