UTRN2005

The program is more compressed time-wise than other schools. That tends to make things feel more difficult just because you are trying to learn so much information in a shorter time period. The faculty is great and for the most part are easy to get along with (you will have some anal-retentive people in any faculty). There is a strong presence in TANA from Baylor students and faculty. There are 14 in my class and we're all still kicking. They do typically lose one from each class, however rarely for academic purposes. Definitely check out the website as there is a lot of information about the program on there. www.bcm.edu. Good luck!

I don't know about other programs, but mine is not an MSN, it is an MS in nurse anesthesia (no nursing theory classes). So if you were to enter my program you would start at the beginning with everyone else. There is actually a girl in my class that just comepleted her NP. I personally don't know of any program that significatnly shorten the program based upon having an NP. Definitely contact the programs you're interested in and find out for sure.

The argument of misrepresentation as a basis for lower educational requirements is asinine. Why would anyone be against CRNAs having higher education? CRNAs are here to administer anesthesia to the public and as such we should want the public to be as well cared for as possible. Anesthesiologists also care for the public and they either believe we can do a good job now (in which additional education is not needed and as such supervision should not be required) or they think we are not educated enough (therefore they should believe in furthering education and in the mean time be for supervision). Logically, there is not a category for pro-supervisioin and anti-education. In my opinion there is no good reason to be against higher education for anyone. As far as the title goes I understand the concern about not confusing patients and deceiving them to believe that I am a medical doctor. I am not. But PhDs go by the title Dr and they are not medical doctors. Pharmacists are now PharmDs and I have met some of them that go by Dr. What about chiropractors, optomotrists, physical therapists, lawyers (doctorate of jurisprudence). All of them have some form of a doctoral degree and could be correctly identified as Doctor. If you earn the degree, you earn the title. Perhaps our patients just need to be better educated about our profession and qualifications.

Answer the questions honestly. You will most likely be asked about your essay during your interview. If you fudge it they will know.

Okay. You're confusing me. First you say that I have to admit that money is a factor in people going back to school. I agree, it is a factor but in the original post the only reason mentioned for returning to school was that "I don't know if I will be happy with the RN pay range" Yes the salary is nice, would I still be going back to school if the salary was the smae as an RN? YES! I don't feel that as an RN I am able to help my patients as much as I could if I was not constantly waiting on MDs to come by, call back, etc. That is the autonomy I'm looking forward to. But now that I admitted that the salary is a part in people's decisions I shouldn't be a CRNA because I'm only in it for the money? Make up your mind then bash me if you must. But don't come on this board esposing one thing then say you waould never want that kind of person carign for your family.

I'm not denying that the pay plays a factor. But the OP didn't mention any benefit over the pay. Personally, I like the autonomy, the higher level thinking, the prestige, and ,yes, the pay helps. But salary is not my only or even primary concern in my decision to return to school.

Short answer my GPA was 4.0 I knew Baylor was where I wanted to be and I knew that to get in with the amount of experience I have (1 year at the time of the interview) I would have to really work and stress my academic background. I started as an engineering major and some of the faculty were impressed with the course I had taken and my ability to maintain my grades in them. I also did well on the GRE and had my CCRN certification. I also felt that the interview went really well. Again, I did a lot to show that while I did have less experience than most applicant I would be a strong student in the program. They look at more than your GPA. They want to see if you will succeed in the program. This means grades, somewhat your GRE, your experience. But the main thing is your interview. I had all different types of questions from clinical to personality and handling conflict to random ones to see if it would throw me off. You have to be confident and be able to communicate during you interview. Good Luck!

I would recommend shadowing a CRNA for a few days. That will give you more insight than anything else. And FYI if you give the impression that you're pursuing CRNA for the money (which your original post kind of did) you won't find too many friends on this board or in the profession. Good Luck!

So I've been accepted and now comes the question...do I try and work the 1-2 shifts per month or do I quit my job completely and focus only on school? My husband works and will make just enough to cover living expenses, but the extra income would definitely help. I like the people I work with but I'm very leary about spreading myself too thin. My husband told me to try it out and if I get too stressed to just quit. Any thoughts?

I don't know if that was for me or the OP but I ruled out TWU and UT Houston based on research of the program (strength of clinical sites, didactic course, availablility of gross anatomy lab, etc) and current events going on with those schools. From there I originally asked for opinioins of people in those programs and then met with program directors. After all that I narrowed my choice to Baylor. I took a gamble and only applied to Baylor this year. It paid off and I was accpeted. So that's my story, and if that wasnt directed at me it is possible that the OP has done research into those other programs and already decided that they are not a top choice or may already feel like they have enough information on said programs. End even though the only quantitative data comparing schools are things like pass rates and scores, there is a lot more in determining which school is the best fit for an applicant. You can look into number of cases, peds cases, line insertion, regionals etc as well as just get a feel for the program, faculty, other students. So it is quite possible to rule out certain schools based on information other than what can be extracted from this board.

Check the schools websites. I know Baylor no longer has a brochure but that everything on online. Then if you still have questions email the program directors. I met with the program directors at TCU and Baylor while still in nursing school. It really helped me to solidify my top choice program.

I like my co-workers, but not my job. I've been a nurse for 1 year and am more than ready to get away from the bedside. Many days I feel like I work my butt of only to be chewed out in the AM by the nurse practitioners/MDs/whoever is around. I do the best that I can and I'm not stupid. I'm tired of being treated by non-nursing staff, patients, and families like I'm an idiot. I can explain something until I'm blue in the face and no one will believe me but when the MD comes in and says the same thing it is instantly the most profound thing anyone has said. I'm tired of wiping butts and breaking my back for overweight pts that expect us to fix them but then will not take care of themselves. I'm tired of feeling like I'm a well-paid babysitter. I'm tired of watching people waste away instead of us letting them die with dignity. I'm moving away from the bedside this summer and going to CRNA school. I have the utmost respect for those who can stay at the bedside but I can't do it anymore. While I do think the pay is fine, the lack of respect, resources, and autonomy are getting to me. Good luck to everyone, whereever your career leads you!

All schools are competitive. However, Baylor and UT have reputations of being even more difficult to get into than most. I know that Baylor interviewed 40 and accepted 14. I cannot speak to other programs as I only applied to Baylor and was accepted.

Oh and while June 25th may be coming soon....It is not coming soon enough. Can you tell I'm at work right now?:roll

I didn't apply to any other schools so no problem there.