JacobSZ

WolfpackRed, I know of several CRNA's who swear by it and just picked up a copy myself. I haven't started anesthesia school yet, but having mock board exams with detailed explainations along with all the other infomration provided has me really excited. I'd highly recommend it and you get 3 years of updates so it's relevent for quite a long time. Also I really like listening to the audio lectures provided by Anesthesia Audio Digest. It's another good anesthesia resource I've be turned on to.

Runningguy19, I too have multiple jobs even now awaiting my March start date for anesthesia school. Presently I have 3 jobs, all of which I work weekly (TSICU/CVICU, ER and FF/EMTP). I don't think multiple jobs is seen as a hindrance when applying to anesthesia school, but having one real good job is not a bad thing either. I applied to 4 schools and got into all 4, and I think the volume and amount of hours I worked really helped me stand out (80-100hrs+/wk). So I say more time in the busier ICU would be better then the alternative, but time and volume of hours worked as a RN is the definition of experience, so more is always better. Best of luck to you and take care. Oh, by the way... some programs specifically ask you how many hours you work on your application and what shift you may even work. So be honest when it comes to your hours and try to put in as many hours as you can at the bigger unit if possible.

Mooremds, I also was under the impression that in order to be accpeted to anesthesia school you had to be a nurse for many years in a top tier specialty, but now that I've been accepted and after speaking with other students I know quite a few anesthesia students and CRNA's that only had 1.5-3 years experience in ICU, and some just MICU, no CV or Trauma. Either way if you put in your time and your grades, GRE and interpersonal skills are good enough, then you should be just fine. My experience is... RN 8 years (2 ER Level II, 1 MICU Level II, 3.5 ER Level II Charge RN, 1.5 CVICU/SICU Level I) and Firefighter EMT-P 6 years full time suburban Fire Department while working as a full time RN. It never hurts to expand your resume, and education and professional development are a huge benifit to anyone regardless of how many years you've worked as a RN, especially if you're interested in becoming a CRNA. So take any and all classes that you can while you work and don't be afraid to really grow as a RN beyond the realm of the ICU (PALS, NRP, ABLS, ATLS, TNS). I'd also recommend that you start working on your MSN as soon as you can and keep working hard on the unit and try to enjoy life in the mean time. Best of luck to you...

maymoh & mikelita, i too interviewed at rosalind 2 weeks ago (july 12th)... which seemed strange since they offically don't start interviews until september so i've heard. i think their site stated at one point that they did rolling admissions and i had applied back in january, so i don't know if that had anything to do with my circumstance, but none the less my experience was a positve one and i felt welcomed by all the faculty, which i was surprised by from previous experiences elsewhere. i don't know how things work with the whole "process" of interviews, but i was called by the program head in early july, asked to interview the very next week, and then was offered a position in their program during the interview. i still am surprised by how the whole thing played out, and was not expecting that at all, but as you can imagine i am quite excited! none the less... be persitent and never stop learning and or improving on your resume, and most of all stay busy with any activities that foster professional advancement and development. nothing pays off like old fashioned hard work and time. i seriously set my entire life aside for a year telling myself that's the least it's going to take just to get my foot in the door and get accepted to a anesthesia program. rosalind's faculty seem incredible and i must say i truly felt like i was a person of interest, not a number. so take from that what you will, but i have nothing but great things to say about my experience. as for the interview, pretty straight forward... how have you prepared yourself, why anesthesia, what motivates you, are you willing to set your life on hold and commit...etc. no test... not this time that is, but then again i was alone, no other applicants and kind of unexpected i believe. i think one program administrator didn't even know i was coming, but oh well. here's my stats age: 30 experience: rn 7.5 years (5 years adult/peds er, 2 of which ed charge, 2 years icu, 1 of which lvl i trauma cviuc/sicu/micu, current position) also emt-p 6 years, full time fire department while full time rn. gpa: 3.6 gre:1175 resume: rn, bsn, ccrn, cen, tns, enpc, ecrn, emt-p, ccemtp, atls, abls, itls, acls, pals and nrp (wanted to do flight, but never did, hence the certs and training) also current volunteer member of the medical reserve corps. and part of an education and traing committee at the fire department and ed. current msn student at large. hope the info helps and best of luck to both of you and everyone else out there.

