Thinking about CRNA... Advice PLEASE!

[golfmontpoker]

Ok, im getting ready to graduate with my BA in Biology with minors in chemistry and business administration... Im basicly a pre-dent right now, but have really thought about going into nurseing as a back up if i dont get excepted to dental school. Anyways, i have talked to many schools about their advanced curriculum to earn a BA in nurseing science, which will only take me about a year and a half... After this i want to enroll in a CRNA program, i have no interest in being a regular RN... Now what im curious about is this, how competitive are CRNA program?? I currently have a 3.6 gpa and am pretty sure i can pull the same off with the BA in nurseing science... I have already taken the GRE and scored a 1200. Does this sound like a pretty good plan? Any input is greatly appreciated!

[TheLemur]

Golf boy,

I was once pre-dent as well. BS biology, 2.9 gpa, DAT score 18. (and the DAT, folks, is essentially the SAME as the MCAT, minus physics, plus "perceptual ability" portion). I did not get in dental school (see above gpa). Nursing was my backup plan; sorry people, that's just what it was.

So, after choosing to get a second degree in nursing, nurse anesthesia entered the picture, and I haven't looked back since. I did significantly better in nursing school, thanks to a renewed dedication to hit the books, slaughtered the GRE, and worked as an RN in a high-volume CTICU for 1.5 years after a year in the step-down to the same. I think this last part is what differentiates CRNA school from most any other professional program: the requirement that you work/learn in one of the toughest environments imaginable, and do so well enough to get highly favorable recommendations from managers/phsyicians/co-workers etc.

You know what? Not getting into dental school was the best thing that could have happened, b/c diagnosing and treating disorders of the teeth just isn't that interesting to me anymore, compared to what I'm learning in anesthesia school. You should shadow a CRNA, obviously. You might discover that you've just got to be an orthopedic surgeon while you're at it, and if so, great. Don't let others influence this decision you've got to make, cause, let's be honest, it gets harder and harder to change directions the older you get. One thing I will say is that if you don't get into dental school first try, it's probably easier to give it another go or two b/c the road to CRNA would still be >5years at that point.

[crna2bkristan]

"It just seems so unprofessional to me. "

Elleann

UNPROFESSIONAL?!? Are you kidding me?!? Nurses, historically, have been systematically given the cold shoulder, being paid the "woman's wages" to do the "woman's work!"

Get real! If we don't sick up for ourselves when idiots downgrade our contributions to collective health care , then WHO WILL?!?:pumpiron:

[Sheri257]

Personally, I'm appalled at how people on this forum continued hacking away at the original poster, even after he/she had apologized for inadvertently offending the community. Being overly zealous doesn't mean you need to be offensive, rude or uncouth - the original poster wasn't even rude, just very young and misinformed.

Yeah ... I'm not sure why people went ballistic over the ... I don't want to be a regular nurse comment. How many threads have there been where people said they only became an RN to eventually become a CRNA? Plenty. Too many to count. Why this particular poster is getting beat up for it is beyond me.

:typing

[Sheri257]

... but this is obviously not for me from hearing everyones opinion about it.

DO NOT let the mob mentality influence your decisions. It's a message board for crying out loud. Take it with a grain of salt. In the end ... just do what you want to do ... not what they want you to do.

:typing

[Nurse Ratched, RN]

This thread is not the place to start a new discussion on nursing wages. This thread has outlived its original purpose.