acupofgas

No, organic chemistry is not a prerequisite for BC. I am a SRNA at BC and all I had was Introduction to Medical Chemistry (3 lec hours and 1 lab hour course) it was sufficient. That was all that was required for my BSN. I did not have to take any more chemistry. However the best thing to do is to call the SON and ask them if you have questions about admissions. They are very friendly and will promptly give you the most accurate information. Good luck

I sent my application in at the last minute as I had to sit the GRE, and then certify in PALS. I think they received my application a week or two before the deadline. If you broke 1000 on the GRE, have a good GPA, have 3 years of SICU, have a strong personal statement, and good references you should be well positioned for an interview. Yes there is only 16 spots. They told us they would let candidates know around the end of October or early November. Hang in there. If you have anymore questions please email me.

There was no campus requirement CSUDH. You should check their website.http://www.csudh.edu/bsn/

I obtained my BSN through California State University Dominguez Hills. It is an online RN to BSN program. It is accredited like any on-campus BSN CSU school. There was no problem with my applications into CRNA school and I am currently in a CRNA program.

Some are MSN with a concentration in nurse anesthesia or a MSNA or MNA. I do not know if there is a difference in the MSN and MNA/MSNA. I know some schools have a MS in Anesthesiology, MS in Biology, MS in Health Sciences etc... I am not sure what the difference is. I would suggest contacting the schools individually if you need more information

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs requires a minimum of a year ICU experience. This is an accreditation standard. I do not know what programs are taking ER and PACU in lieu of this requirement. So even though you did not get into the Neuro ICU, try obtaining a position in any ICU setting would be the best way to gain the most appropriate clinical experience.

Take your CCRN, ACLS (my school required PALS as well), have good relationships with coworkers, managers, and professors so that you can have solid references. Look at the requirement of each school you are interested in and make sure you have them. Sounds like so far what you have done and intend to do will get you where you want to go.

Yes I have my CCRN. I was working but I decided to stop shortly after I started. However that is just me there are at least 3 or 4 students who are still working. Good luck. Let me know how you get along.

The Boston College interview process is really low key and not clinically focused at all. It is more a get to know you and very general questions. Just be yourself. I was nervous too. I can't speak too much about the NEU program as when I knew I was in at BC I respectfully cancelled my interview at Northeastern; they were most gracious about it. Though I know of people who have interviewed at NEU and they said they were asked clinical questions about the type of patients they had cared for and asked questions about PA lines and inotropes etc. I decided on BC for a couple of reasons. a) The start date was Jan 11 for a 28 month program with a grad date of May 2013 vs NEU Sept 2011 for a 32 month program with a grad date in I think May 2014. That is a year of lost opportunity to earn a CRNA salary. b) BC was only accepting only 16 students. My sense from the interview was that if you were accepted into the program the the faculty were dedicated to doing everything they could to ensure you were successful. c) at the interview they had 2 students from each of the 2 current classes ahead. They were not part of the interview but stayed with the candidates and were available to ask questions about the program. They were sincere and very positive about the program and talked openly about what they considered the pros and cons of the program. d) I was already in Mass and ready to start ASAP, e) after going through the interview process it felt like it was a good fit for me and what I wanted to get out of my anesthesia education. I have no doubt that NEU is a good program too but things just aligned at BC and the opportunity was extended to me and I accepted the challenge. I have no regrets about the decision to enter into the BC program and highly recommend it to anyone considering going to CRNA school in New England. I also have no doubt I will make a strong and competent CRNA in 2 more years thanks to BC.

You must have a minimum of a year of ICU experience. No ER required (nor is it accepted). This is an accreditation requirement of all programs. While you don't specifically need a BSN for all CRNA programs, you need at least a baccalaureate degree and be a RN. However if you want the most school options I would recommend a BSN as you can apply to any CRNA program (as long as you fulfill any additional requirements). I received my BSN through a state university system. It was an online RN to BSN program and I am now finishing up my first semester in CRNA school. Each school has its specific requirements. Some may want 2 semesters of chem, and/or a semester of physics, or a graduate statistics course already completed, or even to have completed these types of additional courses within a certain time frame of say 5 or 10 yrs. You have to look at each program you may be interested in and figure out which require something additional. My school did not need any additional classes beyond what I received in my BSN. It required a BSN and additionally GRE, ACLS and PALs. I took my undergrad science classes over 10 years ago. Good luck.

I am originally a foreign trained nurse with a hospital nursing diploma. My foreign education was in an English speaking country. While working as a RN in the US for over 10 years I took all my BSN/GE requirements at a community college and transferred to a RN to BSN program. I graduated with a GPA 3.72. I also had over 10 years of adult ICU experience when I applied to CRNA schools. I am happy to report that I am finishing up my first semester of anesthesia school. It seems to me in order to make yourself the strongest candidate possible would be to get a year of adult ICU (it does not matter what type of ICU specifically - my program has a mix of MICU and SICU people). It will give you the most choices of school. I think you are on the right track. Just be careful how you promote yourself; say particularly with spelling errors, we all make them; however even in a forum like this I want to be taken seriously and part of that is making sure what I write is well written and presented.

Okay let me update this information a bit. I am currently in the CRNA program at BC. Just like Northeastern it is a MSN program and so there are core MSN classes that are required. In total BC has 8 core MSN classes, 7 anesthesia didactic courses, 5 anesthesia clinicals, and 0 electives. In total NE has 7 core MSN classes, 7 anesthesia didactic courses, 6 anesthesia clinicals, and 1 elective The BC program was last accredited in 2006 and received the maximum accreditation of 10 years. The program is well organized and I have no doubt that I will be a very competent CRNA by the time I finished. Several other things to note about the program is the class size is small. There are only 16 students in my class and the two anesthesia faculty are dedicated to each student successfully completing the program. Lastly the latest US News and Report rankings came out for 2011. Boston College was ranked 26th along with Northeastern University. NE is a 32 month program and graduates students with a MSN as well.

Hi, I am in the grad program at BC. A Grade Point Average of (GPA) of 3.0 is required. If the GPA falls below 3.0 the student will be on academic review. Students receiving an “F” in one course or two (2) courses of “C” also will be placed on academic review. Academic review may result in recommendations that coursework be repeated, that the student be placed on academic probation, or that the student be dismissed from the program. If you receive a C in a class you receive a warning letter stating that if you get another C you will be put on academic probation. This is taken right out of the handbook that is available online.

My school is less than 10 years old with only 16 students in the class and has all clinical sites (except 1, which is occasionally used and is 75 miles away) pretty much in the greater metropolitan area of the the major city it is located next too. There are at lease 4 clinical sites within 3 or 4 miles of my house.

Try CSU Dominguez Hills for RN to BSN online as well. I am in a top ranked program and had more than one offer. What is important is that you go to a school that is either NLN or CCNE accredited. Brick and mortar or online does not matter so much.