"have you ever wondered why it's so hard to get into medical school, or why medical school is notorious for being insanely difficult?" i've often wondered how hard it is to get into medical school, and i'm currently experiencing how hard it is to get in to crna school right now. i know this is not entirely relavent to the debate but... ...39,108 applicants to us medical schools, according to the aamc (association of american medical colleges). in contrast, 17,370 folks graduated from medical that same year and a grand total of 69,167 people were enrolled in medical school. if you assume these are all 4-year programs, that means the average enrollment of an individual class (ie. the "class of 2010") would be 17,291, fairly close to how many graduated that year. in other words, of the 39k who apply, 21k (or 53%) don't get in. your odds are very roughly 1 in 2. http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/state-re-app2006.htm and this is from wikipedia... in 2006, the average gpa and mcat for osteopathic matriculants was 3.46 and 24.6 respectively, and 3.64 and 30.4 for md matriculants.[4][5] in 2010, 42,742 people applied to medical schools in the united states through the american medical college application service. 18,665 of them matriculated into a medical school for a success rate of 44%.[6] and now for nursing anesthesia... aana j. 1995 jun;63(3):244-8. nurse anesthesia admission qualifications. this study describes criteria used by graduate nurse anesthesia educational programs (gnaeps) in selecting students for admission. the investigators prepared and distributed a 15-item questionnaire to 71 gnaeps as listed by the council on accreditation of nurse anesthesia eduational programs for december 1992. thirty-eight of 71 (54%) of gnaeps participated in this study. upon examination of standardized test scores, mean graduate record exam scores were: analytical 533, quantitative 512, verbal 510, and cumulative 1,552. the mean millers analogy test score was 47. the mean overall grade point average (gpa) was 3.32 and the mean science gpa was 3.20. experience in critical care nursing averaged 5 years, with 54% of students coming from surgical intensive care units and 81% advanced cardiac life support certified. the most commonly identified prerequisite course was organic/biochemistry. all programs required references, 97% required interviews, and 68% required essays. program directors ranked overall gpa, interview, and science gpa among the factors considered most in the selection process. the sample revealed an acceptance rate of 22% for those applying to gnaeps. so as you can see both becoming a physician and becoming a dnap nurse anesthetist are equally difficult if not favoring the greater degree of difficulty to that of the nurse anesthetist since their is only a 22% acceptancece rate for anesthesia school and considering you are competing against 2.9 million nurses in the united states where experience and age count for you as opposed to against you as with medical school. most 1st year medical students are from what i can research 24 years of age, where most srna's are 28 or above with an average of 5 years working experience in critical care. so with most students now finishing their bachelors in 5 years, most incoming medical students are fresh out of school with no medical experience what so ever, where srna's not only have direct nursing/health science education, but also have 5 additional years of critical care experience working along side physicians. if you really look at it for what it requires, not what the title tells, you can see just how difficult and time consuming it is to become a nurse anesthetist, let alone dnap. so supersixeightmd is it wrong for a optometrist to refer to himself as "doctor" at the bedside of a family member in the icu, in front of the dnap who just brought them back from the or? i respect physicians with all my heart and admire what they do, but i also feel the same for nurse anesthetists, other advanced practice doctorate prepared nursing specialist and anyone for that matter who holds a doctorate degree for that matter. they've earned the title, no one should take that away from them, especially in the eye's of the public. how else will we educate them if we don't address their misconceptions? there was a time when being a physician was a predominantly male profession, but over time and through educating the public women became accepted too as doctors while in a hospital setting wearing a white lab coat, and not automatically assumed to be nurses. not to mention not too long ago when do's were paid less then their md counterparts, which also raises questions about physicians being veiwed and treated as equals, even amoungst their peers. so you can see how public/patient misconceptions, and professional inequalities and standards can be corrected over time, with the help of determined individuals who feel the need to do so. but then again, that's only if people feel it worth while... i know i do. here's where i'm coming from with my background and experience age: 29 gender: male rn/bsn/as, 6.5 years experience (5 er, 1.5 icu, 6 phrn/emt-p, 10 emt) er charge rn (adult and peds specific) volume 57,000 pts/yr, level ii trauma. currently in icu, 44 beds. level i trauma, staff rn, now orienting to open hearts. firefighter paramedic, suburban town 70,000 pop., 6,000 calls a year, 4,200 ems) currently i work as a firefighter/paramedic (24/48), nights in the icu (24+hrs/wk), and 16-24hrs/month er. certifications: rn/bsn, acls, pals, bls, ccrn, cen, abls, atls(non-physician provider), nrp, ecrn, tns, ccemtp, enpc gpa 3.65(4 scale), gre 1175/4.5 and i'm still trying to become a nurse anesthetist after an entire year of applying, but if it doesn't work out i've been told by the physicians i work with i would make a great doctor... but i think they mean physician. who knowns, either way health care is all i've ever wanted to do with my life and i will continue to do so, respectfully. take care.

