Should I get accepted to a CRNA program?

[MEDRN89]

I'm about to finish up my ASN in a couple of weeks with a 3.3 GPA overall, but a 2.9 in nursing school (made a C during one semester). I had a 3.8 in all pre-req courses. I have been a paramedic for 10 years and took a paramedic-RN bridge. It's a very difficult program. Learning to stop thinking like a paramedic (logically) and start thinking like a nurse (fantasy) quickly during 1 year is more difficulty than a normal nursing program. There was no A's in my class LOL. Anyway, if I make A's during my BSN program and sequential science courses required for CRNA school, I will have an over all GPA of 3.7 and a BSN and science GPA of 4.0. I plan to work at least 2 years at a university hospital (one of the best in my state) in their cardiac ICU for 2-3 years while I'm doing this. Also plan to obtain CCRN.

My question is, if I accomplish all of this, do I have good odds of getting into CRNA school?

Obviously my GPA is my biggest concern... also if anyone has any advice on the type of RN-BSN program I should do, that is greatly appreciated. I'm torn between some of the well known, easy, cheaper ones, and more highly rated ones. I don't know how much the school I attended will weigh into it. Thank you.

[londonflo]

On 4/29/2020 at 2:43 PM, MEDRN89 said:

The nursing school grades were me Working full time and not cracking a book, literally. As far as the “tougher, upper division course work”, everyone I’ve talked to says online BSN courses are about as difficult as preschool playtime and nursing school was much harder.

In your first post you stressed how difficult your entry level RN program was. In fact you used the word "difficult" twice.(PS in my 40 years of nursing I have never heard anyone say their program was easier than others. It is always harder) Did you make any connection of not cracking a book to your level of achievement? Perhaps not, but for someone who is just beginning their journey in professional education, you don't seem to have much respect for education.

[MEDRN89]

3 hours ago, londonflo said:

In your first post you stressed how difficult your entry level RN program was. In fact you used the word "difficult" twice.(PS in my 40 years of nursing I have never heard anyone say their program was easier than others. It is always harder) Did you make any connection of not cracking a book to your level of achievement? Perhaps not, but for someone who is just beginning their journey in professional education, you don't seem to have much respect for education.

The difficult part for me was the question style and getting use to answering those type of questions. We found that you could know the material like the back of your hand, and still do poorly on the exams until you get used to answering those questions. This is the experience of my class, everyone in it. Some really smart people. All experienced LPNs and paramedics and no earth shattering nursing GPAs. 3.0 was considered great, So I’m not gonna debate on the argument here that everyone, or even most who became CRNAs did great in nursing school. I’m sure plenty did but plenty definitely didn’t (not directed at your post but a few others).
I had a 3.8-9 GPA on pre req work, with a 4.0 on all science courses. I plan to really step it up and get a 4.0 from here out (definitely doable for me). My overall GPA will be 3.7 or so. I think That that, a couple of years of high acuity (hopefully cv) ICU time, and my CCRN, will overshadow the GPA in nursing school.

[MEDRN89]

5 hours ago, Triplepoint said:

I am part of a an aspiring CRNA group on facebook, and I can tell you right now that your nursing GPA will be an issue. IF you at some point managed to get an interview for a program, they would definitely question why your GPA was so low for your ADN. CRNA school is very intense- for many, a passing grade is 80%. People have been accepted despite GPA issues, but they often show incredible commitment in their ICU work, and have also rocked their CRNA pre-requisites, like general Chemistry, physics, and calc.

I would say “I managed to pass while dealing with the stress of working 60 - 96 hrs per week on a critical care 911 ambulance. Isn’t that more impressive than your slightly higher GPA’s that did nothing but school?”

On 4/29/2020 at 9:50 PM, Defibn' said:

I worked adult ER for two years before moving to the ICU. Paramedic to ER nurse wasn't too bad of a transition. I got like 6 weeks of orientation in the ER I believe. I got another 6 weeks of orientation when I moved to the ICU. Paramedic straight to ICU nurse would have been a more difficult transition. At the very least, while working in the ER, I got familiar with the facility's charting system, some of the ICU protocols, and even became acquainted with a few house supervisors. So, moving in the same facility took a lot of the routine things off my plate.

As far as the ADL stuff; no, I didn't have a hard time with it. But, I am also a bit of a character and can make almost any job fun. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather not have to clean up C. Diff. But if I have to do it, might as well just roll with it.

You don't have to be a Type A person to be a great ICU nurse, but it helps. I was a total Type B when I moved to the unit. It took quite a bit of adjusting. I left messes everywhere, charting was not perfect, etc. It took a while for me to change, but I have definitely become more Type A. It honestly makes your job easier when you constantly pay attention to every little detail and chart things immediately. It becomes second nature.

My best advice is, as a new grad, go in humble. Be a sponge. If someone corrects you, please don't say, "I know." That is literally the worst. I would not tell people you were a paramedic right off the bat. They will probably ask because you won't seem like a new grad nurse. You can just answer, "I used to work on the ambulance" or something like that. People respect that way more than being grandiose or having a chip on your shoulder. Be coachable.

This may have been more than you wanted LOL.

Not at all. Thank you!

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

4 minutes ago, MEDRN89 said:

I would say “I managed to pass while dealing with the stress of working 60 - 96 hrs per week on a critical care 911 ambulance. Isn’t that more impressive than your slightly higher GPA’s that did nothing but school?”

I don't think you're doing yourself any favors if you plan on saying it like that! But I absolutely think you should (humbly) capitalize on how the experience you do have would be an asset. Maybe you come across more humble in person, hopefully.

