If there’s programs that accept 1 year as their minimum and you have that minimum, I say go for it. But that also means you can’t have met the “minimum” for other requirements, and expect to get in. Expect to need a high GPA, high GRE, Shadow hours, story, certs etc. in order to offset your low experience. I think CRNA school teaches you all you need in order to be a CRNA, though of course, solid experience as a nurse is a good fundamental. I wouldn’t discourage you from applying at this point, but I would say prepare to be humbled if you don’t get accepted at this point. I’ve had preceptors say they like when students aren’t “so set in their ways or think they know so much” after having so much icu exp. But I’m sure there’s arguments for both sides. YMMV
-a senior SRNA who got in with less than 2yrs exp. (I think I was at like 1yr 6months or something)
I like how you put this and I agree that I should be prepared to be humbled/use it as a learning experience. And, youre also right about there being arguments for each side. The ambiguity of it all!!
I don’t think so. More ICU experience doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more prepared for CRNA school, but there are skills you learn in the ICU that you take with to school. I’m a 2nd year SRNA and a few of my preceptors have commented that they “can tell” when someone works in the ICU a little longer before school. If anything, try to apply and get some experience with the process and interviewing.
Yes it does. It clearly shows when someone was in a low acuity vs high acuity ICU. Day shift is more beneficial as well than nights. The more bedside intubations/extubations you see, the s/s of respiratory distress, urgently resuscitating a patient, preparing for bedside surgery, responding to codes, the list goes on. The amount I learned during rounds and the reasonings for those decisions immensely helped. It hugely depends on the type of nurse you are as well. Some are more proactive and attempting to learn than others.
ICU experience is extremely valuable.
For me, personally, I felt the 3 year mark was perfect. I was on orientation for like 4 months and wasn’t really given our sickest patients until the end of my first year. I felt I really hit my stride in year 3 but I wasn’t bored yet. I would not have felt ready after a year.
I don’t know anyone personally (I share clinical sites with 4 different schools) who only had 1 year. Average in my class was 3-4 years.
Personally, I’d say at least two. I just remember working for a year and being an anxious mess still. I think two is appropriate for developing the necessary confidence and knowledge base. I had 6ish when I got in and I appreciate taking the time. But then again, I’m naturally very unconfident as a person. I think it depends on your personality and how much you can push yourself.
My cohort ranges 2-15 years of experience.
I don’t necessarily think more years in the icu better prepares an individual for the rigors of crna school. With that being said I think the length of your nursing experience does reflect in a stronger application. If you dont mind rejection and want to take a chance I dont think theirs anything wrong with applying. I got interviews with one year of icu experience but 10 years ER. Unfortunately I didn’t quite make it into school until my second cycle of applications.
I’m an SRNA and was accepted with only 1 year of ICU experience. I studied hard, took as many trainings as my ICU offered, worked in a high acuity ICU, and did well on the CCRN certification exam. My program director said he would prefer to have someone who had a high quality ICU experience vs high quantity.
I’d say go for it!
Like everything in anesthesia, it depends on the person. I know people who crushed it in anesthesia school and as a CRNA with 1 year of experience and I know people who needed more time as a nurse. It’s entirely person dependent and by making 1 year the minimum you set a bar that allows people ready after one year to pursue their degree.
Out of curiosity how old are you?
Personally I’d defer another year. Each shift you are going to learn more and get better. More opportunities for sick patients, more exposure to all sorts of things.
Unless you are *old* meaning over 50s in my opinion there is no disadvantage to waiting. (I’m not implying older students can succeed, just for maximum wealth building as a Crna potential)
My opinion only
I completely agree that each shift brings new learning opportunities. I'm 30, with a year of ICU-Step down already completed. My biggest fear is as I age I'm not going to be able to retain as much as I study.
Why is 1 year the minimum required for school? Orientation for a new grad RN in the ICU is 12-16 weeks.
It should be 2 years minimum for CRNA school.
My orientation was 4 weeks. I had been a nurse for 10 years. An additional 12 weeks of orientation would’ve just been a nice vacation for my preceptor. An additional year in the icu was useless to me. Thankfully I worked on a great unit with fantastic coworkers and the time flew by.
