Question on the CRNA/nursing program

MethaneMan · Jan 7, 2007

I think it is great that you are already interested in this career. With hard work and the right steps taken, you could become a CRNA by the age of 26. Just curious, how did you become interested in nurse anesthesia so early?

The first thing you will need is to get a bachelor's degree in nursing and along the way make sure that you take an organic chemistry class even if your curriculum doesn't require it as well as a statistics course. Most BSN curriculums will give you the other academic requirements that any crna school would require. During school do your absolute best to knock out A's in every class you can. It is not necessary to have a 4.0, but the admissions process is very competitive and every step you will take along the way can help your cause. Here is a link to every BSN program in the state of Texas:

Texas Schools of Nursing

A bachelor's degree from an accredited school of nursing is the important thing, but I remember seeing that UT-Austin was ranked in the top ten by US NEWS a few years ago.

Once you have graduated, begin studying for the GRE and take it as soon as you are ready. This is a requirement and the better you do, the better chance you will give yourself of getting in.

Also, once you have graduated, you will need to have at least one year of experience working in an adult ICU. This is a very important part. This is where you will begin to learn to manage critically ill patients and you need to make sure you are taking care of the sickest of the sick. My personal opinion is to make sure it is a Level I or Level II Trauma Center at a teaching hospital. There is nothing wrong with private hospitals, this is just my opinion. This is also where you will learn the brunt of the information you will need to be armed with during your crna school interview.

Along the way, it will also help if you attain your CCRN (a specialty nursing certification). It is not necessary, but it will build your resume and actually TCU (and a few others) require it for their application process. Here is a link to all the crna programs in Texas and you can also navigate to other states from this link as well:

Accredited Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs

I would recommend you go to the websites for a few of these crna schools and review their requirements for admission. Most of them require the same stuff, but with minor differences. Getting it right early will make it easier for you later. Good luck. I think it is great that you are considering this so early. Focus in on your goals and make sure you have some fun along the way.

ghost398 · Jan 7, 2007

thank you for all your help. I really appriciate it :)

ghost398 · Jan 7, 2007

I really wanted to be an anesthesiologist, but then I saw little notes about being a CRNA. So I looked into it, and thought that would be the best route to go. With a lot of hard work and determination, I think I can do as well as any other CRNA.

By the way: Thanks again!