gwapo, Luckily enough one of my ICU preceptors husband is a CRNA at the hospital I used to work in the ICU at, so he was more then welcoming to have me shadow him. I wrote him a little resume letter, showing my credentials, experience and professional motivations in becoming a CRNA and that the programs I was applying to strongly recommended shadowing a CRNA before sending off my application materials, and he gladly let me follow him around all over the hospital for a week. I had a chance to see a lot of what he does. Spent a lot of time in the OR which was cool because one of my friends from the fire department is the head surgical tech in the OR and has a great relationship with the surgeons and let me in on a lot of cool cases and in a very stress free and welcoming environment. I had a little talk with the anesthesiologist before it all started for their approval and they of course told me I was a young enough and bright enough that I should just go to the MDA route, they knew my mother who is an administrator at the same hospital so they told her to bother me about it too. But I know my case was a little out of the ordinary since I knew a great deal of people who helped make the shadowing experience more informal and less stressful, but I'd like to think that if you approach one of the anesthetist at your hospital in a professional and formal manner telling them a little about yourself they should be willing to expose you to their work... as long as the anesthesiologist don't have a problem with it. The CRNA I shadowed was nice enough to write me letters of recommendation so I guess he made mention of it in his letter which was verification enough I guess, but they might very well call your references for supportive proof if they feel it needed, so you never know. Hope that story and advice helps.

ssrhythm thanks... I'm still up to the same old grind, happy to say I'm getting >95% in both of my MSN classes right now that I can roll into pretty much any Anesthesia program I applied to, so I'll have that going for me when and if I start school. I plan on knocking out as many transferable credits as I can to lighten my class load when it all starts, but until then I'm thinking about joining a few education committees at work in the ICU to once again try to stand out. I hope that this other anesthesia program I just applied to will ask me about my ER experience because that's something I certainly feel comfortable in talking about... but I digress. Until then... Take care.

Thanks everyone... always open to advice, especially the encouraging kind. So I sent out another application to a CRNA program that does accept ER experience, the only down side is it's a 36 month program and 52K a year, but I'll probably be thankful it's that long when and if I get in. Griff you're absolutely right, I'm still amazed at how much I don't know. I hear you though, my background is 50% ER, 25% ICU and about 25% EMS/PHRN/Fire. I'm soaking up tons of information and experience here at a lvlI trauma ICU and the CV part of it is humbling to say the least. I feel like a good balance of clinical experience would be 20% ER, 70% ICU and 10% EMS/PHRN/Fire, but still I'm hoping. And yeah Griff the hours are brutal right now. I'm doing roughly 2-3 36hr+ shifts a month right now. 5PM-8AM ICU, then 8AM to 8PM at the FD unitl I can catch some sleep, that is of course call permiting otherwise I'm up till 8AM the next day. Itsmike990, we sound alot alike with all the class and certs and what not, thanks again for the input. So I'll keep at it and thanks again everyone, I appreciate the support and you'll be the first to know if I here anything. Take care...

