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You're bound to get a few different responses to this question. My advice would be to talk to the program directors of the schools you are applying to. I had a lot of options to choose from as I also needed to take science pre-reqs. I'm nearly finished with my two science pre-reqs I ultimately decided to take online at a community college, and I received my first interview invitation last week (earlier than I had expected). Good luck to you!

Duly noted missnurse01! Let me rephrase then by saying you are an excellent example of someone who has pursed further science education on top of your undergraduate academic acheivements in order to ultimately pursue and reach your dreams and goals for your nurse anesthesia education! You went above and beyond and did it! You are an inspiration to those of us who are still trying!

Right now I am half way through my spring semester of two undergrad science courses (also to make up for science blemishes early on my transcript)… For me, as I am sure for many, cost is a huge concern. Nurse Anesthesia school is going to be expensive and when I reviewed the cost of graduate-level classes where I live ($3K per class), versus taking undergraduate classes at a local community college, I was able to take 7 undergraduate credits of sciences for less than half the cost of one graduate level class in my area. I plan to take one graduate level science course this summer after I have finished my undergrad one because for me, this is the most cost-effective route, while still saving for school. I will likely consider taking another grad level class in the fall if I don't yet have any leads on acceptance to a program. For me, it's been almost 10 years since I took these courses, a refresher has really helped boost my confidence and I know I will be better prepared for the demands of school. I've also spoken with a couple of department heads about my early science grades and they have assured me I am on the right path with this plan. There are multiple people here on this forum like us, who didn't go to nursing school with the intent to become Nurse Anesthetists, and didn't understand the importance of some of the first grades we ever achieved during our college experience. I can think of one who will be attending VCU this year, the #1 program in the country after a tremendous amount of hard work to fix her early science grades (woo hoo missnurse01!!!!). It's all about what is best for you, in every aspect. Reach out to the programs you are interested in and hopefully, those of us who are working hard to prove our worthiness as applicants for this amazing profession will gain acceptance letters this year. Good luck!! We can do it!

The short answer is: both... BUT as I can say get high grades in your science classes. I know a lot of people (myself included) who have had to retake undergrad sciences or take grad level sciences and earn "A"s to prove they could excel in CRNA school. One program director told me science grades have been a reliable predictor of how well one will do in CRNA school. If your grades were marginal, don't worry, just save yourself some trouble and retake a class or two while the material is still fresh. Most programs want both your science and nursing GPAs to be above 3.0.

Thank you to everyone here who responded. You all offered some great advice. I've reached out to programs and department heads who have been very helpful. I've been focusing on turning my weaknesses into strengths for this application cycle. Here's to hoping this year yields a coveted acceptance letter!

Furthermore: just be careful if you find this kind of setup. I've been cautioned by a CRNA about how sometimes these kinds of offers look good at first, but may require a tremendous amount of call and can sometimes put you in anesthesia situations that you may not be comfortable with. I was advised to make sure my first job is safe as honestly anesthesia education really isn't that expensive when you think about how much you make directly out of school. Be cautious of offers that seem too good to be too good to be true... As they may be just that!

I would suggest you look at the prerequisites for the program(s) you are interested in applying to in order to determine what they prefer in terms of ICU experience. I can say that majority of programs do prefer "high-acuity" ICU experience, which is generally not a characteristic of the community hospital ICU envirnoment and often includes working at a teaching facility and level-one trauma center. I started in the community hospital environment as a new grad. We had a 12-bed ICU in which I spent two years honing my ICU nursing skills. After two years I moved across country and accepted a job at a level-one trauma center teaching hospital that was over 600 beds, and I have worked at teaching facilities ever since. It is an EXCELLENT place to start. Many people have told me how the applicant pools for CRNA school have become increasingly competitive over the years. Take your time, get a good solid background, and work your way up. You will need a strong ICU skill set for your CRNA practice, and unfortunately it takes time to build confidence! You've got a great start, keep working hard and you'll be there before you know it. After over 5 years as an RN I've decided to apply to school this year. CRNA school has always been an aspiration of mine and I finaly have the skill set I'd hope to posess for when I start this journey through school. Good luck to you!

5 years ago I was fortunate to transition from a nurse's aid in the ICU to a new graduate RN in the ICU environment. I had a very thorough 6 month orientation with excellent nurses in a small community hospital. Since then I have been fortunate to travel to and work in some very large teaching hosptals. I can honestly say I did not feel completely clinically prepared to embark upon this journey of persuing CRNA schooling until now. There are many different kinds of ICU patients. Titrating pressors, paralytics and sedation; learning ventricular drains, recovering open-hearts, caring for sick bellies, inserting lines at the bedside, acquring sound nursing intuition and expert assessment skills...these are not things that can be easily mastered during one short year in the ICU. I know the thought of CRNA school can be exciting, you are in excellent company in doing your best to prepare yourself as an applicant. I too would encouarage you to spend some time in the ICU and enjoy the process of learning all of these things as they will become a part of your daily life as a CRNA someday. I could definitely spend a few more years learning as there is always more to know, but I feel very well prepared at this point to take this next step. The ICU is an excellent learning environment and ICU nurses are tenacious on behalf of their patients for a reason; we care deeply about them and their families and we want to be sure they are always recieving the best care we can give them. Don't short-change your future patients by cutting this necessary step of thorough ICU experience short. I wish you luck while you are searching for your first job. If ICU jobs appear scarce, do your best to get a foot in the door wherever you can, and work your way up. Save your family's sacrifices for when you enter Anesthesia school.

My friend is currently a SRNA at Kaiser. This year this program had the highest number of applicants they've ever had; it was an EXTREMELY competitive applicant pool. Congratulations on landing an interview! Be yourself, and be honest in the interview. Check other threads on here for past experiences and good luck!

I just spoke with Kaiser and they informed me that they had over 700 applicants this year.... All the emails were sent out today (yay or nay) and it may take a day or two for them all to "go through". This was an incredibly competitive applicant pool they said. Congratulations to those who were invited to interview.

Out of curiosity did you call Kaiser or CSUF?

There is no simple answer to this question I'm afraid. It depends on a lot of different things. If I were you I'd start by going to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists website and searching through accredited programs. If you already meet most program specifications by having excellent nursing and science grades, ACLS, (lots of schools really like CCRN), great GRE scores, and at least 1-2 years of high-acuity ICU experience you are well on your way. If any of these things are missing, you need to add on the time it will take you to complete them. Some schools have much more specific requirements and want certain biology or chemistry courses completed within 5 years to be eligible. Every school has a different program length. The shortest one I know of is 24 months. So, how long would it take to become a CRNA after completing your BSN? That depends entirely on you and the program you are accepted to.

Good luck everyone. We've all worked hard, and hopefully we will gain some insight about our applications, either way, soon!

Who would I call at Kaiser? It does make me concerned they are sending out emails when apparently my application hasn't even been opened....feel free to PM me if I should call someone else. I'm not sure what to think at this point. Ultimately it's out of my hands I guess!