Tired of searching for CRNA Interview Questions??

CCUbound · Feb 16, 2017

@gmlewi After being discouraged by directors telling me my application wasn't competitive I got blindsided and invited for an interview in a week at Loma Linda. I hope your interview went well in January! Would you provide any advice to prepare? How did you feel about the process? I hear there are not any clinical questions and it is mostly personal and fairly quick. I hope you got it! Thanks!!

Spierre9 · Sep 24, 2017

Any familiarity with University of MD interviews? Much appreciated, thanks!

sue ellen · Oct 4, 2017

Hi did you ever get accepted?

mkbeseau · Oct 6, 2017

Does anyone have any info on interviews at Mount Marty College? I just got an interview and can't find anything online about their interviews. Thanks!!

JackDawson23 · Oct 13, 2017

I think if you have your CCRN, you should be able to answer any clinical question they throw at you. Other questions they ask you are pretty basic - "tell us about yourself?" "how have you prepared?" ,etc...

Rnfuturecrna2017 · Nov 6, 2017

Hi guys! This forum is great and all the input is truly appreciated. I just got an interview at the University of Arizona, but with the doctorate program being so new it's difficult to find out about their interview process. Any feedback?

cardiacRN2crna · Nov 30, 2017

any tips for MUSC DNAP program? interviewing in 2 weeks for may 2018!!

Thanks in advance :)

SergiyO · Dec 21, 2017

WOW I wish I found this post earlier... had my interview Dec 14, 2017... this post is from 2008 but with LOADS of information... I did well on the clinical part of my interview but I wish I practiced more for personal questions.

I'll summarize:

Clinical: Know your pressors, beta blockers, hemodynamic values and calculations, shocks and ecg strips.

Personal: Basically how do you deal with problems, stressful situations, being critiqued, and confrontations

Hope it helps:)

CRNAjoshua, CRNA · Feb 24, 2019

I wish I found this thread when I was applying to school too. Seems to have a lot of helpful info. I actually have been a CRNA now for 2 years. Was taking a look for questions to help a friend. I Graduated from a west coast school. Interviewed on both ends of the country and found the processes to be very different. West coast I actually did not receive ANY pharmacological questions. It was all get to know you and why do you want to be a CRNA, and why the school specifically.

Seems to be a bit tougher style on the east coast. There I was asked about PA catheters, cariogenic shock, vasopressin, etc. I found they typically ask questions related to your specialty. If you do get asked questions that are beyond your specialty, they are doing it purposeful to see if you will try to fake your way through the answer. They commonly will do this throughout CRNA school. The best answer is to be honest and offer how you would find the correct answer.

For example, you have no idea how milrinone works (as your experience is neuro and trauma ICU) and the interview wants you to explain the MOA. You simply say, I have honestly never worked with or used milrinone in the neuro/trauma ICU. However, based on my studies I do believe it works by .... give your best guess....it works by inhibiting Phosphodiesterase, which in turn prevents the breakdown of cAMP, thus allowing more cAMP to increase levels of Protein Kinase which ultimately allows more calcium to be present in cardiac myocytes which improves contractility. You give yourself an out by simply being honest, then allow yourself to give the best guess. Then say, in situations in which you did not know how a medication worked/dosing/etc, I'd consult an anesthesia provider with greater experience, I'd call pharmacy, I'd use my vargo/pharmacolgy app, whatever resources you have available to confer. Sometimes it's more important to know where the answer is than the actual answer. In fact, I've known interviewers to keep asking questions till someone gets it wrong just to see if you will try to limp through an answer without being honest.

Some questions that some might find strange have a point. For example, they asked me what I did this morning before coming to the interview. They are trying to glean into how you handle stress. Handling stress if very important in CRNA school. Having positive coping skills and resource network are big keys. I was also was asked my favorite movie. Not sure the reason for that one. But it seemed easy to warm things up a little. I recommend if interviewing with a panel, pick the friendliest face and focus on that person most of the time. Oh, and keep in mind, even when you are not in the interview you are being interviewed. Every person you come in to contact with is interviewing you. We have dismissed people who interviewed flawlessly in the actual interview, but said/acted differently out side the interview in the waiting room, or on the tour.

Oh, and the thing I found most helpful and I felt set me apart was how many times I shadowed a CRNA. I literally shadowed 6 days, and wrote down journals on every type of case. I talked relentlessly about it when asked. The more you can talk about something you enjoy and show enthusiasm, the better. Its extremely important to know exactly what CRNAs do/capable of doing. It looks awful when an interviewee comes into an interview and did 1 shadow day, and has no idea what "MAC" anesthesia is. Or has no idea was spinal anesthesia is. So please , do your homework and know the vast swaths of anesthesia out there. And document so you don't forget 6 months later.

Another big tip that will impress the hell out of your interviewers... pick 2-3 recent anesthesia articles, and know them. Talk about them. Its not hard to find and will go a long way. See if you can get a copy of the recent AANA journal for example. Huge brownie points for that.

Had the other usual questions you pretty much see every where. Why do you want to be a CRNA. Strengths/weakness questions. How I handled a tough scenario with a colleague. What I would do if I had a disagreement with a anesthesiologist and how I would handle it. There is a lot of emphasis in our program about handling conflict/conflict resolution. There can be a lot of conflict with our anesthesiologist colleagues unfortunately, so being able to negotiate those lines is extremely important. The book stuff wasn't as important because that's why you are going to school. Everyone pretty much passes, and if they don't, it was their own fault because they didn't put in the work. We had classmates that failed boards 2x and they still got through it and are CRNAs with jobs.