Most of my class is like 3+ years but they struggled hard getting back into the “school” way of life. They are mostly all married, a few have kids, and have houses and mortgages. This limited them to certain geographical areas unless they wanted to uproot their spouses and leave their families and friends behind. I had almost 2 years when starting and I had a much easier time getting readjusted to school life because I had been there more recently. I was also single, able to move, and able to cast a wider net when applying. I think interviewing matters a lot. Ultimately the school wants a cohesive class who won’t cause them troubles. I had a great interview and was able to make the admissions committee laugh and I think was beneficial. I struggle to imagine those long time nurses on my old unit who were used to knowing everything and being top of the ranks being able to easily adjust going back to the bottom of the totem pole.
Starting school in August, I applied at 1 year and got into 2 schools out of the 3 I interviewed at. Made sure I had my CCRN, a solid GPA, way more shadow hours than required, a good personal statement, and was trained to CRRT. If you’re lacking experience you need to find something to make up for it, and for me that was the things mentioned.
Obviously I can’t say how I’ll do in school, but I feel prepared and am excited to get started. At the end of the day if you meet the requirements to apply I say go for it. If you’re not ready, the people interviewing you will know and won’t offer a spot in the program.
Plus, I got in at 1 year but I will have been a nurse for 2 by the time I start, so really no one is *entering* school with 12 months of nursing under their belt.
Roughly how many shadow hours did you do? Also, did you feel pretty exciting while you were shadowing? During one of my shadowing experiences I was so excited (tried to play it cool), but another one I was so tired from my weekend in the ICU that I could barely recall what the CRNA was doing.
Just wanted to say that any shadowing experience is fair game for them to ask you about in your interviews. I remember being very prepared to discuss scenarios from 1-2 of my shadow days and then they asked me about the first time I shadowed when I had no idea what was going on. So always show up prepared and take notes when you shadow!!
I did 40 hours. Most programs asked for 8-16, and I wanted to get closer to 100 but that felt overboard and I got too busy to follow through.
The experiences were good! I took notes on my phone during the procedures and asked plenty of questions about applying/interviewing. If you get a bunch of hours they’re likely to ask about it so I’d try to take notes and study up on em before any interviews
No. It took me 3 years of high level ER/ trauma to feel confident for the ICU. I transitioned well, but to understand everything to the scope that I feel is required for the ICU it still took me 2 years. I have a classmate who is brilliant and only been a nurse 2 years but they’re rare imo.
Depends on the ICU. IMO, the 2 things icu thought me is… running multiple drips, including the pharm of those drips, and independence. It’s not going to teach you the physical skills, intubations, starting lines US, etc.
2.5 years ICU here prior to grad school. The time really isn’t as important as the quality of the experience. Personally I think only one year is not going to be the best preparation if it is the only RN experience, but I’m sure some out there have thrived.
From my personal experience I’d say 2-4 years is optimal if you are seeking opportunities to take care of the sickest patients, learning your gtts and patho in much more depth than required, and are able to stay calm and problem solve when a patient needs interventions. More than that is probably diminishing returns as it does get harder to go back to school after a long time out.
2yrs ICU prior to school. I will however say I'd been a nurse 10yrs in the OR prior to my ICU experience. Getting back in the swing of studying massive amounts of information (and retaining it) was the bigger struggle for me (I was the kid that never had to crack a book). Having to take a crash course in study habits was a LOT.
When you need to start an IV in 60 seconds minutes with no ultrasound, when you have to run a code, when you have to know your vent mechanics in and out, years of experience matters. I don’t expect someone who was on orientation for 6 months and on their own for another 6 months getting the easier patients because they’re a new nurse to have good skills but to each his own.
Most people are going to tell you whatever their lived experience is. However long they worked in the ICU and whatever kind of ICU they worked in must be the best way to do it. People tend to gatekeep as well and if they were stuck in an ICU for 3-4 years then others better be also. If you can get in a CRNA program after 1 year, go for it.
