University of Pittsburgh's CRNA program...

allnurses Guide · Jan 2, 2009

I'm not in the NA program, but I am doing my NP there atm. If you have any specific questions about Pitt/MSN I'd be happy to help.

rndee81 · Jan 10, 2009

i was accepted full time for 09 as well...it is indeed an impressive school...i am still not sure if i want to go to pitt or upenn though....sigh....i know a lot of people in the program and they do like it...its ranked highly...but that doesnt mean much to me...i think that you just have to evaluate if the program is a good "fit" for you!

COtraumarn · Jan 10, 2009

I am currently in PItts program. It is a lot of work but the instructors are great. I do believe we get some great experiences. There is a lot of student involvement as well from the upper classes. They participate in workshops and offer a lot words of encouragement and advice. We start clinicals after 2 mos of class which- I really appreciate. We get to apply a lot of the knowledge that we learn. Some of the concepts are a little hard to grasp at first (it is hard to not think about the way that we've always done it in the ICU).

Overall- Coming to PItt is the one of the smartest, best decisions that I have ever made.

If you have any more questions please feel free to email me directly and I'll answer any question you have- and I'll answer it honestly.

rndee81 · Jan 17, 2009

hey cotrauma...if u dont mind my asking...where r u from? ur screen name leads to me to guess colorado...?? i was just curious!

mark2climb · Jan 23, 2009

I just started Pitt's program and am from Colorado. What questions might you have?

littlechief15 · Feb 4, 2009

Mark2climb-

Thanks for the reply... would you recommend taking the part time classes in advance? Did you have any trouble getting financial aid, grants, and loans? Also, where do you live in Pittsburgh?! I have been looking around trying to find a place, but don't know the area.. any suggestions? How is the program so far? BTW, my bro lives in Denver and it is a beautiful place, how does it compare with the burgh? Thanks!

mark2climb · Feb 7, 2009

You can take classes beforehand if you wish but there are people who didn't take any classes before and they are doing fine. It'll just be a little busier if you don't. Everyone takes out the Stafford but beyond that is harder to get. The cost-of-attendance is set a bit low for Pitt, so you may have to go GradPlus or private.

I live in Highland Park and so do many of my classmates. It's a nice area around Highland Park with easy access to buslines. Lots of students live in Shadyside as well, which is not as suburban but closer to the school. You still need to ride the bus though.

The program is tough but really good. We are all learning lots and looking forward to using that info. The integrated format is great for keeping up with your study skills so that you don't forget how to do it when comps and boards come at the end of the program.

The Burgh is much cloudier and flatter than Colorado. They use salt instead of sand here for the snow and the roads are designed very poorly. Be prepared to be lost a bunch before learning the roads. It happens to everyone. I miss the sunshine and skiing. Good thing the program is great.

Send me a PM and I'll give you my private email.

COtraumarn · Feb 7, 2009

Hi LittleChief;

I am also a Pitt student in my second semester. I moved from CO as well. Pittsburgh is a world of difference from Denver. The weather is pretty abysmal here and the road system stinks. Rent is pretty cheap though depending on where you live. Pgh is pretty cheap- A lot of students live in the Sq Hill/ Shadyside area. Very convenient to buses, shops, etc. Buses are free to students and most of the hospitals in Oakland are right on the busline. But also more pricey. Oakland, another spot where students live, is very close to school but there are some seedy areas of Oakland. There are also many people who live in the suburbs (mostly people who have lived here a while) but the suburbs are pretty nice and affordable. But parking in Oakland is expensive.

As far as taking classes- I HIGHLY recommend it. The first semester isn't that bad b/c for the first 8 weeks we have class only and after 8 weeks -clinical 2 days a week with class 2 days a week. The second semester with Applied Patho (very hard) and clinical 3 days a week you start to devote a lot more time to school and then most people have 2 more classes on top of that.

I played the financial aid game with undergrad so I knew the ins and outs and it is not that bad. They have counselors in the fin aid office to help you through the hoops. The only problem is not enough money :-).

If you have any other questions please feel free to email me or w/e.

good luck

SelfActualization · Feb 20, 2009

Hi LittleChief,

I was accepted to Pitt 2yrs ago but was unable to attend. I have an interview in March and was wondering if you have any insight as to the interview this year?

YtownCCU · Feb 26, 2009

Hello to everyone,

I'm new to the post, and am writting because I received a call from Pitt to interview in March. :yeah: I'm really pumped, and was hoping any current students might be able to shed some light on what to expect. I was told the entire process is about 4 hours long (tour of facilities, and individual interviews). Anybody heard how many seats are still available ?? How long after the interview does it take to get a confirmation (or rejection notice). Any info you have would be greatly appreciated... Thanks

COtraumarn · Feb 27, 2009

I am a current student. I have no idea how many seats are left. Some people got in from the first round of interviews and some people will start off of the wait list from last years interview. There are 2 classes. One for Fall and one for Spring and each class has about 25 people (give or take a couple).

I found out that I got wait listed about 2-3 weeks after the interview.

Yes, the interview is about 4 hrs long. I did a total of 4 interviews and it was by far the least stressful of the 4. They don't ask you to recite the Krebs cycle and figure our swan #'s on the spot. They gather a bunch of info about your experience and present their program.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

good luck