kar5349

Thank you for this post OP. It is clear your intention was to share your experience and help some CRNA hopefuls. The sensitivity of some people amazes me, I hope one day everyone can find comfort and happiness in their own career paths and not feel the need to constantly argue their value.

Hi everyone, I am starting CRNA school this coming September, and I am finding myself stressed about something that I can't control: preceptors. So I've talked with 3 current students who all attend different schools in my area, and they all have a common grievance....that preceptors are brutal. Now, it really doesn't sound like your run-of-the-mill quiz you on drugs and MoA and all that brutal...its like students are leaving in tears frequently and I'm pretty sure one is going to drop out. My old co-worker graduates soon, and he's a pretty chill, likeable guy. And even he says he's had a really hard time dealing with personalities. His recommendation is "Know everything. Have no emotion." Ha! I guess what I'm saying is, from the accounts I'm hearing, this sounds like a little above and beyond the average "tough" preceptor kind of relationship. I consider myself a pretty tough cookie. I get along well with my coworkers and the surgeons on my floor, I've never had any issues with a power-gradient, etc. I'm pretty go with the flow. But I don't think I could handle being berated almost daily, which is what all these people are describing. Does anyone here have any similar experiences, or completely opposite experiences? What would you recommend to help deal with this part of school? What do experienced CRNAs like in a student and what do you not like? I didn't think this part of school would be the most worrisome!

I really debated about posting this because #1 its not a first hand account and #2 it's probably not what you want to hear, but a CRNA I shadowed a couple months ago went to Jeff, graduated I think in 2016 (she had been working for only a couple months when I shadowed her)....when I asked her how she liked it she said "I wouldn't recommend that program to anybody." I didn't press her too hard about it because I'm not going there, but I think she said it was a very self-taught program and there wasn't much guidance. However, she was still a seemingly very confident and competent CRNA.

Thought I'd chime in--- The admissions office (really the entire home-base of the program) just did a major office move from one town to another. They're a bit behind the 8-ball in terms of paperwork, but I think they're all settled in now so hopefully you guys will start hearing back soon! (Also, I tried to post this a week ago and just checked back, but I apparently posted this comment in a completely unrelated forum. Haha whoops, that's what you get for posting in the middle of the night)

Thought I'd chime in--- The admissions office (really the entire home-base of the program) just did a major office move from one town to another. They're a bit behind the 8-ball in terms of paperwork, but I think they're all settled in now so hopefully you guys will start hearing back soon!

Hi! I will tell you my personal experience with the road to CRNA school. I went back to get my BSN as a second degree, knowing CRNA was my end game. I got a job in an ICU right out of school. The program I was interested in said that they don't interview people unless you've had a year experience. At this point in my research, I only had about 3 months experience off of orientation. But, I made some phone calls, met with the director of anesthesia at my hospital (who coordinates rotations with this particular school), I emailed the powers-that-be, and got an interview and ultimately got accepted this past summer to start in the Fall of 2018. Now, that is a long way away, but I'm happy with what I got. I believe the things that helped me were: 1. my GPA, the director was not worried about my "lack" of experience because my GPA showed that I'm a good student. Also, by the time the program starts I will have over 2 years ICU experience, and that is their minimum requirement. I did press him pretty thoroughly, saying that I don't want my lack of experience to hurt me. He told me that he himself only had 1-2 years experience before he went back for CRNA, and he had a wonderful career. Can having more experience hurt you? Absolutely not! But my point is if the school says 1-2 years is the minimum requirement, trust it. Could school be a bit more difficult if you're on the lower end of the spectrum? Probably. But if the directors of the CRNA program all were ok with admitting me with ~2 years experience by the time I start, I had to trust them. 2. My persistence. I emailed, made phone calls, followed up, arranged meetings, etc. I think that this helped the powers-that-be see that I was motivated and serious about this as a career. 3. Being in the "right" ICU. My interviewers were pleased that I was in a cardiothoracic ICU. All ICU experience is valuable and will help you get there, but for whatever reason my interviewers were very happy thats the one I landed in. Again, just my personal experience. 4. Luck. I happened to work at a hospital that coordinated with this school, and the stars aligned in various other situations as well. My whole point? I know that my experience is out of the norm, and I'm still 2 years away from actually starting school. BUT, if you really want it that badly, you can make it happen. Get to an ICU asap, take extra classes to get your GPA up if you need to, and be persistent and motivated. You did ask if there are certain things you should study, my advice as of now would be pharm. During my interview they asked a lot of questions about vasoactive drugs, sedation, etc. It might be hard because right now you don't use them on medsurg, but drugs like epi, neo, vaso, levo, amio, milrinone, propofol, precedex, blah blah blah. It would be helpful to start writing each new drug down, write its mechanism of action (in words that you understand!!!). If you say "Neo is an alpha agonist", you might read that 20 times and not have it click. But if you say "Neo stimulates alpha receptors, which are located in the arterial bed, causing the arteries to tighten up, thus increasing BP", then you might be more likely to connect the dots. Write what the drugs are commonly used for, and in what dosages. I have a little notebook that I have lots of drugs written down in, in my own words. If I forget/have down time, I read it over again just to familiarize myself all over again. Sorry this is long, but I know what its like to be in your shoes so I thought I'd offer my own experience. My advice may work for you, or it may not. 4-5 years seems like a long way away, but that time will pass anyway, so keep doing things to work towards that goal!

Hello! Congratulations on the interview! I'm currently at the BSNExpress program at Nova so I may be a bit biased..but I'll tell you that Nova nurses have a fabulous reputation in the Philly area. We're doing our first clinical rotation now, and I've heard multiple times from different people on our clinical floor (doctors, nurses, techs) how much they love Villanova nurses. Our professors pride themselves on teaching thorough assessment skills, which you will learn is a pretty important foundation for nursing. We're known to be very professional, polite, and work hard. I heard one RN say to another when we got to the floor the first week "Oh, these are the students that actually work!" I truly don't know much about Jeff's program, I didn't apply. I actually applied to Villanova one day past the deadline (whoops) because I was set on going to DeSales, but I'm from the Philly area so I decided Nova would be a better fit. So since I applied late, I actually did a Skype interview and was told very quickly that I was accepted. The interview is just generic interview etiquette. Be prepared for questions like "Why us?" "Why do you think you're a good candidate?" etc. Good luck with your decision! If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask!