Second Bachelors degree???

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Just finished searching the forums for answers but still puzzled on what I should do. I graduated from Ohio State last year with a B.S. in Microbiology, but my 2.3 gpa has hindered me from even being competitive for Masters/Post-bacc. I'm interested in becoming a CRNA and was wondering how I should go about pursuing my goal. I know BSN is necessary, so would it be wise to go back and get a second bachelors degree in Nursing. How do I even apply for schools with such a low gpa, is their a program that allows graduates a chance to get a another degree without a gpa requirement. Would love to hear some feedback. Thanks!!!

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm not sure you'd get into many BSN (2nd degree accellerated program or traditional) programs with that GPA. But the good news is a BSN may not be neccessary, depending on where you want to go to CRNA school.

Some CRNA schools do accept students who have a BS in another field (like microbiology), as long as they are RNs and have the work/ICU experience -- whether you got your RN via a BSN program or an ASN program.

If I were in your shoes, I would consider applying to associate's degree programs in Nursing. Some ASN programs may have lower GPA requirements, but will still get you your RN. Try looking around at your local community colleges and private ASN schools for programs -- many list GPA requirements on their websites.

If you find your GPA makes it difficult to get into an ASN program, you might want to look at LPN programs and then doing an LPN-RN bridge program.

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Thanks for the quick response Juliann. I've always thought you needed a BSN in order to become a CRNA. My local community college (Columbus State) does in fact have associates degree program in Nursing. Would they frown upon a degree from a community college though??? My gpa does hinder my chances of getting into a lot of programs, especially masters/post-bacc program which could have helped me raise my gpa. This was one of the reasons I figured by doing a second bachelors degree would be reasonable but was just confused how people go about doing this.

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CRNA schools are just as-if not MORE-competitive than medical school. Not to mention many second-degree BSN (and regular BSN programs) require a GPA of the same caliber.

I think that you'd be wise in taking courses that would raise your GPA since it sounds like you've probably got the science/base pre-reqs completed. Just realistically set yourself up for success, and remember there's more than one way to get there! You may want to even look into ADN programs after increasing your GPA, as you'd have the opportunity to increase your overall grades while earning your RN (experience too). Good luck!

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Specializes in ED, Cardiology.

Are you a RN at this point? You need to have the experiences like juliaann said. If the answer is no, you need your RN first before even considering CRNA.

If you do have a RN license, look into Grand Canyon University. You may need to repeat a few classes, but they are not to competitive to get into a BS to MSN program. However you need your RN for this program!

Good luck

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Specializes in Psych/med surg.

I'm currently a student in the Columbus State nursing program. I think they require a 2.5 gpa to get in so you could take some classes to bring up your gpa. You will probably need to take some of the pre-reqs that are required. I am in the online program which requires you to have a bachelors degree to get accepted. Since you have a bachelors you could always apply to a direct entry MSN once you graduate from Columbus State, that is what I plan on doing. They have just started a CRNA program at Otterbein here in Columbus. The Otterbein program only requires a BSN, they don't say what gpa is required but they only admit 20 students per year and they say the time commitment for class and studies is 60 hours per week. I hope this helps you, good luck. :)

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I'm not an RN, I just decided to have a career change not so long ago. Just been working since I graduated with a BS in microbiology. I've always been interested in patient care and found CRNA to be quite interesting. I just needed some feedback to what I should do as my undergrad GPA is horrendous, :crying2: I have ample time. My local community does have an associates degree program in Nursing, is that worth looking into. So what would be the process after getting the associates degree??? I appreciate all the help, thanks everyone.

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@msteeleart: Wow that's great to hear someone is at Columbus State. You think they would accept me to CSCC on a conditional bases. Thank you and good luck to you as well, :).

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

A lot of ADN schools are more competetive to get in than a 4 year school because of the relatively low tuition. I know the Community college I went to was very selective when accepting students.

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Specializes in ICU.
So what would be the process after getting the associates degree??? I appreciate all the help, thanks everyone.

First, if you only want to go to one or two specific CRNA schools, make sure they'll accept an associates in nursing + a non-nursing BS. Only some schools do. If location of your CRNA program isn't important to you, you shouldn't have to worry about it, but if you plan to stay close to where you live now and will have limited choices, do some research first.

If you go the ASN route, the next step would be getting your critical care/ICU experience. Most schools require a year or two years, and many recommend more. You can work on your CCRN and GRE while working as an ICU nurse...many CRNA schools require those. Some schools may also have additional pre-requisites that you may not have taken in your BS in micro or in an ASN program, so you can work on those at that time as well. Then apply!

A great resource for CRNA programs and their requirements is CRNA Schools

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Hi.

I am in a 2nd degree program and we only had 28 ppl in our class. It is very fast paced and challenging and for that reason I would probably suggest that you pursue getting your associates degree in nursing.

Good Luck :)

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I'm at lost cause, been researching through multiple school websites and most of them have a minimum gpa requirement of 2.5, even the local community college. I feel so ashamed, not sure how I can recover from this. If I were to take the ADN prerequisites from the university I graduated from (Ohio State) through continuing education, is their any schools that only look at your prereq gpa???

If I were to get accepted anywhere I would take your advice Juliann; finish ADN, get critical care/ICU experience (1-2 years), do accelerated BSN, work on gre and apply for MSN. Let me know if this sounds reasonable. In your honest opinion how long do you think with a gpa like mine would take to become a CRNA. Thanks!!!

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