Young but ambitious

Your hindrances for getting into CRNA school are a crappy gpa, no clinical background, sub par GRE scores, and no ICU experience.

Personally I know people who have applied to CRNA school with the bare minimum of one year or less of ICU experience after getting there BSN, and they have been accepted. Granted, i believe these are fairly smart people, but it is possible to get accepted to CRNA school as a young person. Many schools are looking for smart educated people for CRNA school, meaning if you have the bare minimum of ICU experience along with a strong educatorial background, you will probably be a good candidate for CRNA school. I have two degrees, and I believe it helped a lot because it showed that I have performed well academically, and If I can perform well academically and do well in the clinical setting, then I should be a good candidate.

My personal feelings however are that the more clinical experience you have the better off you are when you attend CRNA school. There is a lot more to taking care of a patient than reading it out of a book. ICU situations go a long way when it comes to CRNA care. Just remember that for your own personal diary.

Good Luck!

Pete495

There is hope. I was 24 when I got into CRNA school, was out of my BSN program with one year ICU experience. Go for it!

i'm 25 and i'm doing it, only two years experience in icu, you may not have all the clinical experienc as some of the others, but since you've only been out of school for a couple of years you can jump right back into the swing of going to class and studying your as off. also it didn't hurt that i had taken a chemistry class this century, you'll never know if you'll get in or not unless you apply, go for it

I have noticed that a lot of people getting into CRNA school lately are older, in their 30's, 40's, and up. I think that is the way its supposed to be, because they are really experienced and are on the top of their game.

So then there's me--a 24 year old guy that has about a year and a half in the ICU and has accomplished all of the requirements (or will by the time I apply).

---My question is, how do the entrance committees feel about young people like me applying already? Especially when compared to the older applicants? Will this be a hindrance to my getting in?

I am 24, 1.5 years ICU, CCRN, and I start in June. Go for it. Apply to several schools though. Got turned down by 3, accepted to 2

For what it's worth...

Years of direct bedside nursing care in a high-acuity critical care area really help you transition into the CRNA role. Generally speaking, it takes time to develop that intuitive sense about your patients. Then again, there are plenty of long-timer ICU nurses that never develop that sense, and there are many that just seem to have that "gut feeling" from the get-go.

I was out of school for nearly a decade before I headed back. It was surprisingly difficult to return to the role of a student - study habits were long forgotten, not to mention that it's a challenge to become a novice once again (and believe me, when you are in anesthesia clinicals, you feel like a rank novice for a very long time...). That's probably why nurses who are a few years out of school generally do well in anesthesia programs - nurses long enough to know what they are doing, with study skills that are not completely forgotten.

We have a few younger students in my program - mid-20s. They are doing very well. And we have a few students older than that who could learn some lessons about maturity from them!

Generally speaking, anesthesia admissions committees look at what qualities applicants offer to the program. Of course, there are programs that consider age. Fair? No. But reality, I'm afraid.

As one of those older (49) soon to be SRNA's let me throw in my two cents about your age. At 21 years of age the United States Navy started investing over $1,000,000 to train me to fly off an aircraft carrier in an aircraft that was designed to deliver nuclear bombs that were hundreds of times more powerful than were used in bombing Japan during WWII. They continue to place this trust in junior officers that they train today. If I was competent enough for the US Navy to make that investment and place that trust in someone at 21, then 24 is certainly old enough to be trained as a CRNA to deliver anesthesia. While the experience that comes with age is invaluable, do not underestimate the advantage of your youth. I wish I had the energy now that I had at 24, particularly now that I am getting ready to start CRNA school. However, I feel that I do have an advantage, let me illustrate with a story. There were two bulls standing on a hillside overlooking a meadow full of cows. The young bull said to the old bull, "let's run down the hill and each choose a cow and make love to her." The old bull, amused, leaned over to the younger bull and said, "let's WALK down the hill and make love to the WHOLE HERD instead!!!" From an old bull to a young one I say GO FOR IT!!!

I have noticed that a lot of people getting into CRNA school lately are older, in their 30's, 40's, and up. I think that is the way its supposed to be, because they are really experienced and are on the top of their game.

So then there's me--a 24 year old guy that has about a year and a half in the ICU and has accomplished all of the requirements (or will by the time I apply).

---My question is, how do the entrance committees feel about young people like me applying already? Especially when compared to the older applicants? Will this be a hindrance to my getting in?

They take all kinds. I've worked in the ICU for 7 years and just recently was accepted. My experience paid off. (Was offered a position 15 minutes into a 1 hour interview.) However the norm now is for young nurses to get their BSN, work in a CV ICU for 1.5 years, get their CCRN and apply. It's probably 90% of who the selection committee sees. Make yourself standout, and know that you have met the requirements for acceptance to a program.

Myself and two others were 24 when we started my program. Don't let your age worry you!

I was 25 when I was accepted and have recently finished the program. I started working as an RN when I was 24 and only had 1.5 years of experience by the time I started the CRNA program. I applied at 3 schools and was accepted at all of them (1 told me I was accepted during my interview). I worked at a trauma hospital to maximize my experience and have no regrets. There were 2 other people in the program who were my age as well.

I have noticed that a lot of people getting into CRNA school lately are older, in their 30's, 40's, and up. I think that is the way its supposed to be, because they are really experienced and are on the top of their game.

So then there's me--a 24 year old guy that has about a year and a half in the ICU and has accomplished all of the requirements (or will by the time I apply).

---My question is, how do the entrance committees feel about young people like me applying already? Especially when compared to the older applicants? Will this be a hindrance to my getting in?

I have also been accepted to a program for this fall. I just graduated from my undergrad nursing program in May 2003, so by the time I start CRNA school, I will have just over a year of experience. I am 24 years old and my experience is in CTICU. At the time of application, I didn't have ACLS, PALS, or CCRN, but now have acquired the first two. I am scheduled to take the CCRN exam in May. I know that my experience is limited when compared to others I will be in the program with...I am actually wondering whether it would be worth it to defer enrollment for a year and start next fall. I know that I can do it - I am just wondering if it may be a little less stressful if I have another year of experience under my belt. I have to decide this within a few weeks, so any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated...:-)

do not wait, one extra year of experience isn't going to help you that much. are they making you take the ccrn? if you already got in it seems like you're wasting $300 on something your not going to use or keep up the certifications for. anesthesia is a whole different ball game, the experience helps but you'll get by without it.

I say go for it, they'll teach you everything they need you to know. One more year is not going to make or break you. Good luck!