Why Mayo CRNA program is not top rated?

TraumaNurse · Dec 20, 2004

Mayos program probably is a top notch school. It's the ranking system that is seriously flawed. IMHO, when researching CRNA schools, the US News rankings should be the last consideration of an applicant. Upon graduation, you will be a CRNA. No one will care where you went to school as long as you pass the boards.

sonessrna · Dec 20, 2004

Mayos program probably is a top notch school. It's the ranking system that is seriously flawed. IMHO, when researching CRNA schools, the US News rankings should be the last consideration of an applicant. Upon graduation, you will be a CRNA. No one will care where you went to school as long as you pass the boards.

I agree with TraumaNurse. The US News and World Report ratings are nothing to look at when making a decision about schools. Remember, the VA etc in Minnesota are in Minneapolis. Minneapolis/St. Paul has a lot more of a drawing market than Rochester does. Believe it or not, more people want to stay local than move for CRNA school. Most schools pull from the area around them. So, if you get accepted to Mayo, go to Mayo. It's a top notch school...look for the things you are looking for in your school....not what the US News and World Report think is important.

qanik · Dec 20, 2004

I think if you look back you will find other discussions on the board regarding this topic. I can say I researched the US News rankings for a paper and after MUCH MUCH digging, I was able to get the methods used which where nothing more then a questionare sent to the directors of all the programs and how they ranked the schools= popularity contest.

Brent

Kiwi, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2004

The school that I am most interested was SECOND TO LAST on that stupid USnews report. Yet, 100% of graduates from that school consistently pass boards on their first try. In my opinion, whichever school accepts you and whichever school has a higher passing rate on boards is the best school in the country. :rotfl:

sway · Dec 20, 2004

I agree comepletely that US News is nothing more than a glossy, high colored publication for people who want to "research CRNA school" but not spend more than about 20 seconds. But your comments beg another question: is it really beneficial to attent a popular-sounding school? In other words, will I get more and better job offers if I can say I graduated from Mayo or Colombia? Up here in AK, the CRNA job market seems pretty tight, so maybe that would be a nice thing on my CV...or is it really worth the trouble?

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 20, 2004

On another train of thought ... If you just want to think about the general question of why a high-quality med school might not have a nursing school of similar quality ...

The quality of a particular educational program does not always match the quality of other programs offered by the same school. For example, a university might have a great engineering school but a lousy English department ... etc. Each department is run by the members of that department, and each department is allocated a certain amount of resources, etc. Being strong in one department does not guarantee strength in another department.

llg

gaspassah · Dec 20, 2004

i would also add that if the university has a highly rated medical school, and anesthesiology residency program, 1. most resources go to the medical school. 2. you may be in heavy competition with residents for cases. not ideal for learning your trade. i know of some places where the residents do the epidurals for example while the srna's observe.

research the schools you are interested in, try to get an observational day or 2 there and see how things go for the srna's and crna's. you may decide that you could find a better education elsewhere.

i cant say this is the way it is at mayo, just look into it.

d

Brenna's Dad · Dec 21, 2004

I've heard that Mayo is light on regional and light on lines... but this is definetly third party information. I'm sure someone here can set this straight.

mwbeah · Dec 21, 2004

With the job market wide open, recruiters and hospitals are looking to fill their positions. If you pick a school that fits your needs, work hard, and pass your boards, then you are going to find work pretty much wherever you want. You will have a license and be certified....thats the bottom line. Eventhough I am in the military, I have more per diem work than I know what to do with and my agencies and the hospitals I directly contract worry about one thing, I do what I say I can do and my license is current.

Mike

WntrMute2 · Dec 21, 2004

I've heard that Mayo is light on regional and light on lines... but this is definetly third party information. I'm sure someone here can set this straight.

As of a few years ago this was true. The class size is big, you compete with the anesthesia residents and if memory serves, the head of the ASA is chair of the anesthesia dept. Generally, they have to send you to other facilities in Fl. and in AZ. to get regional/line experience as he frowned of CRNAs doing those procedures. I have 3 friends that graduated within the last 5 years that state "I don't want to do regional/lines, why should I take that responsibility." This all may have changed. But also consider that the program is 30 months so that means 3 winters in Rochester Mn. On the other hand, the people, especially the director, I met were extremly nice and the cost is low.

WestCoastRN · Dec 28, 2004

Actually I just found I was rejected by Mayo. But it doesn't matter because I received an acceptance letter from another program in the same day.

I though I had a good chance in Mayo as they interviewed 60 for 30 spots. But a large number of applications were from Mayo nurses and it is hard to beat them. During my date of interview, 11 out of 15 were Mayo own nurses and I was told there are only a few students with non Mayo background in the class started Sept 2004. I believe I have good experience, but probably lose to them in terms of quality of the experience as they are from a leading teaching hospital. My recommendation is also strong, probaly matches theirs. But they may have Mayo's own MD/anesthesiologists as source of reference and certainly the admission committee values those Mayo doctors more than other unfamiliar doctors/professors. I also have very decent GRE scores including a perfect 800 on Quantitative, but the scores are hardly considered there. When I was invited for question during the interview, I asked the program director if preference is given to their own nurses, I got a Yes answer but she said in a polite way: "The selection is mainly based on qualification, but when the qualification is the same, we choose them". I guess the program is under pressure to take Mayo's own people expecting that the SRNAs can work for Mayo after graduation and people from Rochester have a higher chance to stay there. My interview is generally OK and it is possible that some interview questions I didn't answer in a way they want to hear.

As for the curriculum, I think it is still the same old story. The interview brochure says "Do Not Come" if you are upset with any of the following:

1) Lack of regional anesthesia. There is still no regional done in Rochester and students are required to go to AZ/FL for 8 weeks regional rotation.

2) Doesn't insert CVPs and Swans.

3) Never intubate using fiberoptic scope. Actually I don't know what this means.

But I still have NA school to go as Franciscan Skemp accepted me. The competition appears more intense (at least on paper) in this program than Mayo as there were 80+ applications and 33 were invited for interview for 8 positions. I become one of the 8 students. I might come back to west coast and Kaiser is definitely the No. 1 potential employer in the west and the program curriculum matches well with Kaiser's need. Another plus side is the school starts in June 2005 and finish 27 months later, so graduation is 6 months ahead of Mayo.