Also, any whiff of narcissism you are pretty much dead on arrival. Confidence is great, but being humble is king in CRNA school. Fly under the radar and don't try to stand out. Keep your nose down and work your tail off. I know that might sound horrible, but school flies by and people will notice. With that said, good luck everyone. Keep your eye on the prize. It's the best decision I ever made, and I really do think this is the best gig in healthcare.

leyvay88, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2019

On 2/23/2019 at 8:09 PM, CRNAjoshua said:
I wish I found this thread when I was applying to school too. Seems to have a lot of helpful info. I actually have been a CRNA now for 2 years. Was taking a look for questions to help a friend. I Graduated from a west coast school. Interviewed on both ends of the country and found the processes to be very different. West coast I actually did not receive ANY pharmacological questions. It was all get to know you and why do you want to be a CRNA, and why the school specifically.
Seems to be a bit tougher style on the east coast. There I was asked about PA catheters, cariogenic shock, vasopressin, etc. I found they typically ask questions related to your specialty. If you do get asked questions that are beyond your specialty, they are doing it purposeful to see if you will try to fake your way through the answer. They commonly will do this throughout CRNA school. The best answer is to be honest and offer how you would find the correct answer.
For example, you have no idea how milrinone works (as your experience is neuro and trauma ICU) and the interview wants you to explain the MOA. You simply say, I have honestly never worked with or used milrinone in the neuro/trauma ICU. However, based on my studies I do believe it works by .... give your best guess....it works by inhibiting Phosphodiesterase, which in turn prevents the breakdown of cAMP, thus allowing more cAMP to increase levels of Protein Kinase which ultimately allows more calcium to be present in cardiac myocytes which improves contractility. You give yourself an out by simply being honest, then allow yourself to give the best guess. Then say, in situations in which you did not know how a medication worked/dosing/etc, I'd consult an anesthesia provider with greater experience, I'd call pharmacy, I'd use my vargo/pharmacolgy app, whatever resources you have available to confer. Sometimes it's more important to know where the answer is than the actual answer. In fact, I've known interviewers to keep asking questions till someone gets it wrong just to see if you will try to limp through an answer without being honest.
Some questions that some might find strange have a point. For example, they asked me what I did this morning before coming to the interview. They are trying to glean into how you handle stress. Handling stress if very important in CRNA school. Having positive coping skills and resource network are big keys. I was also was asked my favorite movie. Not sure the reason for that one. But it seemed easy to warm things up a little. I recommend if interviewing with a panel, pick the friendliest face and focus on that person most of the time. Oh, and keep in mind, even when you are not in the interview you are being interviewed. Every person you come in to contact with is interviewing you. We have dismissed people who interviewed flawlessly in the actual interview, but said/acted differently out side the interview in the waiting room, or on the tour.
Oh, and the thing I found most helpful and I felt set me apart was how many times I shadowed a CRNA. I literally shadowed 6 days, and wrote down journals on every type of case. I talked relentlessly about it when asked. The more you can talk about something you enjoy and show enthusiasm, the better. Its extremely important to know exactly what CRNAs do/capable of doing. It looks awful when an interviewee comes into an interview and did 1 shadow day, and has no idea what "MAC" anesthesia is. Or has no idea was spinal anesthesia is. So please , do your homework and know the vast swaths of anesthesia out there. And document so you don't forget 6 months later.
Another big tip that will impress the hell out of your interviewers... pick 2-3 recent anesthesia articles, and know them. Talk about them. Its not hard to find and will go a long way. See if you can get a copy of the recent AANA journal for example. Huge brownie points for that.
Had the other usual questions you pretty much see every where. Why do you want to be a CRNA. Strengths/weakness questions. How I handled a tough scenario with a colleague. What I would do if I had a disagreement with a anesthesiologist and how I would handle it. There is a lot of emphasis in our program about handling conflict/conflict resolution. There can be a lot of conflict with our anesthesiologist colleagues unfortunately, so being able to negotiate those lines is extremely important. The book stuff wasn't as important because that's why you are going to school. Everyone pretty much passes, and if they don't, it was their own fault because they didn't put in the work. We had classmates that failed boards 2x and they still got through it and are CRNAs with jobs.
Also, any whiff of narcissism you are pretty much dead on arrival. Confidence is great, but being humble is king in CRNA school. Fly under the radar and don't try to stand out. Keep your nose down and work your tail off. I know that might sound horrible, but school flies by and people will notice. With that said, good luck everyone. Keep your eye on the prize. It's the best decision I ever made, and I really do think this is the best gig in healthcare.

Thank you so much for this! Appreciate you taking the time and giving us some pointers!

CRNAjoshua, CRNA · Sep 7, 2019

Np. I remember how stressful getting into CRNA school was. There seems to be increasing competition each year. I feel like once you get in, you really are set. Just put in the work and things will fall into place.

SRNA_2023 · Sep 20, 2019

I am so incredibly thankful that I have come across this thread. I have my first ever interview coming up October 1st. Does anyone have any insight regarding interview questions or their process at FGCU (Florida Gulf Coast University)??

Please and thank you. I am SO nervous. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and having that at my fingertips puts a lot of pressure on wanting to display my drive the best I can without being a total scattered nervous wreck!!