I am looking to receive serious advice from you guys, and yes this is nursing related!. As noted in my subject, I am a recent college grad from the Univ. of Ill. Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Psychology. To make a long story short, I want to become an anesthesiologist. Being that I majored in Psychology, I was not required to take any hard sciences, which I know I will have to take to become an Anesthesiologist. I have applied to Post-Bacc programs in order to start taking those classes.
Here's my worries: My GPA as an undergrad is...not so great at 2.4. Yes I know, not spectacular at all which I am ashamed of. I am tremendously worried that I do not have the grades to even get accepted into a Post-Bacc program. I really do not think I have what they want, being that getting into medical school is highly competitive. I have not taken a biology/chemistry course since high school. I DO know that there is a field for nurse anesthetists, which I feel may be a better choice for me. Not to say it's easier, but I think I may have a better chance at being a nurse anesthetist. Any opinions, etc concerning what I have stated?
I really feel as though my 4 years of college was wasted as I am doing NOTHING at the moment. I truly need advice, I would like to get this started asap. In addition, what types of jobs are available for someone w/my background that will atleast help me get started with working towards that type of career. Feel free to email me directly if needed, I would love a mentor :)
I say to go for what you want only after you decide what you want to do. It makes things much easier....
I too feel your pain about having a low GPA from undergrad. I had a 2.4 for my BS in Interdisciplinary Social Science - Public Health. I had no clue what I wanted to do and I wanted to graduate before my Dad stopped paying for school. My parents divorce and subsequent depression contributed to my dismal performance. After college, I decided to go to medical school because all the adults I knew were doctors, lawyers or executives in automotive companies. I figured I liked science more than the law or MBA classes so I would go to medical school. I took my year of Bio, Chem and Physics and had about a 2.8 in those classes...I realized, there was no way I was going to medical school with those kind of grades and I better take some time to figure out what I really wanted to do. I spent the next five years shadowing and evaluating my options and figuring out what I really wanted to do. I finally found a fit with nursing. I now know the importance of good grades and am afraid it will bite me in the butt in the long run, but I also know if I work hard and get A's like I know I can, I can open some doors that were closed before.
I have applied to two second degree programs. Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. They do not look at your previous GPA, the just require that you have one. They calculate your GPA based on the 10 pre-req classes required for the nursing program. Luckily, I did well enough in some of the non science classes and the few science pre req classes I had taken before to
have a good shot at finishing with a 3.5 in the 10 classes. If I don't make the cut this year (I have been told I am very competitive by the advisor at the school so far), then I will take the classes I had a B in and get A's reapply with a 4.0 in the 10 pre-req's next year.
Also I applied to Drexel in Philly and they look at your last 60 credits of course work if you had below a 3.0 GPA in your first degree.
I could also get into an ADN program at a Community College. So there if there is a will there is a way.
Why I say to wait till you know what you want for sure? If you are anything like me, it is much easier now for me to study and get A's than it was before, now that I know what I want. If you want to do it, you can. But make sure you are going after want or you could just make things worse.
Bigmona, I can not say why it was not required to take science for my B.S. but I can guarantee that I have never had a science class in undergrad.
Looking over my transcript, I did well in those casses that were enjoying and demanded that I do well and included intense studying.
As far as anesthesia, I am simply intrigued and impressed by the field. I have worked in a healthcare setting, only temporary and didn't have direct contact w/patients as I only answered the phones, scheduling appts, but of course I was not allowed to answer clinical questions. I was the middle-man between patients,physicians, etc and the nurses, and physicians in my office. It was my first time working in a healthcare setting, and at times it was overwhelming. Towards the end of my time there, I noticed that I was able to handle patients differently vs. the nervous person I was at first.
I wanted to get a job in this type of setting to get a "feel" for it though the office I worked in was ob/gyn, and internists. I really want to get a job (receptionist, or whatever it may be) in anesthesiology, and I just haven't been able to land one yet. I think this would be the best way to come in contact and view how the work is with my own eyes. I do have a book that I read (Essentials of Surgical Specialties, Peter F. Lawrence 1993), and the very first chapter is on anesthesiology. It is meant for those who have taken pharmacology, physiology, pathology, etc etc but I read it anyway. I'm sorry, I've just been rambling on and on...
I think this is well covered in the FAQ, but just to reinforce----------
The nurse anesthesia programs that grant a non-nursing masters (something other than a MSN) WILL accept a non-nursing bachelor's.
This is a great option for those of us who are "second career nurses", myself included. If you have a previous bachelor's, then later become an associate degree RN, you will qualify for admission to about half of the nurse anesthesia programs in the country (after your critical care experience).
It sounds like John has done the research, so he must have his reason's for a 2+2 plan. Maybe the nurse anesthesia prgram he has his heart set on only accepts BSNs. Or maybe he has a reason for wanting a MSN rather than a non-nursing master's. But if the only goal is to get the CRNA, there are other programs he could choose, and skip getting that BSN.
Now, GPA, that is a whole other matter. Your BS only works if it brings a good GPA with it. I cannot speak to how to un-do the damage of a poor GPA, but others have. In your case, earning an entire new bachelor's might be worth it.
But I think it is significant to remember that non-nursing bachelor's are not completely worthless. They work very well for some people, in some situations.