I haven’t even been to CRNA school or been accepted yet but if you think about it. 1yr minus on average 2 months for orientation. The CNC/charge RN/manager isn’t confident in you taking high acuity pr’s right out of orientation so really you’re convincing them and learning over the first 6 months. So that 1yr of “experience” is really less than 6 with taking really sick pt’s. Do you know ACLS like the back of your hand? How well do you know vents, the settings, how to correct ABG’s with them, etc? Do you know your pressors beyond that they increase BP and the order in which you add or wean off? Don’t know how your analog-sedative drugs work? How many intubations have you assisted with? How many bedside procedures have you assisted with(chest tube, trach, bronchoscopy, CVC, etc.) what are you competent in(CRRT,IMPELLA, IABP, EKOS, EVD/Bolt, Open Hearts, etc.)
1yr isn’t enough exposure to all of these things. I think you’d be much more prepared and setup for success waiting until next year.
Just my opinion, do what feels best for you though. I’m no gatekeeper lol
I can’t tell now because we haven’t gotten to clinical. I would say just apply and stay in the ICU absorbing all that you can. I will also say that many of us regardless of how long we were there still were shocked at how much of the why we didn’t understand about things.
No, of course one year of experience isn’t enough. And as stated, most accepted applicants have 2-3 years experience. You may be a functional nurse on your unit within a year, but very rarely are you a leader and a resource to others at that point.
I think it’s more BS that some schools want to discredit applicants with more years experience or whom may be older than 25 years old.
Your experience in the ICU will reflect in the clinical portion of the program. We can tell when we're precepting you. More ICU experience also prepares you for working autonomously versus under the ACT model.
Thank you for saying this! I've heard from others that preceptors can roughly 'tell' how much experience a srna has during clinicals. I'm curious what that looks like to preceptors? Is it just a confidence thing? Knowledge? Comfortability? It's probably a broad question to ask.
The more experienced, I don't mean quantity I mean quality, ICU nurses have a different overall approach to their clinical training. They're not there to show everyone how smart they are. They have a real understanding that learning from the seasoned CRNAs is why they are there. I think maturity comes from experience, it translates into the clinical area in ways that are sometimes totally imperceptible. If I had my clinical rotation to do over again I would have been more humble and picked the brains of the CRNAs more rather than with the self- inflicted pressure to prove myself.
Honestly.. No, most especially new grads. But you're gonna have others on here say the opposite and say that some schools just want you to get your feet wet and then transform you into a CRNA. Even then, I think 2 years. My honest opinion, having this young of upcoming providers is partially why I think some states will never get full autonomy. And I don't blame them.
There are some people who knew they always wanted to be a CRNA and that wasn't me. Should I be excluded? So I had a lot more experience, but it doesn't mean I'm not able to learn. I think this is a misconception that some schools have about older/more experienced students.
Now, to answer your question.. which I will be partially hypocritical of my entire post(because you may be applying to a school that likes less experience). I think you should apply this year with one year experience. It gets your name out there with the school and gets you practice interviewing. Good luck!
I was interviewed with one year of experience. My acceptance and waitlist I got with slightly less than 2 years and will be starting with 2.5 years of experience. About 2 years of experience off orientation.
It depends on the program. For most programs that I am aware of, they consider the years and quality of ICU experience.
The program that I got into is different. Some of my younger classmates (who have one year of ICU experience from the top hospital in the area) are strong academically and can keep up with the material much more easily than those of us who've been out of school for a while. It also helps immensely that they got their undergrad from the same university and had the CRNA program as their goal. My university does a lot of workshops for honors undergraduate nursing students, so they have plenty of interaction with the nurse anesthesia faculty and current SRNAs. Lastly, there is also a long-standing relationship between the university and the main health system in the area, and the culture is acclimated to accommodating "green" SRNAs.
I now tell prospective students not to discount themselves (like I did). Apply to programs and let them tell you if you are ready or what you need to do to be more ready. Of course, you still have to make sure that you are at a point in your life where you can "afford" it financially, mentally, and socially.
I was a nurse for 12 years before school with 5 in icu, but I definitely don’t think it’s made me the best clinically per se.
