seansanf120

My first interview was with the program director and she told me a little bit about the program then she said, "tell me about you." that was it! I wen on to talk about how I got to this point, why I wanted to do anesthesia, and why my family was ready for the challenge. Then I asked her questions for about 20min. My second interview was with an associate director who asked me "why CRNA school, why MSA, what do u like about your job, what makes you frustrated about your job," then I asked her questions that I didn't get answered in the first interview. I was scarred, big time going into the interview, but my nerves switched to excitement when I could talk about my experiences in the OR and why I want to be a CRNA. They will sense your apprehension, and fears, likewise they will know the ones who are excited about the opportunity as well. Seriously, they make it as easy as possible for you. Try not to get so nervous, I know it's easier said than done.

Your interview wont last 2 hours. Those are the time blocks they have in reserved for the interviews. My first one lasted 45 min and my second one only lasted around 20 min. A few classmates of mine only has 10-15 min interviews. It just depends on how many questions you have for them at the end, and I suggest you have at least a few that can stem some conversation and not just a simple yes/no. The health insurance offered through the school is available through Blue Cross/Blue Sheild, but it's not great. A higher premium will yield to a lower monthly payment, but it's still quite expensive. MN care is another option for full time grad students I believe. The school will give you insurance options/plans on the first day of class. I have a family as well, but my wife picked us up on her health care plan.

Hello everyone, I am currently in my first year of the Program and I can tell you that this program is excellent. They give the nuts and bolts of wht you need to know to perform in clinical then in the secon week of November you're in the OR. I can tell you about the interview which is extremely laid back. They want to see how well you can handle/express yourself in a stressful situation. Their is no quizzing on Pharm or A/P or anything like that. They want you to just be yourself because as the previous poster had said, they do look at the whole picture when it comes to acceptance and they do want a mix of students in the class. My class has a little bit of everything; people with SICU, MICU, PICU, ect... I had 3.5 years in a PICU. Your LOR are very important, as one instructor had told me, if they see any negative comments in your letter, that is a red flag and they start to question whether the student will be right for the program. As far as your experience goes, as long as you have 1 year by the time you start the program, then that fulfills the requirement. I will also tell you that we had a student quit 1.5 months into the program because she said anesthesia wasn't for her. If you're applying, make sure this is something you really want to do. You don't want to take a spot from someone who really wants this, just my two cents. Oh one more thing, they get aroun 200 applications each year, interview aroun 80 and select 33 students. Good luck and I'll be happy to answer any questions. Sean

I'm in the same boat you're in. I am going to start Anesthhesia School in a little less than 4 weeks. I am going "casual" in two weeks. My in-laws, who we are staying with to cut down on finances, were telling me there's no reason I can't work a double every Saturday and study all day on Sunday. Are you frickin kidding me? I keep telling them how much I am going to be responsible for learning, and I think the problem is is that 7 years ago when my wife's cousin went through the same program I am about to start, he worked casual and was the apartment builing manager for his complex while he was in school. He said, "it wasn't that bad," and that has stuck with them. He's single, I'm not, he didn't have kids, I have two. So I hear what you're saying, but bottom line is is that we are going to be responsible for learning a ton of information, sure we have probably heard of the terminology, but we have to learn a high volume of content it in a short amount of time. I have a responsibility for my future patients to learn how to be the best CRNA I can be, and that's it. Good luck to you in your future CRNA program. seansanf120

tmate, I can tell you that your goal statement is exactly that. Why do you want to be an Anesthetist? I can't tell you what you're goals are, but I can tell you that my essay was more like a story talking about how I got exposed to anesthesia and the role of the CRNA. I then talked about experiences I've had chronicolling my time in the military as an Air Force Medic, my time in nursing school and when I was an Anesthesia Aide, and my time as a PICU nurse. I also talked about my job shadowing experience. I would say that you want to give them a reason to want to hear more from you in an interview. I breifly touched on those items mentioned above, and I spoke more about them in detail during my interview. I made sure every sentence had a purpose, and that I didn't repeat myself at all. It also took me about six months from start to finish to be happy with a draft I felt was perfect. If I were you I would just start to free write, and write down things that pop into your head to maybe jump start an idea or a theme you want to convey. Pretty soon you'll find that you have a ton of information, and you'll be scrambling to make it all fit on one page. You'll be fine, just take your time and have people proof read it. Good luck!!! seansanf120