I noticed in your last posting that you wanted to get a job in anesthesia. While I was in nursing school I wanted to get a first hand look at what a Nurse Anesthetist did. I was also looking at the possibility of becoming and Anesthesia Assistant (AA). Emory University and Case Western have the only two AA programs in the country. I decided the best way for me to find out which was the best path for was to work with both. I applied to the hospital I was then working at to become an anesthesia tech. This is not a glorious job. It deals with restocking and cleaning the OR with anesthesia related supplies after a case finishes. But it did allow me to be around CRNA's and AA's as well as anesthesiologists. If possible I would highly recommend this experience as it gives you a good feel about what CRNA's do. The job requires some training but it does not involve any direct patient care. It does however expose you to the world of anesthesia. These jobs are usually hard to come by but they are well worth it if you can obtain one. Better to get a feel if this is reallly what you want to do as opposed to finding out down the road that this is not what you want to do. Good luck.
Reading your letter sounds like me. Except for one thing.
You have to answer one question first.
Why do you want to become an anesthetist?
If the answer is because I will make a lot of money, then I have to advise you against it. You will soon realize, if your heart is not in it, going thru the rigors of Nurse Anesthesia school will do you in.
If your answer was, the money would be nice, but I know what CRNA's do and I would love to be one of them, then OK. When you get to this level of education, the thing that gets you through is your desire to achieve your goal. You have to want it really bad!
The test of how badly you want it will be challenged in preparing for nursing school. To even be considered for a graduate degree in Nurse Anesthesia, you have to have a BSN. In order to get a BSN, you need to have a 3.0 GPA. To get your GPA up, you go to a community college and take over any prerequisite class that the BSN requires. . . and you must get A's over B's. No C's or below. Your GPA must be as close to a 4.0 as possible because you have to prove to the admission committee, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are serious about this career choice.
Just preparing for a BSN program will take you at least a year of full time classes (science, chemistry and few require physics). Your BSN program, even if accelerated will take over a year. Then passing Nursing Boards and on to a job. You need to work in an Intensive Care Unit for at least a year. And based on the responses from this forum, a busy ICU with high acuity.
So you can see why I asked you if you really want it. It will take you over 3 years before you would even be considered for a Nurse Anesthesia program.
Then getting into NA school is no picnic either. The field has become so popular and Highly competitive that thousands of VERY qualified nurses are trying to get into a program that only accepts 24 people a year.
AND Finally, once you get in to a graduate Nurse Anesthesia program, It is the hardest thing you have ever done x5. Then ofcourse you have to sit for Boards.
So, after all this, Do you really want it? Yes? Then "JUST DO IT". Use all the negativity from people telling you are not cut out for this field and use it to your advantage. Use it to fuel your desire to push forward and never doubt yourself. Strive to your goal and achieve it. Pretty soon you will look back in 5 years and say "I did it".
This is easy for me to say because I am on my way to doing it. Undergrad Poor GPA (2.2), Fire Dept experience for 7 years, 3 year break working no end job. Decided on Nursing. Prerequisite for year-GPA 3.9, BSN in 2 years, ICU Trauma experience x8 years, now in NA graduate program.
So if you still want it, dont worry about the timeline. It goes pretty fast.
If you dont want it. I commend you for admitting it. It is a hell of a lot of work to do something you dont want to do just for a paycheck. If you dont know if you want it, go to a hospital affiliated with a NA program and see if you can do a "Share-Day" with a CRNA. Then you will see what they do and whether or not you want to do.
Either way, good luck. Dont let people discourage you in whatever career you choose.
TLC RN
575 Posts
I say to go for what you want only after you decide what you want to do. It makes things much easier....
I too feel your pain about having a low GPA from undergrad. I had a 2.4 for my BS in Interdisciplinary Social Science - Public Health. I had no clue what I wanted to do and I wanted to graduate before my Dad stopped paying for school. My parents divorce and subsequent depression contributed to my dismal performance. After college, I decided to go to medical school because all the adults I knew were doctors, lawyers or executives in automotive companies. I figured I liked science more than the law or MBA classes so I would go to medical school. I took my year of Bio, Chem and Physics and had about a 2.8 in those classes...I realized, there was no way I was going to medical school with those kind of grades and I better take some time to figure out what I really wanted to do. I spent the next five years shadowing and evaluating my options and figuring out what I really wanted to do. I finally found a fit with nursing. I now know the importance of good grades and am afraid it will bite me in the butt in the long run, but I also know if I work hard and get A's like I know I can, I can open some doors that were closed before.
I have applied to two second degree programs. Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. They do not look at your previous GPA, the just require that you have one. They calculate your GPA based on the 10 pre-req classes required for the nursing program. Luckily, I did well enough in some of the non science classes and the few science pre req classes I had taken before to
have a good shot at finishing with a 3.5 in the 10 classes. If I don't make the cut this year (I have been told I am very competitive by the advisor at the school so far), then I will take the classes I had a B in and get A's reapply with a 4.0 in the 10 pre-req's next year.
Also I applied to Drexel in Philly and they look at your last 60 credits of course work if you had below a 3.0 GPA in your first degree.
I could also get into an ADN program at a Community College. So there if there is a will there is a way.
Why I say to wait till you know what you want for sure? If you are anything like me, it is much easier now for me to study and get A's than it was before, now that I know what I want. If you want to do it, you can. But make sure you are going after want or you could just make things worse.