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Discussion

Value of acceptance to a nondoctorate crna program

Hi all, I have applied to both doctorate and nondoctorate crna schools. In the event that I do not get into the doctorate program and am admitted to the nondoctorate school, is it going to work against me when I graduate to not have a doctorate of nurse anesthesia? I would not want to waste all the time and money that would be involved only to find out when I have completed the program that I am unable to find employment or that it will be looked down upon. Any thoughts or insights to this situation would be helpful. Thanks!

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It's not written in stone yet and since there are only a handful of schools which offer it at this point, I cannot see it being a big deal in terms of landing a job after school. Im not getting a doctorate, and i wouldn't even if i had a full scholarship. It makes not sense to me at all, i can't call myself Doctor/Nurse Anesthetist so whats the big offing deal ? Waste of time and money if you ask me.

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yes, I like that the nondoctorate programs are shorter and that means less living expenses and hopefully landing a job sooner after graduation. From what I could tell, it just seems that only the nursing schools that have a CRNA school have converted to a doctorate program...the others seem to not be doctorate. Are you enrolled in a nondoctorate program at this time?

Not a crna, but I plan on applying to doctorate programs. I shadowed pharmacists in a hospital many years ago. Some of them had a PharmD, and others had a masters (they graduated before the PharmD requirement). The hopsital they worked for had no preference for PharmD when it came to hiring in the actual pharmacy. However, it was a requirement that the director of pharmacy have a PharmD, so a lot of the pharmacists with masters degrees could not move up to that position no matter how long they had been there.

I think that the same will probably happen in a lot of places for crnas in the future. 20 years from now, I dont want to be passed up for a director opportunity for some young gun with less experience just because he/she has a doctorate and I dont.

CRNAs need to get out of the OR. The best combo would be to get a doctorate and MBA. Then run that **** and call the shots. Take that desk spot away from the MDA as well as the stool in the OR.

Haha..maybe 1 crna supervising 3 or 4 AAs? I love what crnas do hands on in pre-op, pacu, and OR so I dont think I would want a role like that for a while.

Some hospitals have chief crnas..what do they do? Supervise the other crnas like an anesthesiologist would?

I think you should have done more research on the profession before applying. If you had done so, you would know that having a doctorate vs a masters doesn't really matter when trying to find a job.

I think you should have done more research on the profession before applying. If you had done so, you would know that having a doctorate vs a masters doesn't really matter when trying to find a job.

That's what the OP is doing right now - research.

I'm sure several years ago ADN vs. BSN didn't matter either, but now you can't get hired at some hospitals as a RN without a BSN. I am wondering if CRNAs are likely to head the same direction in the future. With schools being currently pushed to make all CRNA programs doctorate programs eventually, one has to wonder if five or ten years down the road, that experienced CRNA with a master's is going to be passed over for a new grad DNAP to fit some magnet-like initiative...

That's what the OP is doing right now - research.

I'm sure several years ago ADN vs. BSN didn't matter either, but now you can't get hired at some hospitals as a RN without a BSN. I am wondering if CRNAs are likely to head the same direction in the future. With schools being currently pushed to make all CRNA programs doctorate programs eventually, one has to wonder if five or ten years down the road, that experienced CRNA with a master's is going to be passed over for a new grad DNAP to fit some magnet-like initiative...

CRNA schools aren't even required to become doctorate programs until 2025. So again, a little research would prove that in 5-10 years, CRNAs with masters degrees will not be passed over for a new graduate with a DNP. At this present time, there aren't even enough doctorally prepared CRNAs to teach DNP programs. Hence the reason why the requirement is 2025....

And I said "research would have been beneficial" because if one had a true concern about this, it would have been better to figure this out before applying

I had the same question as you before. I decided on a MSN program. There's less time in school, less tuition, and the opportunity to really decide what kind of doctorate I would like to obtain and where I would like to go with a terminal degree. I think of it as ASN vs BSN. I felt my ASN program really helped me with the task of being a nurse and BSN helped me define what it means to be a nurse (if that makes sense? lol). I'm kind of viewing the MSN vs DNP the same way. To get a feel of the CRNA profession with a MSN and then pursue an area that I want to work on and get a terminal degree that would most benefit me in achieving it. Hope that makes sense.

I had the same question as you before. I decided on a MSN program. There's less time in school, less tuition, and the opportunity to really decide what kind of doctorate I would like to obtain and where I would like to go with a terminal degree. I think of it as ASN vs BSN. I felt my ASN program really helped me with the task of being a nurse and BSN helped me define what it means to be a nurse (if that makes sense? lol). I'm kind of viewing the MSN vs DNP the same way. To get a feel of the CRNA profession with a MSN and then pursue an area that I want to work on and get a terminal degree that would most benefit me in achieving it. Hope that makes sense.

You make a good point, I've never thought about it like that before. There are a lot of doctorates I'd rather have over a DNP honestly lol. But to be completely honest, I dont think I even care about having a doctorate of any kind other than for the career opportunities it might open up in the future.

I think you should have done more research on the profession before applying. If you had done so, you would know that having a doctorate vs a masters doesn't really matter when trying to find a job.

Yep, there is always one. The OP stated that he or she already applied. On these sites, let us be kind enough to help each other without these smart...s answers. I am not trying to be rude but how do you know if he or she didn't do enough research before applying? Let us be more helpful to each other.

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