Hi there, I was actually in my preceptorship in my last semester as a nursing student when a position opened up in the PICU where I was doing my preceptorship. I applied, my preceptor talked to the nurse manager, I interviewed with the nurse manager, and later that week I got the job offer. Did you get into an ICU for your preceptorship? If you did, I would definatley ask your preceptor for a LOR for you if you apply elsewhere. There are new grad positions in ICU's all over the country, you just have to find them. Good luck in your endevours.

Minneapolis School of Anesthesia, class of 2013, and the tuition is $33,000 for the 27 months, and that includes books, and such. I am probably looking at an additional $40,000 for living expenses, and save what I don't spend and pay that back right away with whatever money I have left. I also have to pay for parking every clinical day. You do have to think of the little costs that will add up, and whatever bills you might have throughout the program.

The program accepts 33 students per year. They will take you if you don't have Chemistry done, but it does help you to have it done prior to your interview. I have students who will start with me who are in Chemistry right now. You can find online Chem classes, so if I were you I would find one that will finish prior to interviews. I will try and answer any other questions I can that you have, just let me know. Where are you from?

Hi there, I applied, and was accepted to MSA to start for the fall of 2011. I can tell you that the program is 27 months, integrated design (class, and clinicals at the same time), You go to 5 different clinical sites including 2 different 3 week rotations to a rural facility, a two week pediatric rotation, and your last clinical site is an elective site you get to chose. I hear the instructors are great, very fair and nice. They have an excellent board passer rating for first time test takers, it's like 96% and the national average is in the 80's. As far as getting in, well it depends. There are students who get in who have the minimum requirements, and then there are some who don't get in with 4.0 GPAs. In my interview I was told they aren't looking for someone who gets all A's and at the same time they're not looking for someone who gets C's. They want to see in a typical applicant, someone who can demonstrate time management well. Like me, I had just finished my BSN, had finished my ADN two years prior, I have a family, I was working almost full time, and was on our Unit Council which was a committee designed to make our work environment better for patients and nurses. Anyway, I had a lot going on and I did get all A's in my BSN program. I also feel that in the interview they are looking for students who have great personalities, someone who will fit well in the class, someone who will get along great with other students, someone who will help other students without worrying about themselves only. I did make it well known in my interview that this is something I had been working towards for the last 9 years. I will show you a snap shot of my application package below, but i wanted to let the adcom know that i was ready for this challenge, and not only me, but my wife and kids. I told them about our financial plan, about our support system we have in place. I told them about life experiences that I had encountered, and how that will help me in school. I just went "all in" and told them everything about me, and how i was ready. I will show you what I had on my resume... GPA 3.4 overall A's in A/P 1, Chemistry B's in Micro, and A/P 2 C's in Biology and Physics ACLS PALS BLS I had a 3.7 for all of my nursing classes, and a 3.9 for the last 60 credits. Don't know if they put more emphasis on one GPA versus the other. I've heard it doesn't matter as long as you have the minimum requirement. 3.5 years in the PICU On Unit Council I was an Anesthesia Aide while I was in nursing school, which is essentially a Nursing Assistant for CRNA's. This gave me great experience and hands on experience with anesthesia equipment and the environment in the OR. I was in the Air Force Reserves for 8 years, recieved the "Outstanding Airman of the Year" award for the entire AF Reserves from 2003-2004. Was deployed to Kuwait for 7 months as a Medic. As far as my LOR, I sent in two extra letters that weren't required. I had to have one in from my Nurse Manager, two nurses I worked with, my previous supervisor who was the Chief Anesthetist when I was an Anesthesia Aide, my dean of my BSN program and for this I set up an appointment to talk to her about my experience at the program and what I learned that will help me in Anesthesia School, and then I sent in the extra two which were from an ENT surgeon and an Intensivist, both of which were very personable and spoke about my level of competence. You also have to write an essay about why you're chosing Anesthesia as a career. I made sure I told a story in my letter. How I was first exposed to the job, all of my experiences I had, my plan to limit stressors while in the program, ect... I made sure every sentence had a specific purpose, and that they didn't say the same thing. I spent about 6 months on my whole application package, and turned it in about 4 months prior to when it had to. I also hand delivered my application, so #1 I could see the school for myself, and #2 so they could see me and I could meet some of the people at the school. I don't know if this seems excessive, but like I said I went "all-in" and I wanted to do everything I could to make sure this was the one and only time I applied to Anesthesia School. I hope this helps you, and although I can't tell you specifically about classes and such, i start Aug 24, I could only tell you what I know, and what I did for my application. Good luck to you, and I encourage you to apply to MSA! seansanf120