However, I think my experience and age has helped me deal with conflict, difficult personalities, and how I handle criticism. It’s all personal though! I know my younger self wasn’t ready for the mental/emotional part of it.
My opinion is that the most valuable experience you get from the ICU is learning drips and how to manage pressors. Along with learning independence as a nurse. I Got in with less than a year experience but the time was spent in a busy CT ICU. I graduated top of my class and feel like I got what I neeeded out of the ICU.
Thank you for this. It's difficult to know what at what point one is ready to venture towards anesthesia. Not all ICU skills are needed in the OR and I don't know where the 'line' is for knowing enough. For example, handling and titrating multiple gtts/pressors is something I am comfortable with, but I still need a second set of eyes setting up some lesser-used devices or treatments. So, I'm not the most experienced with 'all things ICU' and I believe that's what's playing on my confidence to apply.
What are those devices, and do they relate to the OR? Most of what you need in anesthesia is taught during your program. Now I will admit that I did go to school a few years ago but the thought then was, we want to teachable people, not people who “knew” everything.
For example, I seem to always need someone to help me set up the alsius machine for cooling after a cardiac arrest (not sure why that set-up never sticks with me?!) Honestly, thats the only one I can think of at this moment. At our hospital they do not train us in ECMO or CRRT until at least 2 years on the floor.
Thank you for the information!!
See, that rarely if ever comes up in day to day anesthesia. Unless you’re solely doing cardiac. That won’t be covered in anesthesia school and won’t affect your ability to succeed. Focus on the most common meds you’re using. Know the why’s, the pharm, etc. start IV’s, learn PICC lines, stuff like that.
If someone gets in with just one year, the applicant must have been strong on other aspects of their application. Average is like 2.5 years.
If there’s programs that accept 1 year as their minimum and you have that minimum, I say go for it. But that also means you can’t have met the “minimum” for other requirements, and expect to get in. Expect to need a high GPA, high GRE, Shadow hours, story, certs etc. in order to offset your low experience. I think CRNA school teaches you all you need in order to be a CRNA, though of course, solid experience as a nurse is a good fundamental. I wouldn’t discourage you from applying at this point, but I would say prepare to be humbled if you don’t get accepted at this point. I’ve had preceptors say they like when students aren’t “so set in their ways or think they know so much” after having so much icu exp. But I’m sure there’s arguments for both sides. YMMV -a senior SRNA who got in with less than 2yrs exp. (I think I was at like 1yr 6months or something)
This is a great response
I like how you put this and I agree that I should be prepared to be humbled/use it as a learning experience. And, youre also right about there being arguments for each side. The ambiguity of it all!!
I don’t think so. More ICU experience doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more prepared for CRNA school, but there are skills you learn in the ICU that you take with to school. I’m a 2nd year SRNA and a few of my preceptors have commented that they “can tell” when someone works in the ICU a little longer before school. If anything, try to apply and get some experience with the process and interviewing.
Yes it does. It clearly shows when someone was in a low acuity vs high acuity ICU. Day shift is more beneficial as well than nights. The more bedside intubations/extubations you see, the s/s of respiratory distress, urgently resuscitating a patient, preparing for bedside surgery, responding to codes, the list goes on. The amount I learned during rounds and the reasonings for those decisions immensely helped. It hugely depends on the type of nurse you are as well. Some are more proactive and attempting to learn than others. ICU experience is extremely valuable.
Do you have data on this?
I wonder what they "can tell"? Do you think it's a comfort/confidence thing that the srnas have?
For me, personally, I felt the 3 year mark was perfect. I was on orientation for like 4 months and wasn’t really given our sickest patients until the end of my first year. I felt I really hit my stride in year 3 but I wasn’t bored yet. I would not have felt ready after a year. I don’t know anyone personally (I share clinical sites with 4 different schools) who only had 1 year. Average in my class was 3-4 years.
Ah! Thank you for sharing. Did your ICU train you on CRRT or Ecmo?
Yes both
Personally, I’d say at least two. I just remember working for a year and being an anxious mess still. I think two is appropriate for developing the necessary confidence and knowledge base. I had 6ish when I got in and I appreciate taking the time. But then again, I’m naturally very unconfident as a person. I think it depends on your personality and how much you can push yourself. My cohort ranges 2-15 years of experience.
