The real road to becoming a CRNA?

Nursing Students SRNA

Published

Hello CRNAs!,

I've done extensive shadowing in the OR and want to pursue a career in anesthesia and want a relatively fast track to get there. I have a bachelors degree in Chemistry and have taken all the pre-med classes, however, it was late in my college experience that I realized medical school is not for me.

Game Plan: 1 year accelerated BSN, take NCLEX exam and become an RN. Then cold call every where to get into the ICU. Spend 1 year to 1.5 years in the ICU, then apply to CRNA programs.

Not that simple? I read hardly anyone gets right into the ICU as a new grad. Rather they spend a year in a Med/Surg rotation. Next, hardly any programs accept applicants with just a year of ICU experience, they want to see 3-5 years in there.

*Also, how hard is it to work independently (without MDAs) and what steps need to be taken to practice on your own?

Thank you all

Sincerely, Roger

Jamisaurus,

what position did you get and how did you do it?

thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks wtbcrna,

if you don't mind me asking, how many years did you spend in the ICU? Was it more or less stressful than being a CRNA? How did you transition from RN to RN-ICU?

I'll admit it, I want the fastest path so I can practice anesthesia (I'm already 32 years old right now).

Would you say it's next to impossible that after getting my BSN, I go straight into ICU, spend just 12 months in there, then get accepted into an NA program (the absolute bare minimum reqs)?

Is it true that most NA schools want at least 3 years in the ICU? And is it true that ICUs dont hire new grads because it's too costly, and too many people just did their year and left. I just want to know what the current situation is before I invest a lot of time and money into pursuing this career.

thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
Hi Ozzy84,

CCRN is just a certificate and it's not required for entrance into CRNA schools. Just wondering why you brought that up?

thanks

CCRN is ofter highly encouraged or required at most NA schools. It shows a basic level of knowledge of critical care skills.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
Thanks wtbcrna,

if you don't mind me asking, how many years did you spend in the ICU? Was it more or less stressful than being a CRNA? How did you transition from RN to RN-ICU?

I'll admit it, I want the fastest path so I can practice anesthesia (I'm already 32 years old right now).

Would you say it's next to impossible that after getting my BSN, I go straight into ICU, spend just 12 months in there, then get accepted into an NA program (the absolute bare minimum reqs)?

Is it true that most NA schools want at least 3 years in the ICU? And is it true that ICUs dont hire new grads because it's too costly, and too many people just did their year and left. I just want to know what the current situation is before I invest a lot of time and money into pursuing this career.

thanks

I went right into critical care nursing residency program/ICU after I graduated with my BSN.

I had around 5-6 years of ICU experience along with some other types of experience as an RN prior to going the NA school.

I think most schools want to see at least 2 years, but the requirement is for 1 year of critical care experience. There are several schools that take above average candidates with 1-2 years of critical care experience.

A lot of what you find about working as a nurse or a nurse anesthetist will vary greatly on geographical region that you are working in. There are parts of the country where there is regional glut of RNs or CRNAs and the critical care jobs will be harder to find and the pay will probably be lower, but just the opposite will true in another part of the country. It is all about supply and demand.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

wtbcrna, if you had to do it all over again, would you?

how many hours do you typically put in a week?

Your level of job satisfaction on scale 1-10?

What's the hardest part of your job?

Favorite part of your job and least favorite part?

If not in medicine, what would you likely be doing now?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in GI Surgery Step-down.
Hi Ozzy84,

CCRN is just a certificate and it's not required for entrance into CRNA schools. Just wondering why you brought that up?

thanks

I think you got the answer ? So far in my research most schools require or prefer it. Someone has it vs not have it? It may increase your chance to get accepted into the program. Also proof of your ICU experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in GI Surgery Step-down.

I feel like you wanna guarantee your future but being honesty it's not gonna work always what you planned. You may not get into ICU right after graduated. Always make sure what would I do of I don't get in ICU after graduate. Maybe you will need to work at least 1 year med Surg unit. I applied several residency program and only one of them accepted me. Maybe because I am male that was lucky. So many people apply for residency. I wanted to go ICU (because I wanna become Crna ) but they offered me step-down surgical. So I accepted otherways such a big city Nyc, I would look for job 1 year or more. Now moving NYC to a small town in Georgia but a teaching hospital and I feel that I will learn a lot during residency and after residency. They asking usually 4 year contract (sometime 2) and if you leave early than you have to pay 8000$

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you explain to me how the residency works? So now you have to commit yourself to 4 years in surgical before going to ICU?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in GI Surgery Step-down.

I will start in February, I don't know detail yet. I don't think so I will be in same unit for 4 year. I believe I can be transferred maybe after a year or so. And if I decide to leave before 4 year, I have to pay penalty.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
wtbcrna, if you had to do it all over again, would you?

how many hours do you typically put in a week?

Your level of job satisfaction on scale 1-10?

What's the hardest part of your job?

Favorite part of your job and least favorite part?

If not in medicine, what would you likely be doing now?

I am USAF CRNA. I don't think my experiences are going to be exactly the same as my civilian counterparts.

Without call I put in 40-50hrs a week. I would say that my job satisfaction rating would be about an 8 as a CRNA, and probably a 4 or 5 as an ICU nurse.

There is always going to be politics in anesthesia, if it isn't with anesthesiologists it is with surgeons, in that regard I would say the politics gets a little old.

My favorite part of the job is regional anesthesia and teaching regional anesthesia. My least favorite part of the job is being woke up in the middle of the night when I am on call. That seems to get harder and harder for me to do the older I get.

I have no idea what I would be doing if it wasn't for nursing...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Roger, where in Fl Are you planning to work?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey,

Like you, I already have 2 BS and decided to go back to nursing school with the ultimate goal of becoming a CRNA. If you want to get into ICU right out of school, my advice to you is do an externship program. I'm currently finishing up my ABSN and doing my externship at a teaching hospital in their ICU, which basically guarantees me a spot in the unit since they're already training me prior to graduation. However, the downside is that most hospitals require the 2 year contract because they are indeed spending so much time and money to train you for you to up and leave (you're basically mentored by a more seasoned nurse the first 3 months-meaning the hospital is paying 2 RNs for the job of 1 RN- and take paid classes for 6 months to enhance your skills/knowledge). It's a good idea to have a CCRN just to stand out as well as show CRNA schools that you know your stuff.

I don't know if you've borrowed money or if you have an excess available to use, but CRNA school is expensive, as is most grad school, so the way I see it is that why not utilize those 2 years to gain necessary experience and money to help pay for the schooling. Trust me, there is so much to learn. The skills that I've learned and the amount of knowledge these nurses that I'm encountering have taught me is mind-blowing. Some of them knew more than the MDs! Take the experience. Don't rush, you can powerwalk towards your goal, but don't rush. You don't want to make fatal errors by rushing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment