Hobberdog

Apex is 100% online. It will prepare you for boards. They do not offer lecture style learning. Read the reviews. It is worth it.

CRNA Schools… Where Will You Apply? - All CRNA Schools

Don't tell anyone until you are accepted. Even then, don't tell anyone until you have to give notice. You will be treated differently and get poor assignments. It's just not worth it. Even your "friends" will chew you up if they find out you want to be a CRNA. They will treat you like you think you are above them.

Get your 1 year and apply. The worst that can happen is they say no.

My info is outdated (3 years ago). The program is new. They don't have great clinical sites (they encourage you to find people who will precept you). It is at a top medical university and I am confident that the program will turn out to be great, but as of 3 years ago when I was applying, I was not impressed. In AZ there is also Midwestern, but their extensive travel requirements for clinical also deterred me from going there.

You should have no problem getting in. You will most likely get asked why, which is good. You get to explain what happened, that you lost your focus, and then recovered brilliantly. I had similar difficulties when I first began college. I took some time off and returned to graduate summa cum laude. When questioned about my initial grades, I told them that I lacked focus, that I didn't know what I wanted to do. When I returned, I knew exactly what I wanted and worked toward that goal. Go get it!

Stay in ICU. There is no need for you to get PACU experience at this time. ICU experience is what they are looking for.

The Columbia and Greenville groups attend all the same classes and are conferenced together with cameras. You can hear and see each other. Sometimes the teacher is in Greenville, and sometimes they are in Columbia. It works well. The Greenville campus has the majority of their clinical at Greenville Memorial Hospital. The Columbia campus has the majority of their clinical at Palmetto Health Richland. It seems that most of the students who want Greenville are already living there. My cohort had 4 or 5 students who worked in Greenville but they weren't selected to attend school there so they had to come to Columbia. For those of us who came from out of state, we just selected Columbia. Hope that helps.

The interviews are all about personality. They will ask you tough questions that will be above your knowledge level. Don't EVER BS an answer... they will know. I think I answered "I don't know" at least 15 times to questions they asked. I answered the questions I knew to the best of my ability and if I was speculating, I said so. They want to get to know you, how you handle stress, if you are a pleasant person, and if you are teachable. They will be stuck with you for the next 2 1/2 years and don't want someone who will be a pain in the backside! One of my interviews went really well, the other not so much. I left the interview feeling that I would not be accepted. I had an email within a few days accepting me into the program. They want to see how you will handle stress. It feels bad at the time, but looking back, it's not that bad. You will be put in a large room and called out into two separate interviews. There will be two students waiting there with you. They are there to answer questions about the program and get to know you while you wait to be called. THIS IS PART OF THE INTERVIEW. Talk with them. Get to know them. Ask questions. They want to see that you are interested in their program. Again, it has a lot to do with personality. Smile. Be happy. Talk with each other. Good luck!

Go with the resident. It will reflect the confidence that they have in your abilities as a nurse and your ability to work together as a team, each playing a vital part in the care of your patients.

Are you dead? Then no! You are not too old. I graduated at 45. If anything it helps in clinical because people assume you have been doing this a while and are put at ease quickly.

I wouldn't worry about it so much. Get through the didactic and then focus on clinical. Once you are there, sign up for Apex, Valley, or Prodigy. I am personally using Apex. Passing your classes gives you the right to take the NCE, one of these courses will help you pass it. Your clinical experience will train you in how to do anesthesia.

No one is throwing money at you. I graduate in May and will have 200K in debt when all is said and done. Nurse anesthesia is one profession where you can realistically pay off the debt within 5 years (with proper budgeting). Don't let the debt stop you, but plan on living an impoverished lifestyle for a bit as well.

I never took physics or organic chemistry. It wasn't required by my program. Only about 1/2 of the programs out there require these courses so I would look at where you want to apply and see if you need to take them.

I graduate soon and in my class of 30, only one of us had a deal with a hospital to work for them in exchange for a stipend while in school. It is not very common. Your best bet is to join the military. They will cover tuition and give you a stipend in exchange for 3-5 years of service.

I am sure you have signed up for a study program like Apex, Prodigy, or Valley. Study like you want it and you will do fine. There is no easy way through it. Good luck.