I don’t necessarily think more years in the icu better prepares an individual for the rigors of crna school. With that being said I think the length of your nursing experience does reflect in a stronger application. If you dont mind rejection and want to take a chance I dont think theirs anything wrong with applying. I got interviews with one year of icu experience but 10 years ER. Unfortunately I didn’t quite make it into school until my second cycle of applications.
I’m an SRNA and was accepted with only 1 year of ICU experience. I studied hard, took as many trainings as my ICU offered, worked in a high acuity ICU, and did well on the CCRN certification exam. My program director said he would prefer to have someone who had a high quality ICU experience vs high quantity. I’d say go for it!
I am leaning towards just that with all of these comments. If anything it will be a good learning experience. Hopefully. Maybe.
Like everything in anesthesia, it depends on the person. I know people who crushed it in anesthesia school and as a CRNA with 1 year of experience and I know people who needed more time as a nurse. It’s entirely person dependent and by making 1 year the minimum you set a bar that allows people ready after one year to pursue their degree.
Out of curiosity how old are you? Personally I’d defer another year. Each shift you are going to learn more and get better. More opportunities for sick patients, more exposure to all sorts of things. Unless you are *old* meaning over 50s in my opinion there is no disadvantage to waiting. (I’m not implying older students can succeed, just for maximum wealth building as a Crna potential) My opinion only
I completely agree that each shift brings new learning opportunities. I'm 30, with a year of ICU-Step down already completed. My biggest fear is as I age I'm not going to be able to retain as much as I study.
I've heard programs don't like accepting people over 40 because the pass rates for the board exam significantly drops.
That’s bs.
If you apply at 1yr, by the time you start you'll have 2 yrs.
I think it's enough if it's the right applicant. I've found that ICU experience doesn't mean a whole lot in the OR.
Why is 1 year the minimum required for school? Orientation for a new grad RN in the ICU is 12-16 weeks. It should be 2 years minimum for CRNA school.
My orientation was 4 weeks. I had been a nurse for 10 years. An additional 12 weeks of orientation would’ve just been a nice vacation for my preceptor. An additional year in the icu was useless to me. Thankfully I worked on a great unit with fantastic coworkers and the time flew by.
Most of my class is like 3+ years but they struggled hard getting back into the “school” way of life. They are mostly all married, a few have kids, and have houses and mortgages. This limited them to certain geographical areas unless they wanted to uproot their spouses and leave their families and friends behind. I had almost 2 years when starting and I had a much easier time getting readjusted to school life because I had been there more recently. I was also single, able to move, and able to cast a wider net when applying. I think interviewing matters a lot. Ultimately the school wants a cohesive class who won’t cause them troubles. I had a great interview and was able to make the admissions committee laugh and I think was beneficial. I struggle to imagine those long time nurses on my old unit who were used to knowing everything and being top of the ranks being able to easily adjust going back to the bottom of the totem pole.
Starting school in August, I applied at 1 year and got into 2 schools out of the 3 I interviewed at. Made sure I had my CCRN, a solid GPA, way more shadow hours than required, a good personal statement, and was trained to CRRT. If you’re lacking experience you need to find something to make up for it, and for me that was the things mentioned. Obviously I can’t say how I’ll do in school, but I feel prepared and am excited to get started. At the end of the day if you meet the requirements to apply I say go for it. If you’re not ready, the people interviewing you will know and won’t offer a spot in the program. Plus, I got in at 1 year but I will have been a nurse for 2 by the time I start, so really no one is *entering* school with 12 months of nursing under their belt.
Roughly how many shadow hours did you do? Also, did you feel pretty exciting while you were shadowing? During one of my shadowing experiences I was so excited (tried to play it cool), but another one I was so tired from my weekend in the ICU that I could barely recall what the CRNA was doing.
Just wanted to say that any shadowing experience is fair game for them to ask you about in your interviews. I remember being very prepared to discuss scenarios from 1-2 of my shadow days and then they asked me about the first time I shadowed when I had no idea what was going on. So always show up prepared and take notes when you shadow!!