I know the part time RN looks suspect, but the truth to that is I love being an Intensive Care Nurse, Paramedic and Emergency Medicine Nurse. Very few CRNA programs, with the exception of military ones look at ER experience kindly during review it seems, so I had to move away from the ER, but I didn’t want to give it completely up. Also now that the economy is kind of slow I've noticed a complete difference in staffing where hospitals, at least the one's I've applied at historically would rather hire you part time, and then pay you less in benifit's just having pick up over your commitment to suit the unit, which I still do. And as for the fire department I work for I’m on one of, if not the busiest ambulances outside Chicago for the last 3 years in the northwest suburbs and we’re only getting busier. I love getting to practice paramedicine in a highly autonomous roll, I love being able to resuscitate patient’s using only my clinical judgment to go on, along with my SMO’s as a PHRN/EMT-P. I really enjoy working with children and I enjoy providing care for people in the midst of crisis. That’s another reason why I like to work in the ER and why I volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps. as both a RN and EMT-P in the county I live in. I really like being able to practice and refine the various skills that I don’t have a chance to do in the ICU like external jugular IV’s, endotracheal intubation, surgical airways, intraosseous lines, fracture reduction, conscious sedation, cardioversions and even delivering a baby once in a blue moon. I hope that my array of experiences and the skills and knowledge I posses would lend itself to a person who is interested in critical care in numerous aspects, not just within the ICU, that’s why I don’t want to give it up. I seriously work 72-110 hours a week between my three jobs and have been since graduating with my BSN, even as a new grad RN I worked more hours in the ED I came from then any other nurse, and that included the management. I know the part time ICU/RN part looks suspicious, but that’s like saying just because you were an English major applying to medical school, you should have been a Chemistry or Biology major in order to be taken seriously. I hope that 18 months of full time ER nursing, coupled with my experience and education as a whole would show that I do meet the standard of education and proficiency that Anesthesia programs look for, that’s all. We all start off as students, ready to learn, so why would my history look suspect in review? I know they probably will and do, but still shouldn’t the rest of my experience matter in my overall commitment to patient care? Either way, it is what it is and if this next year doesn’t pan out, then I’ll definitely have to change it up. Oh and as for the letters of recommendation that I have been using, one is from a Anesthesiologist/Emergency Medicine Physician I work with, a CRNA of 28 years and the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at the ER I still work at occasionally. Thanks for the advice and encouragement everyone, I hope it works out.

CRNA 2012, Like I asked choczrn1 could you look over my other post and give me some feed back on getting into CRNA school? And if you have any pointers on Rosalind's program I'm all ears. Here's the link... https://allnurses.com/student-registered-nurse/what-got-you-475517-page3.html#post4793090 Thanks again... Jacob

Well first off congratulations choczrn1! I actually interviewed at Rosalind for the same class as you and had the same impression of the program (maybe we even where in the same group?). I really liked the staff, but the program seems intimidating and working does look to be out of the question, however I did work with a RN who worked part time or resource while attending Rosalind’s program and she also had a family so anything is possible I guess. I know Rosalind has a 39 month part-time program version where you take your didactic portion over the course of 2 years as opposed to 1, then your 15 month clinical portion is full time. Is that an option for you? Maybe they’ll let you do that if you asked them, I know they discourage it though? I hear you, not having much time must be a tough. I interviewed at Rosalind in late September and thought everything went fairly well, the written so so, but then the interview I thought I nailed, but was pretty sad and surprised once they told me I was wait listed. I knew it was a long shot when I applied right at the dealine, but when I got my interview, I started thinking maybe this is really going to happen. But now that I think about it a little more the extra time in preparation and saving money for when and if I get in next year is really appealing to me. I know I want to be a CRNA, but timing is key, so right now I’m chalking it up to “it wasn’t meant to be” this time around and working on all my MSN transfers to roll into either Rosalind, Rush or DePaul next year to lighten my load. You on the other have a choice in the matter, but either way you won’t go wrong. So take pride and confidence in that. Ultimately I have my mind made up and would prefer to get into Rosalind’s program. If what they say is true for their clinical case loads, I couldn’t imagine a better environment to learn in as an SRNA, so I hope I get accepted next time around. From all the people I’ve talked to about becoming a CRNA the consensus is that school is the most challenging thing you can do professionally in your career no matter how you do it, but in the end you’ll never regret it. Hopefully you make the choice that’s best for you, but then again I’m sure you already have. Good luck with school and life. Jacob Also I posted on the SRNA thread about “what got you into CRNA school” and was looking for some input, if you could check out my post and get back to me I’d greatly appreciate it. Here’s the link https://allnurses.com/student-registered-nurse/what-got-you-475517-page3.html#post4793090