[MEDRN89]

5 minutes ago, JadedCPN said:

I don't think you're doing yourself any favors if you plan on saying it like that! But I absolutely think you should (humbly) capitalize on how the experience you do have would be an asset. Maybe you come across more humble in person, hopefully.

I do! I’m not good at expressing myself through words.

[londonflo]

21 minutes ago, MEDRN89 said:

The difficult part for me was the question style and getting use to answering those type of questions. We found that you could know the material like the back of your hand, and still do poorly on the exams until you get used to answering those questions.

"Knowing the material like the back of your hand" is great for answering knowledge and comprehension type questions. The higher level of critical thinking ability is necessary for synthesis of information. But I am sure this was explained and you know that NCLEX questions will be application at the least. Hopefully you will be able to achieve your dreams....I am not against you, I just want to have you reflect on your past and present choices (and you definitely made some in your ADN program) and where they fit in the whole picture of your CRNA aspirations. I thought you were asking about that. Best wishes and luck.

[MEDRN89]

16 minutes ago, londonflo said:

"Knowing the material like the back of your hand" is great for answering knowledge and comprehension type questions. The higher level of critical thinking ability is necessary for synthesis of information. But I am sure this was explained and you know that NCLEX questions will be application at the least. Hopefully you will be able to achieve your dreams....I am not against you, I just want to have you reflect on your past and present choices (and you definitely made some in your ADN program) and where they fit in the whole picture of your CRNA aspirations. I thought you were asking about that. Best wishes and luck.

Nothing was really explained to us until our first tests in school and everyone was scoring poorly... no one told us “knowing the material is only half the battle now”. But yes, I get it now. And I know that’s how NCLEX will be. We did Hurst review at the end and it’s helped a lot. Definitely some poor choices but a lot of them based on ignorance to what I was getting into. Nursing is 180 from ems. If I could erase this entire nursing program from my record and do it again, I would in a split second...

[londonflo]

Education is never wasted and you are in a better position than before. After your BSN you may discover you want something completely different than anesthesia. With the way healthcare is today there may be programs and educational institutions that we never dreamt of in traditional healthcare circa 2020.

[LovingPeds, MSN, APRN, NP]

I don't recommend going to the 'easiest' BSN-RN program you can find. When I went to my master's orientation at one of the best schools in my state, they told us how many applicants they had, how many they accepted, and that if anyone went to a program that they considered to be questionable "you did not see them in the room." Direct quote.

I was in your situation. I partied my first few years of college and didn't show up to a lot of my classes. It was my first taste of freedom! I compounded that by failing to drop the classes. I will admit I even partied in nursing school. My GPA suffered greatly. I got my act together after I graduated with my ADN.

I chose a 'harder' school because that was where I wanted to go to for a graduate program. The advice I was given by my professor in my BSN-RN program when I mentioned that I wanted to pursue graduate school was to be sure that I made an A in every single class I took even if it meant taking fewer classes in order to achieve that goal. I did that. I went part-time while working full-time rather than pursuing full-time with both. I had a perfect 4.0 on the last 60 hours and several of my RN-BSN instructors wrote recommendations to their graduate school based on the quality of that work. I maintained that 4.0 through grad school.

What you are wanting is not impossible, but it's going to require a great deal of very hard and very solid work to accomplish. Don't take the easy way out. Good luck!

[MEDRN89]

2 hours ago, LovingPeds said:

I don't recommend going to the 'easiest' BSN-RN program you can find. When I went to my master's orientation at one of the best schools in my state, they told us how many applicants they had, how many they accepted, and that if anyone went to a program that they considered to be questionable "you did not see them in the room." Direct quote.

I was in your situation. I partied my first few years of college and didn't show up to a lot of my classes. It was my first taste of freedom! I compounded that by failing to drop the classes. I will admit I even partied in nursing school. My GPA suffered greatly. I got my act together after I graduated with my ADN.

I chose a 'harder' school because that was where I wanted to go to for a graduate program. The advice I was given by my professor in my BSN-RN program when I mentioned that I wanted to pursue graduate school was to be sure that I made an A in every single class I took even if it meant taking fewer classes in order to achieve that goal. I did that. I went part-time while working full-time rather than pursuing full-time with both. I had a perfect 4.0 on the last 60 hours and several of my RN-BSN instructors wrote recommendations to their graduate school based on the quality of that work. I maintained that 4.0 through grad school.

What you are wanting is not impossible, but it's going to require a great deal of very hard and very solid work to accomplish. Don't take the easy way out. Good luck!

So I assume you recommend doing an RN-BSN at the school that I plan to go to CRNA school? That school has a RN-BSN program but it isn’t the highest rated in the state. Would it enough of a benefit to do it?

[LovingPeds, MSN, APRN, NP]

4 minutes ago, MEDRN89 said:

So I assume you recommend doing an RN-BSN at the school that I plan to go to CRNA school? That school has a RN-BSN program but it isn’t the highest rated in the state. Would it enough of a benefit to do it?

I recommend going to a school that is considered reputable. This doesn't have to be the one you want to go to CRNA school at. It does need to be one where they don't look at your previous GPA and all the A's you plan to earn and even for a moment have the thought that you might have all those new A's because you had some 'easy' instructors.

I will say that I went for RN-BSN at my school because I knew they favored their own graduates for the master's program. They admitted they liked their students because they knew the quality of the undergrad education they got. It doesn't need to be the same school. It does need to represent a quality of education they can't deny.

[anononurse]

Thinking like a nurse means critical thinking. Calling it fantasy thinking is insulting. You should plan on at least 2 solid years as an RN in a high level ICU to fine tune your skills, learn critical thinking, and as preparation to get into CRNA school. You need your BSN as well. CRNA schools are requiring Doctorates now. There’s a lot of competition out there. It’s a lot of dedication and hard work if you can get in! Good luck to you!