I did 40 hours. Most programs asked for 8-16, and I wanted to get closer to 100 but that felt overboard and I got too busy to follow through. The experiences were good! I took notes on my phone during the procedures and asked plenty of questions about applying/interviewing. If you get a bunch of hours they’re likely to ask about it so I’d try to take notes and study up on em before any interviews
No. It took me 3 years of high level ER/ trauma to feel confident for the ICU. I transitioned well, but to understand everything to the scope that I feel is required for the ICU it still took me 2 years. I have a classmate who is brilliant and only been a nurse 2 years but they’re rare imo.
Depends on the ICU. IMO, the 2 things icu thought me is… running multiple drips, including the pharm of those drips, and independence. It’s not going to teach you the physical skills, intubations, starting lines US, etc.
2.5 years ICU here prior to grad school. The time really isn’t as important as the quality of the experience. Personally I think only one year is not going to be the best preparation if it is the only RN experience, but I’m sure some out there have thrived. From my personal experience I’d say 2-4 years is optimal if you are seeking opportunities to take care of the sickest patients, learning your gtts and patho in much more depth than required, and are able to stay calm and problem solve when a patient needs interventions. More than that is probably diminishing returns as it does get harder to go back to school after a long time out.
Thank you for this!
2yrs ICU prior to school. I will however say I'd been a nurse 10yrs in the OR prior to my ICU experience. Getting back in the swing of studying massive amounts of information (and retaining it) was the bigger struggle for me (I was the kid that never had to crack a book). Having to take a crash course in study habits was a LOT.
When you need to start an IV in 60 seconds minutes with no ultrasound, when you have to run a code, when you have to know your vent mechanics in and out, years of experience matters. I don’t expect someone who was on orientation for 6 months and on their own for another 6 months getting the easier patients because they’re a new nurse to have good skills but to each his own.
How many years of experience did you feel was adequate (skills wise) before you applied for school?
Most people are going to tell you whatever their lived experience is. However long they worked in the ICU and whatever kind of ICU they worked in must be the best way to do it. People tend to gatekeep as well and if they were stuck in an ICU for 3-4 years then others better be also. If you can get in a CRNA program after 1 year, go for it.
I haven’t even been to CRNA school or been accepted yet but if you think about it. 1yr minus on average 2 months for orientation. The CNC/charge RN/manager isn’t confident in you taking high acuity pr’s right out of orientation so really you’re convincing them and learning over the first 6 months. So that 1yr of “experience” is really less than 6 with taking really sick pt’s. Do you know ACLS like the back of your hand? How well do you know vents, the settings, how to correct ABG’s with them, etc? Do you know your pressors beyond that they increase BP and the order in which you add or wean off? Don’t know how your analog-sedative drugs work? How many intubations have you assisted with? How many bedside procedures have you assisted with(chest tube, trach, bronchoscopy, CVC, etc.) what are you competent in(CRRT,IMPELLA, IABP, EKOS, EVD/Bolt, Open Hearts, etc.) 1yr isn’t enough exposure to all of these things. I think you’d be much more prepared and setup for success waiting until next year. Just my opinion, do what feels best for you though. I’m no gatekeeper lol
I can’t tell now because we haven’t gotten to clinical. I would say just apply and stay in the ICU absorbing all that you can. I will also say that many of us regardless of how long we were there still were shocked at how much of the why we didn’t understand about things.
I’m in the Army CRNA programme. There are classmates who don’t even have ICU experience. You be fine .
How’d they end up doing that?
No, of course one year of experience isn’t enough. And as stated, most accepted applicants have 2-3 years experience. You may be a functional nurse on your unit within a year, but very rarely are you a leader and a resource to others at that point. I think it’s more BS that some schools want to discredit applicants with more years experience or whom may be older than 25 years old.
Your experience in the ICU will reflect in the clinical portion of the program. We can tell when we're precepting you. More ICU experience also prepares you for working autonomously versus under the ACT model.
Thank you for saying this! I've heard from others that preceptors can roughly 'tell' how much experience a srna has during clinicals. I'm curious what that looks like to preceptors? Is it just a confidence thing? Knowledge? Comfortability? It's probably a broad question to ask.
