WndrlstRN

I'm not sure how they are notifying people who are waitlisted. It will probably be by mail though, at this point.

Hi everyone! (Sorry, I'm a little late!) I received my call on Wednesday 4/24 - I interviewed on 4/19 in the afternoon. So excited for January! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!

I would think a biostatistics course would suffice as 'graduate statistics' - if that answers your question. Are you currently an RN? If not, definitely keep your options open as far as what you want to do and shadow as many different roles as you can - Nurse Manager or Executive, Educator, NP, CRNA. You'd be surprised how many people are convinced they want to be a CRNA until they shadow in the OR for 4-6 hours at a time and hate it!

I couldn't tell you why Emory just now started a CRNA program, but there was definitely a need as the only program in the state (prior to Emory establishing their program) was at Augusta University. There was definitely a need for a program in the Atlanta area and I think Emory has the resources to develop an excellent program. From what I have learned, they have somewhere between 18-20 different clinical sites, including those with ACTs and CRNA-only practices, ranging from major academic facilities, to outpatient orthopedic (from my understanding, lots of PNB experience), to rural facilities. I think they have found a good mix of quality sites because it is Emory. The one caveat I noticed is that their sites are somewhat spread out in the Atlanta area and beyond but, as your said, this is probably because the area is so saturated with AAs and Anesthesia Residents. I don't doubt that the cost of the program will be justified by the education received and connections made by being in the program and I am sure Emory's name will carry some weight, similar to Duke and their highly regarded program. This is not to say that Emory's program will turn out better CRNAs over another program, but I think the program may have a broader focus in regard to the goals for their students - meaning more than just the OR.

I think you will be fine. Like the previous posters said, your GPA is one piece of your application packet - also your experience, certifications, GRE, and interview. I would focus on getting your shadowing experience in and have a clear answer for why you want to be a CRNA. Focus on doing well on your interviews because your application will get you the interview, but the interview can make or break you.

Anyone else here accepted and attending?

I would say apply to both. It is so competitive out there for new nurses that you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. It definitely depends on the area of nursing you want to get into as far as which facility would benefit you most. For example, if you wanted to work with high acuity cardiac patients, Piedmont Atlanta would be the obvious choice. However, if you wanted to do trauma or neuro, Grady (Level I Trauma Center) would be better. In the Metro Atlanta area, most of your really sick patients are shipped to Grady, Emory, or Piedmont. Or CHOA for peds. From what I've heard, new grad pay is now generally $23-$25/hr before diffs.

For 2018, they are accepting 10 students. Apparently, last year there were 70-80 applicants for 10 spots. I imagine that the pool is larger this year since they are accredited and I think more people are aware that they have a program.

Got the email today!

GaMommy81, keep checking your email each day. I'm not sure if they send them out all at once or not. Where else have you applied?

Hi All, I received an interview invitation as well! Yay! Mine is for 9/19 and I only put Birmingham as my choice. Not sure how they are scheduling the interviews. Good luck to everyone who has one so far!

Yes, I did! I'm not sure how many applicants there are for the priority and regular deadlines, but good luck!

You won't know the actual cost for yourself until you apply to the program. It really depends on what prerequisites you still need to take. The admission process is fairly straightforward and the workload is flexible. You can take one class at a time or several at a time. It depends on what you are looking for and how long you want to take to finish. Just know that one class CAN be a lot of work! I finished there is August 2016 and I would recommend the program to anyone looking for an affordable, flexible program.

I agree with that. Any program that is primarily online is going to be a lot of self-study and have a heavy writing component. In some of the RN-BSN classes at UTA, we wrote some form of "paper" every week. Practicing writing will benefit you anyway, especially if you plan to pursue an advanced degree after your BSN.

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences. I finished the RN-BSN at UTA in August 2016. Overall, it wasn't a bad program and I felt like it was organized well, for the most part. I will say that you definitely have to stay on top of the academic advisors and constantly follow up with your degree plan. I had several issues with this but none of it delayed my program completion. But, like I said, you have to stay on top of it and make sure YOU know where you are with your progress. Don't depend on someone else to make mistakes!