I don't know the program specifically, but for the most part they are not as concerned about the depth of your knowledge as much as they want to see your personality. They want to see that you are a hard worker and that you will be nice to work with. Anesthesia school is hard. You will be put to the test physically and mentally. They don't want whiners or complainers in the program because they will have to deal with that for 2+ years. Be positive, happy and energetic. Show how you have worked hard in school and as a nurse and will continue to do what it takes in order to be successful. Yes, they still want to see what you know, but that is secondary. Don't be afraid to say you don't know when they ask you a question that is out of your depth. Don't BS... they will know. Good luck.

Most ICU nurses don't place many IV's and when they do, they are on really sick, edematous patients. As an SRNA you will place many, many IV's and usually after they are already asleep and have dilated veins (much easier). A-lines are taught as well. Best thing you can be doing now is to focus on the physiology of your patients and what is going on inside their bodies... i.e. what is the cause of their low blood pressure, edema, respiratory changes... etc. A great site to search is OpenAnesthesia. Just do a google search for a disease or physiology dynamic and add the word anesthesia at the end. Look for a result from Open Anesthesia. They always have some great info. I do it that way because they are a paid site, but offer free stuff as well and it is easier to find it using google than from their site directly. Best of luck to you.

I didn't save anything. Loans will be sufficient if you have to or need to take them. Obviously it's best to get through without them, but that is not always possible and I wouldn't let that stop you. Good luck.

1. Yes you can shadow a CRNA. You will just need to find one willing to let you shadow them. I highly recommend this because you don't want to start down this path unless you are sure this is what you want. It's a long hard road. 2. The minimum requirement of most schools is 1 year of ICU. Most schools will want you to have more. I was turned down from one school because of experience (would have just had 1 year), but accepted to another with 1 1/2 years. I think it has a lot to do with how much you learn while you are an ICU nurse. Just because you are out of school and working does not mean you can take it easy. You will learn more in your first year as a nurse than you learn in your entire undergrad. 3. I found this site to be very helpful. Save Hours of Searching for the Best CRNA Program | All CRNA Schools 4. Military service is an option but I suggest you talk to someone who has gone through their program. There are military CRNA schools and there are scholarship programs where you choose your school, and they pay for it. At this time you must choose a doctorate program to qualify. Good luck.

You will need lots and lots of loans. You will need to be prepared to have a co-signer if your credit is not great, or incase they decide not to give you the loan because you are not working. I am borrowing the max each semester and will have close to $230K in debt when I am done ($30K from undergrad). My situation is different though, I have 5 kids. Saving prior to school was impossible. Going to school with a large family is difficult, but doable. Just make sure you have back up plans for loans. Good luck.

Actually, they are not testing your knowledge, but your ability to admit you don't know something and not to try to BS. They will know if you are lying. The interview is all about personality. Yes, they want you to have experience, and knowledge, but they also want someone who is teachable and without an attitude of "I'm the greatest nurse ever". They are looking to see if your personality will fit into their program. The hard questions are just to push past your knowledge level and see if you will lie or admit you just don't know.

Yep! You made a huge mistake. You haven't even graduated and you are giving up. Nursing is not for you. You were expecting red carpets to be rolled out and job offers to come flooding in and when that didn't happen, you did the only thing your generation knows how to do, quit and complain. Maybe you can still get a participation trophy. Here is is a little reality for you. Once you pass your boards, you are legally able to work as a nurse, but you are not really a nurse. You have a long way to go before you will actually be a nurse. Right now you know just enough to not kill somebody. Anyone who hires you will have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to train you to become a competent nurse. You are better off now quitting before someone wastes a lot of money on you. Also, any guy who will leave you if you take a job is not worth keeping either. Drop him like a bad habit! You need a man, not a boy toy. A man sticks with you and supports you. I know this is a fake story that keeps popping up to get a conversation going, but this is how I feel about your boo hoo attitude. Suck it up or you will never be a good nurse.

Jobs at a high acuity hospitals are out there. Working at a larger hospital will look better on your applications and will give you more experience as well with "sicker" patients. If you simply can't find one, you can always take the small hospital job and transfer as soon as you get 1 year. I was hired right out of school into a Trauma ICU at a Trauma 1 hospital. I have 1 1/2 years experience and begin CRNA school in January. You can do it!

I currently have 11 months as a Trauma ICU nurse. I was hired as a new grad. I will have 1.5 years of experience when I start CRNA school in January. Apply. The worst that can happen is they say no.