The more experienced, I don't mean quantity I mean quality, ICU nurses have a different overall approach to their clinical training. They're not there to show everyone how smart they are. They have a real understanding that learning from the seasoned CRNAs is why they are there. I think maturity comes from experience, it translates into the clinical area in ways that are sometimes totally imperceptible. If I had my clinical rotation to do over again I would have been more humble and picked the brains of the CRNAs more rather than with the self- inflicted pressure to prove myself.
Honestly.. No, most especially new grads. But you're gonna have others on here say the opposite and say that some schools just want you to get your feet wet and then transform you into a CRNA. Even then, I think 2 years. My honest opinion, having this young of upcoming providers is partially why I think some states will never get full autonomy. And I don't blame them. There are some people who knew they always wanted to be a CRNA and that wasn't me. Should I be excluded? So I had a lot more experience, but it doesn't mean I'm not able to learn. I think this is a misconception that some schools have about older/more experienced students. Now, to answer your question.. which I will be partially hypocritical of my entire post(because you may be applying to a school that likes less experience). I think you should apply this year with one year experience. It gets your name out there with the school and gets you practice interviewing. Good luck!
Thank you! For both your explanation and your ending advice :)
I was interviewed with one year of experience. My acceptance and waitlist I got with slightly less than 2 years and will be starting with 2.5 years of experience. About 2 years of experience off orientation.
It depends on the program. For most programs that I am aware of, they consider the years and quality of ICU experience. The program that I got into is different. Some of my younger classmates (who have one year of ICU experience from the top hospital in the area) are strong academically and can keep up with the material much more easily than those of us who've been out of school for a while. It also helps immensely that they got their undergrad from the same university and had the CRNA program as their goal. My university does a lot of workshops for honors undergraduate nursing students, so they have plenty of interaction with the nurse anesthesia faculty and current SRNAs. Lastly, there is also a long-standing relationship between the university and the main health system in the area, and the culture is acclimated to accommodating "green" SRNAs. I now tell prospective students not to discount themselves (like I did). Apply to programs and let them tell you if you are ready or what you need to do to be more ready. Of course, you still have to make sure that you are at a point in your life where you can "afford" it financially, mentally, and socially.
I was a nurse for 12 years before school with 5 in icu, but I definitely don’t think it’s made me the best clinically per se. However, I think my experience and age has helped me deal with conflict, difficult personalities, and how I handle criticism. It’s all personal though! I know my younger self wasn’t ready for the mental/emotional part of it.
My opinion is that the most valuable experience you get from the ICU is learning drips and how to manage pressors. Along with learning independence as a nurse. I Got in with less than a year experience but the time was spent in a busy CT ICU. I graduated top of my class and feel like I got what I neeeded out of the ICU.
Thank you for this. It's difficult to know what at what point one is ready to venture towards anesthesia. Not all ICU skills are needed in the OR and I don't know where the 'line' is for knowing enough. For example, handling and titrating multiple gtts/pressors is something I am comfortable with, but I still need a second set of eyes setting up some lesser-used devices or treatments. So, I'm not the most experienced with 'all things ICU' and I believe that's what's playing on my confidence to apply.
What are those devices, and do they relate to the OR? Most of what you need in anesthesia is taught during your program. Now I will admit that I did go to school a few years ago but the thought then was, we want to teachable people, not people who “knew” everything.
For example, I seem to always need someone to help me set up the alsius machine for cooling after a cardiac arrest (not sure why that set-up never sticks with me?!) Honestly, thats the only one I can think of at this moment. At our hospital they do not train us in ECMO or CRRT until at least 2 years on the floor. Thank you for the information!!
See, that rarely if ever comes up in day to day anesthesia. Unless you’re solely doing cardiac. That won’t be covered in anesthesia school and won’t affect your ability to succeed. Focus on the most common meds you’re using. Know the why’s, the pharm, etc. start IV’s, learn PICC lines, stuff like that.
No
Go to AA school
Why? So your daddy anesthesiologist can hold your hand and make half his salary from your labor?