I agree with the last replier, Your GPA will be fine as you described it, but the kicker will be when you get an interview that you explain to them how the last four years as a RN you've been saving money and getting out of debt. This is exactly what I did, and I made that known to the adcomm. Your volunteer service will be looked highly upon by the adcomm, and extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and other leadership roles you can take on in your unit will make the difference between you and someone else with a similar GPA. Good luck! Sean

knkata, Hi there, I have just been accepted to anesthesia school for this fall, and I can tell you that I kind of went along the same path as you. I got my EMT through the Air Force (I was a medic), then got my ADN, later my BSN. I like this because I could work as a nurse while continuing my BSN education. I also had a mentorship in nurse anesthesia through the military, and when I came back home I got a part time job as an anesthesia aide. It sounds like you have a plan in place, and don't give up. Try your best in your classes, shadow CRNA's, volunteer to sit on committees, and when you're a RN in the ICU get your CCRN. I never got this cert but it certaintly helps. Then you'll be well on your way to an interview. Hope this helps. Sean

Silverbelle, Don't let your age get you down about getting into CRNA school. Sure you can take your CCRN, take a grad level physiology course, but I'll show you below what I had on my resume. Chem A A/P 1-A A/P 2-B Microbiology-B Physics-C (Took this way before nursing school) I had a GPA of 3.8 last 60 credits and around a 3.3-3.4 overall. I worked as an Anesthesia Aide for 5 years while going through Nursing school, it's like a nursing assistant for CRNA's. I was also in the military for 8 years, I had a number of leadership roles, was deployed to a high stress environment, and I recieved the "outstanding airman of the year" award for the Air Force Reserves in 2003. Since starting in the PICU after graduating I have joined our Unit council, and was taking on more leadership responsabilities on the unit. In my interview I made it very clear to the admin committee that I really wanted this, that I had been preparing for this financially, and that i had a great support group in place. I have a family of four, so I will need a lot of help. So that's it in a nutshell. I guess good grades makes you look good on paper, but I have a feeling they look at the whole picture before deciding on a student. Good luck to you! Sean

arcurtism, I was told in the interview that everyone that interviewed, and didn't get accepted, is on the alternate list. If a spot opens up the class then they will look at everyone who is on the alternate list, see you has all of the requirements at that time such as your Chem, BSN, ICU experience, PALS, ACLS, and of those alternates who have everything done, they will select who they feel will be a good fit for the class. I imagine they would go off of interview reports to help make their decision. Keep your head up though! Sean

I got a single page letter. I had been told that if I get accepted there will be a thick envolope with physical exam forms and your letter of acceptance, and if you just got one letter then that meant you were an alternate. I opened the envolope to find a single letter, and my heart just dropped. As I read it though, and it said I had been selected, and enclosed are the physical exam forms, but there weren't. I had called the school today, and I was told that the secretary was so excited to get the letters out she forgot to put in the physical exam forms. I recieved it today in a seperate envolope, so all is well. I wish you the best Riley, and please let us know either way. Sean

Great news here!!! I got a letter today saying I've been accepted to the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia. I am sooooo excited, I can't hardly stand it. I hope your good news is on the way. PM me if you're accepted, and if you are an alternate keep your head up. See you all August 24!!! seansanf120