Hello, I've been reading over everyones posts and their experiences with applying to CRNA school and was wondering do I have a shot at getting into CRNA school working an average of 24-36 hours a week? Truthfully I work two 12 hour shifts in the ICU a week and then every third week work three 12's. Also I pick up 2 shifts a month in the ER, but I also work as a Firefighter/Paramedic/PHRN (24 on, then 48 off). I tried to down play that during my one interview, thought it went well, but then was wait listed. Here is my resume and experience of sorts. Tell me what you think... RN/BSN, 6.5 years experience (5 ER, 1.5 ICU, 6 PHRN/EMT-P) ER Charge RN (Adult and Peds specific) volume 57,000 pts/yr, Level II trauma. Currently in ICU, 44 beds. Level I trauma, staff RN, now orienting to open hearts. Firefighter Paramedic, suburban town 70,000 pop., 6,000 calls a year, 4,200 EMS) Currently I work as a Firefighter/Paramedic (24/48), Nights in the ICU (24+hrs/wk), and 16-24hrs/month ER. Certifications: RN/BSN, ACLS, PALS, BLS, CCRN, CEN, ABLS, ATLS, NRP, ECRN, TNS, CCEMTP, ENPC GPA 3.65(4 scale), GRE 1175/4.5 I'm nervous since I've already sent my applications out this year, so if I don't get a call this time it'll be another 12 months of waiting. But then again I only applied to one program before, and got an interview, but I just feel like my limited ICU time will count against me. So what does everyone else think? I'd appreciate the feed back. Take care.

Hello, I was just reading through the post and thought the same thing in that getting my CCRN would help show that I was a "go getter" while applying to CRNA school. I believe it did, but I was still wait listed for the one program I applied to. I am however still excited about getting and interview despite applying within the last 2 weeks of the deadline for applications. To be quite honest I'm a huge education junkie and hope that it helps me in the future with my applications I sent out last month for a couple of 2012 programs. I was just wondering though if my resume/experience is strong enough. So any and all opinions would help out. Here it is... in short. RN/BSN, 6.5 years experience (5 ER, 1.5 ICU, 6 PHRN/EMT-P) ER Charge RN (Adult and Peds specific) volume 57,000 pts/yr, Level II trauma. Currently in ICU, 44 beds. Level I trauma, staff RN, now orienting to open hearts. Firefighter Paramedic, suburban town 70,000 pop., 6,000 calls a year, 4,200 EMS) Currently I work as a Firefighter/Paramedic (24/48), Nights in the ICU (24hrs/wk), and 8-12hrs/wk ER. Certifications: RN/BSN, ACLS, PALS, BLS, CCRN, CEN, ABLS, ATLS, NRP, ECRN, TNS, CCEMTP, ENPC GPA 3.65(4 scale), GRE 1175 I'm nervous since I've already sent my applications out this year, so if I don't get a call this time it'll be another 12 months of waiting. But then again I only applied to one program before, and got an interview, but I just feel like my limited ICU time will count against me. So what does everyone else think? I'd appreciate the feed back. Take care.

as for my interview i only answered the questions i was asked, none of which dealt with my opinion. so i thought it went well (laughing). i'm still undecided about the whole experience, nerves got the better of me during my written test and then i settled down a bit during the interview. so we'll just have to wait and see. as always i learn something new about myself with experiences like these, and i feel more prepared for a next time if there should be one. so i'm glad to have been given the opportunity to interview, but anxiously awaiting their response. as for my point earlier, i just strongly feel our current physician driven healthcare system is not what's best for america/americans. everyone should really be looking at current practices and trends in healthcare and we should be asking ourselves how safe, high quality care can be delivered to maximum number of patients efficiently and in a cost effective manner. not, how can we proliferate tiered systems of medical bureaucracy. sometime less is more... except in the case of my prior post... sorry for any vision loss people might have developed after reading it.

if you look at anesthesia in terms of mda's making 300k+ a year, after a 50% pay cut that would still put them ahead of crna's making 135k a year on average. what this whole initiative tells me is that mda/doa's salaries are too high in the governments mind and they would like see more parity in pay for what they alleady see as parity in work. my fear is that other anesthesia providers will be financially hurt by the this same initiative, the aa’s and crna. i think it's sad that other practitioners of anesthesia could potentially be on the receiving end of salary cuts also, but you never know...