Withdrawal, reapplying, advice?

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Hello everyone,

I attended an anesthesia program and a significant amount of clinical before withdrawing in good academic standing. To put it mildly, things did not end amicably between myself and my program director, so a recommendation is out of the question.

I am now reapplying to CRNA programs. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a program that has a track record of accepting and graduating students who were in the same predicament as myself.

I have a colleague who graduated from a fully accredited program in Puerto Rico. In his class there were several students who had been forced to leave other programs for various reasons.

Besides Puerto Rico, does anyone know of CRNA programs that have accepted applicants like me?

Thank you in advance for your constructive feedback.

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Why did you drop? Why were there problems between you and your PD? I know you may not want to post this online (understandable) but it us hard for us to give advice without knowing. I would recommend calling schools, explaining what happened and see how they feel about it. You may have to call every school, but it shows initiative and may be worth it. As you know crna school is very competitive and you are not likely to find a program that will take you that is desirable (less attractive program that has a harder time recruiting might be your goal).

Programs do not want a student who may drop, and even if you don't want to do that again they do not know you. All they have to go off of is that you previously dropped out and your previous PD won't recommend you.

So call every school, shadow, and see if you can get good recommendations from CRNAs. Good luck.

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Specializes in Nurse Anesthesia.

Akron University has been known to take crna students from other schools for varying circumstances including yours from what I've heard

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Why did you drop? Why were there problems between you and your PD? I know you may not want to post this online (understandable) but it us hard for us to give advice without knowing. I would recommend calling schools, explaining what happened and see how they feel about it. You may have to call every school, but it shows initiative and may be worth it. As you know crna school is very competitive and you are not likely to find a program that will take you that is desirable (less attractive program that has a harder time recruiting might be your goal).

Programs do not want a student who may drop, and even if you don't want to do that again they do not know you. All they have to go off of is that you previously dropped out and your previous PD won't recommend you.

So call every school, shadow, and see if you can get good recommendations from CRNAs. Good luck.

It's a complicated situation, so to simplify I'll say I withdrew because there were interpersonal problems between my program director and myself, as well as some others. It was not an academic, clinical performance, or patient safety issue. My clinical evaluations from my preceptors were overwhelmingly positive, and I was in good academic standing. Believe it or not, many people liked me and enjoyed working with me; at least they made me feel that way. I really was "value added" to the team. I loved coming to clinical every day.

I certainly share responsibility for what happened. Had I handled things differently and stayed under the radar, I would have graduated. However, I made mistakes, and I paid the price. It took a while, but I've come to the point where I'm okay with that, and now I am moving forward.

As per your advice, I will start calling schools this week. I've logged hundreds of hours in the OR, so I don't know if shadowing would be necessary. I have already obtained letters of recommendation from the preceptors who supervised my cases as an SRNA, so I feel positive about that.

Thank you for your feedback and advice. Are you a CRNA yourself? You seem to know a lot about the programs and how they work.

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Thank you for responding.

I had heard that Akron has taken students from other programs... never a first hand account. How did you hear about that? I see you are from Ohio....

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Specializes in CRNA.

It's likely you'll find a program that will accept you if you are willing to move. Before you put more time and money into an anesthesia program, it would be wise to do some self-reflection. If you were getting good grades and enjoyed going to clinical every day, then why would you quit? It is possible that the PD was completely unreasonable, and you had a good rational. I think you are at risk for quitting again, and you should evaluate whether you should take on the debt of beginning another program.

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I am a SRNA myself right now. Been the dream for about a decade now. I researched the heck out of it and I am glad to have been blessed to get in a school. If it is your dream make it happen.

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I am a SRNA myself right now. Been the dream for about a decade now. I researched the heck out of it and I am glad to have been blessed to get in a school. If it is your dream make it happen.

Thank you, I appreciate the support. I will make it happen. It's just a matter of where and when.

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It's likely you'll find a program that will accept you if you are willing to move. Before you put more time and money into an anesthesia program, it would be wise to do some self-reflection. If you were getting good grades and enjoyed going to clinical every day, then why would you quit? It is possible that the PD was completely unreasonable, and you had a good rational. I think you are at risk for quitting again, and you should evaluate whether you should take on the debt of beginning another program.

Oh, believe me, I'm willing to move, and I'm willing to drop more money. I would move ANYWHERE in the states tomorrow if it meant getting another shot. I'm even considering going outside the U.S. if I have to. As for the money, it's an investment in the future. Besides, doing what you love to do is priceless. I'd take a pay cut to practice anesthesia again. I dream of the day I'll step back into the OR.

I can't go into the details of why I chose to withdraw; the most I can offer is my original post.

I appreciate your vote of confidence that I will be accepted into another program. If you have any suggestions as to where I should apply or how I can make myself more competitive, I welcome them. Thank you very much.

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Specializes in ICU.

Hey, I'm in a similar situation. I am reapplying to my old school (already sent my app), as well as other schools. Did you have any luck getting in somewhere? I hope to hear you've completed a program! I understand the frustration you went through and am looking for some hopeful info!

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Whatever you do, do not lie on your application. I asked a school I interviewed with about their attrition reasons and they mentioned they had to dismiss one person due to not stating they had attended a prior crna program.

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Specializes in ICU.

I would never do that!

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