Trying to understand/decide the best route

[Esd6541]

Hello fellow nursing community! I am brand new to this forum but so far it seems to be such a wonderful place to come to give and receive advice. With that said, I am in need of some advice. I am currently at a diploma RN nursing school (in Pittsburgh) and about to graduate at the end of June. I have already been thinking about where I am going to attend to achieve my degree. I already possess a Bachelor's of Arts in Biology from Slippery Rock University. My ultimate goal in this profession is to become a CRNA. LaRoche College has a CRNA program and offers RN-BSN online, and upon completion would transition into the CRNA program. The CRNA program is all on campus (which is about an hour away from me). Pitt has a great CRNA program (third in the nation) and has an option for a smooth transition from BSN-CRNA, however I believe their entire program (even BSN) is only on campus (which is about 45 minutes from me). It is also very expensive. I did not see any online options but please correct me if I am wrong. Now, Robert Morris University offers a fully online RN-BSN; but ALSO a fully online RN-MSN program that could be completed in a year and a half full time! (3 years part time) I am on scholarship at the hospital I go to school at now, so I will be working there for 3 years once I graduate anyway. Those 3 years that I am working I intend to be getting this education done as well as maybe get a certificate or two. This hospital is affiliated with RMU and LaRoche so I would get a discount on top of tuition reimbursement. Now here is my question: Which is the best route to take? Should I aim to get my MSN through the online program at RMU while working and then apply to CRNA school? Is it better to just stop at BSN instead and then CRNA school? Should I go for the better program or for the cheaper and more convenient? I have a 4.0 and am Valedictorian of my class as of now. As you can see I need a lot of guidance and I know this is one of the best places to go for it. I plan on asking some CRNAs at my hospital and other local hospitals but I figured I'd start here first. THANK YOU!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Congratulations - you seem to have a lot going for you.

Side note - if that is your picture, please change it. It is very important to protect your anonymity on any social networking site... but even more important here on AN, lack of anonymity can have professional consequences.

Only you can analyze your personal/financial situation and determine the best route to achieve your educational goals. However, I would advise you to take a careful, step-wise approach rather than committing yourself to any sort of all-in-one program. This will make it easier if you change your mind along the way and decide to go in another direction for your advanced practice education. You will need to accumulate 2 years of ICU experience in order to qualify for admission to a CRNA program. Hopefully, you can do this while you're fulfilling your 3-year commitment at your sponsoring hospital.

Be sure to carefully investigate the projected job market for CRNAs in your area. In some parts of the country, it is not very optimistic. OTOH, there seems to be a rapidly increasing market for hospital-based Acute Care NPs since they have been shown to be instrumental in ensuring quality outcomes as well as decreased costs & length of stay.