slanting the perspective from the start...

[chordringer]

hi everyone,

my name is jason and i just joined today. i've known forever that being a crna is what i want to do and last fall i started on my path. currently maintaining a 3.9 gpa after 2 full semesters, and just got accepted into the lpn program at my college. the program allows me to earn my lpn and practice as a licensed nurse while completing the second year of education needed for the rn certification exam. i start the nursing program officially this fall.

i am working for a hospital that is associated with the bjc network (based in st. louis). this is a rural hospital of sorts (meaning we're not a trauma center or anything), but i had envisioned transferring up to one of our sister hospitals in st. louis (either missouri baptist or barnes jewish --both of which are very high acuity trauma centers) when i finish the rn portion of my school.

our hospital employs 6-7 crnas currently, and i have been in contact with a couple of them and plan on meeting with the chief crna sometime in the next month or two.

i have done extensive research into the crna programs offered in st. louis and have learned how difficult it is to get into the them. at my school, we can approach any instructor and ask to take the class as an honors level class. usually this requires additional work on part of the student to help enrich the class experience and depth of knowledge gained in the class.

knowing what i do: that i wish to be a crna, this early in the game, i would like to know what i could possibly do to prepare for the crna in program more than has already been suggested to people who are done with school and simply needing a couple requirements shored up. my employer is very supportive of me, even going so far as to pay for my tuition and fees in full. they plan to hire me as a lpn in the icu upon pinning... but with all of this support, what else could i do to improve my chances of getting in?

all the best,

jason

[FLTraumaRN]

Well, I think you are one the right path. Just keep working towards your RN. Keep your grades up. Learn a lot. Oh...and have some fun in there too. Get your ICU training next. While working in the ICU, take the GRE if the schools you are interested in require it. Consider the CCRN when you feel comfortable in the ICU. It's a straight path...just keep plugging along if it's what you want. As for transfering to a bigger hospital, I would always reccomend it. It will just get you used to really sick patients that much sooner, great experience.

Good luck...there's lots of info on this board. Read away.

[matt101710]

Well, I think you are one the right path. Just keep working towards your RN. Keep your grades up. Learn a lot. Oh...and have some fun in there too. Get your ICU training next. While working in the ICU, take the GRE if the schools you are interested in require it. Consider the CCRN when you feel comfortable in the ICU. It's a straight path...just keep plugging along if it's what you want. As for transfering to a bigger hospital, I would always reccomend it. It will just get you used to really sick patients that much sooner, great experience.

Couldn't agree with FL more. Work as an LPN as much as you can without letting your grades slide. If your grades start to go, cut back on your hours. Just having LPN on your resume before RN shows your commitment to wanting all the experience you can get. Concentrate on your RN and make sure that you end up in an ICU that will get you as much experience as possible. Make sure that you are taking care of patients that have invasive lines and hemodynamic monitoring. Become a skilled ICU nurse, not just a warm body that is taking up space till you can apply to CRNA school. Don't be "that guy" on the floor that is wanting to apply to CRNA school before he even starts working and ICU nursing isn't what you want to be doing. Your coworkers might not respect you and your learning could be affected. Ask your nurse manager when you can take ACLS, don't wait to be told you can. Take 12-lead and balloon class when possible. And like FL said, use all these classes to get your CCRN if you are in the ICU more than 2 years prior to CRNA school. Also, do some community service if possible. If your unit offers 3-12s instead of 2-8s/2-12s, take the 3-12s and use that extra day off to volunteer somewhere else in the hospital or somewhere in the community. Also, take your time with the GRE, this is one part to the CRNA application that isn't a moving target. There are plenty of test dates and once you feel comfortable with your studies, you can register then.

[chordringer]

Also, do some community service if possible. If your unit offers 3-12s instead of 2-8s/2-12s, take the 3-12s and use that extra day off to volunteer somewhere else in the hospital or somewhere in the community.

This is the first I've heard about the community service bit. Can you explain this a bit more? I do a lot of things with the hospital outside, and I have also been a volunteer poll worker for a couple years now. Just wondering how the community service plays in. . .

Jason

[chordringer]

Well, I think you are one the right path. Just keep working towards your RN. Keep your grades up. Learn a lot. Oh...and have some fun in there too. Get your ICU training next. While working in the ICU, take the GRE if the schools you are interested in require it. Consider the CCRN when you feel comfortable in the ICU. It's a straight path...just keep plugging along if it's what you want. As for transfering to a bigger hospital, I would always reccomend it. It will just get you used to really sick patients that much sooner, great experience.

Good luck...there's lots of info on this board. Read away.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. The second year of my program is going to be very light (the bridge from LPN to RN) since I've already completed my gen eds. I was hopeful to maybe sneak in some extra training coordinated through the hospital and my school to get some experience in ICU. What kind of things would you recommend I work on?

[FLTraumaRN]

There are some options. Any critical care skills will be a plus. Some hospitals have classes on swans, drips, baloon pumps etc. You can also ask your school for good clinical experiences. In my adn I was able to set up clinicals in the ICU. It was a great experience. Maybe even some OR clinicals...not to watch the OR nurse as much as to get the feel of the OR. ACLS, PALS, NALS are also good ideas if you don't have them.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

What you need to ask yourself is, what is going to make me stand out vs. Joe/Jill X RN that is applying CRNA school the same time as me. You have to expect that everyone is going to have decent grades, decent GRE scores, ICU experience etc.

I taught ACLS, PALS & BLS (you could do BLS instructor as an LVN and then start teaching other classes when you become an RN). I had my TNCC and CCRN certifications plus I had already had taken 20hrs of graduate level nursing classes. Also, being military I had gotten the equiliavent of hospital employee of the quarter & had been nominated for a high level nursing award of the year in all the AF. I am not bragging, but these are the things that can help you stand out vs. everyone else that is applying.

[chordringer]

There are some options. Any critical care skills will be a plus. Some hospitals have classes on swans, drips, baloon pumps etc. You can also ask your school for good clinical experiences. In my adn I was able to set up clinicals in the ICU. It was a great experience. Maybe even some OR clinicals...not to watch the OR nurse as much as to get the feel of the OR. ACLS, PALS, NALS are also good ideas if you don't have them.

Clinical experience in the ICU is very interesting to me and something I think that could be feasible for me. Instead of taking a full rotation of Med-Surg in the second year, I simply take the didactic and then 1/4 of the clinicals. This would leave room to explore the ICU instead... Good thinking!