bayareaFNPstud

I emailed the admission counselor for SMU and they said that invites would be sent by the end of this week. I haven't received an invite yet, but I just got word that a friend's coworker got an invite yesterday (Friday). Last year, invites were sent from Friday-Monday... so I'm hoping I hear back by Monday, but I feel like I've already been disqualified from being interviewed Good luck to everyone that applied!

I won't be able to go for the meet and greet (today), but will be there for saturday and sunday :)

I will be seeing you there if you decide to go! Just a heads up, if you have been counseling for the crna program at SMI, they have these "sponsorship" spots and they will let you attend for free. I believe the counselor said she had 8 sponsorship spots. I didn't have to pay a dime!

Sorry to hear that. I am a new grad RN from SMU, and hoping to apply to the CRNA program in a couple of years. I talked to some SRNAs there, and some got in with 1 year ICU experience. They told me they attributed it to having CCRN, CMC, and a ton of leadership roles in the workplace. I had an admission counseling meeting and they told me that CCRN will definitely give you leverage. One thing they recommended me to do was develop a relationship with the CRNA faculty and the school. For example, going to periodical counseling meetings with the same counselor, and that counselor can state how long you guys have been working together for you to reach that goal. Another way is by going to the DIVERSITY CRNA seminar, which they hold every year. They're holding one this June 13 and 14th if you want, and it may increase your chances for next year. I'm hoping to apply in 3 or 4 years since I just got my first job, and it will take me awhile to get an ICU postion and increase my cumulative 3.1 gpa -_-. Good luck with your future applications. It's not about if you would get there, but when you will get there :)

Thank you for posting this because I have the exact same concerns. I'm a 23 year old new grad and have always aspired to be a CRNA. I live in the Bay Area and just started working full-time at a magnet hospital. Like the OP, I want to have higher standards of living to support my family. As a new grad, they're paying me 54.89. If I work nights, the night differential is +$10.75, so my starting salary is ~115-130k a year. My base pay would increase $2 every year, and it caps off at $82/hr, which is around 170k yearly. I'm just afraid of losing my seniority and giving up my position. I read that there are more schools pumping out CRNAs, so the supply and demand is skewed and the salaries for CRNAs are decreasing. So my main concern is if I will be making a lot more as a CRNA in the Bay Area.

Hello Everyone, I am a 22 year old RN. I am currently enrolled in a FNP program, but am deciding to forgo it in order to follow my dreams of becoming a CRNA. I'm supposed to start my program in 2 weeks, but am realizing that my heart was never in it. The reason I applied to the FNP program was because I have a cumulative GPA of 3.1, and thought I was never good enough to get in. From reading previous threads, I have came across others with the same issue of having a low GPA, and I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the courage to finally follow my dreams. I am also starting a Full time position in a float pool, but know that I have to get an ICU job pretty quickly if I want to apply for CRNA school by 26. What I'm truly trying to get at is, is there any others out there that is dealing with the same issue as me? Do you have any advice for someone that is aspiring to become a CRNA, but has a GPA of 3.1? (I should really change my username lol. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE :)

Everyone that got into the program was called on March 31st. I received a call and was offered a position, but not sure if they will give rejection calls, so some people might be in the dark for awhile not knowing what happened.

I've been worried about the same thing. I just started my FNP program, and I just turned 22 years old. I will be getting my FNP at 24. I think I'm more worried about how my patients will perceive me.

Hello, I am doing the Hybrid Program at SMU. My deadline was Jan 1, got the call for an interview on Feb 2, and found out two weeks after. I actually just had my orientation yesterday, and I start school on May 4th. I'm not very knowledgable about the complete online program. The OP is on the online cohort, so maybe she can help. I know that the online cohort doesn't only accept once a year. I think they start a new cohory every semester, but don't take my word for it. I also know that they don't hold interviews for the online cohort, and that they just email or call you of your acceptance. I know this by talking to OP. I know that OP has a gpa of a 4.0 and may have been given acceptance based on that, so I don't know if this goes for all applicants. Good luck!

Hello, I start my FNP program in May, but I had the same concerns. I did some research and read that FNPs can work in fast track ERs (seeing patients with STDs, infection, ect.). Also, I read about hospitals hiring FNPs to do rounds on patients, but not necessarily doing any procedures that an ACNP would do. I live in California, and I know there aren't any laws forbidding FNPs to work in hospital settings, and it helps to know what your scope of practice is and when to say no. I plan on working in a hospital setting, hopefully orthopedics or the ER. I hope this helps!

Oh man, I have no RN experience as well! I am actually a new grad RN, and just got accepted into my FNP program, so you're a little ways ahead of me. Did you do an entry level master's program? I'm hoping to precept at a place that will hire me after. I have a few connections with HIV clinics in SF, and hoping my friend, the management director, can help me get a position. Thank you for the information

I was actually thinking of taking the family out to eat at French Laundry or Gary Danko's with my first paycheck, but considering new grad salary, maybe not until the third or fourth! Do you know if most hospitals in the bay area prefer hiring ACNPs or FNP over the other? What does your institution prefer? I have searched job openings, but they don't state which type of NP they are looking to specifically hire. I know we must practice within our scope of our education, but I'm curious if I could get a position in a hospital so I won't be low balled by these private clinics. Do you think getting a post master's to become an ACNP will help me out? I was thinking of applying to USF's ACNP program after to make myself more marketable.

I am okay with finding a job around the east or south bay since I'm hoping to settle in Fremont. It's kind of daunting seeing the salaries they are offering to new grads, considering how much we can make as RNs here in the Bay Area. A full-time RN at kaiser can easily make 70$ an hour (130k/year), so it kind of makes me wonder if living in the Bay Area with a FNP salary will suffice. I was hoping to work in a hospital, as Juan said, to be shielded by the union from low balling clinics. But from reading recent threads, it seems like a challenge even finding a job in a hospital as a FNP. Are you looking for positions at private clinics or in hospitals?

yes, I am originally from the Bay Area. The next challenge for me is finding a job in the Bay Area as a new grad, so I can be with my family. I also heard a rumor that Kaiser won't be hiring Family Nurse Practitioners anymore. Do you know if this may be true? Thank you for your replies, Juan De La Cruz! I have read many of your posts and it has given me a lot of motivation and insight into becoming a FNP.

Oopps, I didn't know I could name drop . My friend whom just graduated from the ELSMN-FNP, told me that she was frustrated 75% of the time because SMU had trouble finding placements for them. I read online that this program can be a little disorganized, in that sense. I read a thread about someone that went to this program and chose preceptorship in the ER, and that they also took emergency medicine, a class she did with PAs at SMU. I'm trying to do that as well, so I think I'll be looking for my own preceptors. Did you request to have your application be sent to the DNP department? I was thinking about it, but like you said, I'm kind of scared of not having the guidance that we received in nursing school. I wouldn't mind being in the facebook group... Now the problem is giving each other our private info without the use of PMing.