cakeandcrown

They want to see what you’re made of during the interview, but they also made small talk with me and were friendly. Just be yourself and be honest. School is going well so far. I quit my job prior to starting the program so I would have plenty of time to study.

2.5 years Level 1 Trauma SICU at the time of my interview (preceptor but no charge experience) 3.96 BSN GPA, 3.4 ADN, and cumulative GPA of just over 3.5 (nursing was a second career for me). CCRN, CMC, TCRN certs plus TNCC and I was a TNCC instructor Both healthcare and non-healthcare volunteer experience Shadowed 4 times in a variety of settings I had been accepted elsewhere prior to my MSU interview and was wait listed at MSU. They called me right before Thanksgiving to offer me a spot and I took it (MSU was my #1 choice).

Michigan State University

Their director used to teach at the program I was accepted into. She was in my interview at that program, and my interactions with her were great. She was the one who came to get me from the waiting area to go to the interview area, and she made small talk with me to help ease my nerves.

Check your MSU email! I think she sent it so everyone can see everyone else’s name/email so we can share info as a cohort.

Yep, Dr. Lourens sent an email out a few hours after I posted that!

I couldn’t PM you, but have you heard anything about our cohort? I thought Dr. Lourens was going to send us an email and a book list for May, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I’m wondering if maybe they’re still calling people off the wait list.

You’ll have to have beside RN ICU experience for CRNA school anyway. To my knowledge, no CRNA program will accept ICU NP experience for the 1+ year requirement because they want to see you managing sick patients as the ICU nurse, not as an NP. As an ICU NP you aren’t going to be there titrating pressors and inotropes or running ECMO/CRRT for a 12 hour shift. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste my money on the AACN acute care NP test if your ultimate goal is to be a CRNA. Get beside RN ICU experience, pass the CCRN, take the GRE if it’s required, get involved in committees on the unit, etc. Your first step should be getting RN experience in an ICU and then finding programs you want to apply to and looking at their specific requirements.

They told me I'm 5th on the wait list, so I won't get to interview unless 5 people decline the offer to interview.

I submitted my application early. I sent Kelly an email a few days ago and then a woman named Tina emailed me to let me know I'm on a wait list to interview.

Congratulations!

Not yet. I interviewed on Wednesday, 8/21 and they told me we wouldn't hear for 3 weeks. They had a few more days of interviews after that, so I'm not expecting to hear anything until this Friday (at the earliest).

This is what I did as well. I was offered admission at the first place I interviewed, so I put my deposit down. I chose to accept the offer to interview at my dream school, but at least I know I'm in somewhere while I wait for the dream school to let me know if they want me or not. I didn't want to wait a whole extra year to apply because I saw it happen to a few people in my unit in previous years. They only apply to 1-3 schools and be denied admission to everywhere they interviewed.

There are certain numbers of cases/hours students are required to complete in order to graduate, so student will gain experience in large and small hospitals, trauma, open heart, neuro, peds, OB, etc. I did ask them about CRNA-only sites during my interview and the Assistant Director said that all students spend 8 weeks and those sites to get a lot of their regional anesthesia in. If students are really interested in pursuing independent practice after graduation, she said she makes it a point to try to get them back for another rotation after all the other students have done their 8 weeks.

I did apply to Lourdes! I might end up withdrawing my Lourdes application because I was accepted into a DNP program.

Thank you! I work in Toledo, Ohio.

I was also offered an interview this morning.

I love working in a Level 1! I work in SICU, so our patients are a mix of surgical and trauma (open hearts and neuro each have their own units), but a nurse from my unit is required to respond to all Level 1 trauma activations in the ER. It's busy and chaotic, but I have learned a ton.

The math wasn't that bad. I rented the textbook from the school and watched some Khan Academy videos since it's been a while since I've taken any chemistry. I remember my gen chem courses being much more math heavy than this one was. This one was a lot more about naming/drawing structures of molecules than doing math. I'd be happy to send you a copy of the syllabus.

I agree with what has already been stated above. Also, say "yes" to any learning opportunity your preceptor finds for you. I had a great preceptor, and I told her I wasn't confident in my Foley/NG/IV starts because I had relatively no experience doing them in clinical. She sought out opportunities for me to do those skills, and I'm grateful for gaining some experience with those skills while having someone by my side. I highly recommend bringing a little notebook with you to work and jotting down procedures/surgeries/medications you're unfamiliar with, and if you have time to look them up at work, definitely do, but also look them up after work/on your day off. I am still a new nurse (1.5 years), but I told myself from the beginning of my nursing career that I'd make it a point to learn something new every day, even if it was something small. Don't be afraid to ask questions! And if something doesn't look right, ask your preceptor. Even the most experienced nurses on my unit aren't afraid to grab a second set of eyes to look at something that seems "off" to them. Be a sponge, take it all in, and learn as much as you can. Welcome to the ICU! :)

I just finished a 12 week online intro to o-chem/biochem course through Iowa Central Community College yesterday. It's 3 credit hours and has no lab, and the class consisted of 2 short essays, roughly 9 quizzes, and 4 exams. I'm out of state, and I think I paid around $700. All but a few of the students were taking the course as a CRNA school pre-requisite. The only due date I had was 8/20 at 11:59pm for all my assignments, but I think they are changing it from their 'flex net' courses to something more structured with their assignment due dates (but don't quote me on that).

Congratulations! I took mine yesterday in Ohio around 1:30pm. It shut off at 75 questions in about 50 minutes; lots of SATA and priority questions for me (at one point every other was a SATA). I just tried the PVT and got the good pop-up which is promising, but I'm not celebrating until I see my license number!

I happened to luck out and my sister-in-law worked at the outpatient center where I was able to shadow, so she was able to ask CRNAs she works with. I know others on here have had a hard time getting in to shadow, but I would just call a local facility and ask to speak to the anesthesia department; tell them you would like to shadow a CRNA and ask if they can put you into contact with someone. Good luck!

I was able to shadow two CRNAs in an outpatient surgery center yesterday, and I had a wonderful time! Thank you to all of the CRNAs and SRNAs who have encouraged other members to shadow and for your advice on what to ask while shadowing! I am about to start my final semester of an ADN program and anesthesia has been on my mind since before I started nursing school. Yesterday confirmed that anesthesia is the route I want to pursue, and I am grateful for all of the resources here on allnurses (I've been lurking for almost 3 years). The second CRNA I shadowed gave me his contact information and told me I am welcome to come back and shadow any time, as well as who to contact to shadow in the local Level I Trauma Center where he used to work. All the cases yesterday were LMA except one (MAC), so he encouraged me to shadow in the hospital as well to see other things CRNAs do. I have a long way to go before applying, but at least I have a plan for how getting there. Thank you again to all of the helpful members on here! I can't wait to shadow again:)

Here are my results from this morning: Program Type: ADN Adjusted Individual Total Score: 90.0% ATI Academic Preparedness Level: Advanced Mean - National: 64.3% Mean - Program: 64.9% Percentile Rank - National - 99 Percentile Rank - Program - 99 Reading Adjusted Individual Score 97.6% Mathematics A.I.S. 100.0% Science A.I.S. 77.1% English and Language Usage A.I.S. 90.0% I knew science would be my lowest, but I am very excited about my scores! I spent about 2.5 months studying (it wound up being more like 8 hours one week, no studying the next week) because we are only allowed one attempt for the program I'm applying to.