I'm not currently in a CRNA program but have done tons of research during my process of applying. Many programs are looking for adult ICU experience. I'm not sure if you already have your eye on a program that will accept your experience, but it is worth looking into. As far as your science GPA, I would also take some graduate level classes (or even more advanced undergraduate classes) as the previous poster mentioned. I found that many programs are looking for strong science GPAs. I would do some research and figure out which schools you want to go to and then see what you can do to make application more competitive at those schools. Hope this helps and good luck!

Just an update - completed my application for the priority deadline! Any other applicants out there?

Can anyone who has been accepted for 2017 give some insight to the interview process, etc.? I'm interested in applying for 2018.

I didn't see a thread for Emory's 2018 CRNA program yet - figured I would start one! I'm very interested and working on my application now! Anyone else looking at applying?

I'm looking into the USAGPAN for 2018 and have a general question. Does anyone know if undergrad loans are paid/forgiven with joining? Obviously, this would be in addition to the other benefits of the program. Thanks!

Where will you be working? Northside? It really makes all the difference because the commute to Northside is brutal. There are three hospitals right next to each other at Northside (lovingly called 'Pill Hill') so you can imagine the cluster of traffic during the rush hours. In most areas around there, you can find decently priced apartments - not sure about furnished though - it just depends what you are looking for. I would look in the Dunwoody area around Perimeter Mall (they are building many apartments around there) because you can take backroads to Northside and save yourself some time. There is a lot to do around Perimeter but not necessarily walking distance. Also, when I worked at Northside, I found that many of my co-workers lived in Cobb County, FYI. Just trust me on the commute! Spaghetti Junction (I-85/I-285 junction) and the stretch to Northside is a DISASTER if you have to go through it in the morning or evening. Always keep Atlanta traffic in mind. I think we all plan our drive/day/shopping/going out around the traffic!

Each hospital and unit have their own set of problems - just keep that in mind wherever you go! Starting pay seems to be $22-$26/hr for new grads. Evening, night, and weekend diffs vary and not all pay weekend diff. Pay seems to be more ITP of Atlanta and seems to decrease the further out you go. Also, critical care usually pays more.

Hi all! I'm an RN with 3-4 years of varied experience (ED - Level I and Level II Trauma; PACU; other Surgical Services). After trying something different with PACU, I realized that I miss working in the ED (never thought I'd say that). Sure, it's disorganized chaos...but, I really missed doing nursing. PACU is very different in that sense. Regardless of all that, I have wanted to transition to ICU for some time. I'm looking for the patient contact, the challenge and the in-depth knowledge that comes along with working there. I've come across the opportunity at my hospital to apply for the Critical Care Residency. In the program, the RN cycles through the different ICUs in the hospital (CVICU, med/surg ICU, etc.). However, there are several positions open in (I believe) all of the departments that I could apply to outright. My question is: Do you think it is necessary, or more beneficial, for an experienced RN to complete a residency (12-13 weeks) when transitioning to ICU? Or, do you think that orientation (4-6 weeks) is time enough to transition? I've had experience with critical patients, but not for extended periods of time (think ED and PACU - we like to move them out!). I appreciate all of your opinions. Thanks!

From what I heard, the starting pay is $23.55 with differentials for evenings, nights, and weekends. It's something like $4.00. I don't work there, so I can't say for sure. As far as living close to there, it is quite difficult to find something affordable in the immediate area. If you go north on I-85 about 2-3 exits (Cheshire Bridge, N. Druid Hills, Clairmont) you can find some affordable areas going east on either road. And, it's a decent part of town. Depending on how far away from I-85 it is, you are looking at a 10-20 minute drive to Piedmont (definitely not bad considering Atlanta's disaster in the mornings). The commute should be easy at most start times. 7p could be bad though as traffic builds up around 5p-6p headed downtown. Hope this helps.

congrats! and good luck on your final semester!