Applying to CRNA school
Here is the big question, “What do I need to be doing in order to prepare for applying to CRNA school?” Preparation for applying to CRNA school is a very tricky and confusing thing to do if you don’t have some sort of game plan. A lot of nurses are scared to apply to CRNA school, because they don’t feel like they have a good chance of getting accepted. This fear comes from not being prepared. I can tell you now that if you don’t take your application seriously, you definitely don’t have a chance of getting into CRNA school. There are a ton of very qualified applicants competing for spots in all the top CRNA schools. To make it even harder anesthesia programs have numerous requirements that must be met in order to apply to. By now you are probably starting to get scarred and rethink this whole CRNA thing. But wait… there is hope! If you really want to get into CRNA school, and don’t mind putting in a little effort, you will be glad to know that it isn’t as hard as you might think.
What makes it hard to get into CRNA school is that as an applicant you usually have to learn from your mistakes before you finally get accepted into CRNA school. Every time an applicant is rejected they will usually receive a letter explaining why they were not chosen. So once you have found out what needs to be fixed, you can make the appropriate changes for next year’s application. The unfortunate part is it forces you to wait another whole year before you can apply again. The single best way to avoid this is to have a strong plan before starting the application process. The goal is to get your application right the first time. In order to do this you must learn from other people’s mistakes, so that you don’t make them yourself.
Our CRNA career guide CRNA School Admissions: The Cold Hard Facts will show you how to gain admission into anesthesia schools all across the country. It is a collection of tips and strategies that were used by current anesthesia students and CRNAs to get an interview and ultimately a spot in a CRNA program. This great resource has helped thousands of nurses during the application process. They were shown how to save money, put together a professional application, outrank the other applicants, and get accepted into CRNA school.
How to get admission into anesthesia school
The most common question we get is, “How hard is CRNA school to get into?” The truth is you HAVE to standout to the admission committee. There are so many people applying to Nurse Anesthetist programs every year that unless you catch their eye quickly your application will be lost forever. Most of the applicants will have great work experience, high GRE scores, an above average GPA, and extra certifications like the CCRN. You are probably wondering how do they choose between applicants? Like I said before, if you want to get into CRNA school you HAVE TO STAND OUT. I am going to give you 2 great ways to do just that. First, I highly recommend taking a graduate level course. When you are writing your personal essay make sure to mention it. You are showing the school that you are motivated, ambitious, and have acquired recent college experience.
Most top nurse anesthetist programs don’t like for an applicant to be out of school for a long time. Once you are out of school for awhile, you begin to forget how to study or prepare for tests. Before applying to Texas Wesleyan’s CRNA program, I took a Statistics course so that I could include it in my application. I didn’t feel like this was too hard of a class, and I made an “A” pretty easily. Actually some CRNA schools require this course before you’re allowed to apply to their anesthesia program. Another great tip is to get involved in the healthcare community. You can join organizations and begin helping out. CRNA schools really look for applicants who are well rounded and are willing to contribute to their profession. Most people pay way too much attention to the academic part of their application, and fail to show the nurse anesthetist school who they are as a person.
Finally the BIG question… How hard is CRNA school?
I am going to be honest, CRNA school can be very difficult on you and your family if you aren’t prepared. You can expect long study days and call shifts that feel like they are never going to end. Preparation for applying to CRNA school also includes creating a plan in case you are accepted. Make sure you develop a strong study habit, and stay with it. Texas Wesleyan’s CRNA school had a saying, “It gets dark around here early”. This basically meant don’t fall behind, because you won’t catch up. I was amazed at how much information we would cover in such a short time.
If I hadn’t developed a study schedule and stuck with, who knows if I would have graduated. Just make sure to stay responsible and study everyday. If you do that you’ll do just fine. My next tip is for you to create a study group. You want to have 3-4 people involved. This allows everyone to participate, which is great for brainstorming. It seems like groups larger than that become counterproductive preventing anything from getting done.
Next… DON’T STRESS OUT. One of the best ways to keep from losing your mind is to pick something that you are not willing to give up. It might be working out, singing, running, painting, or anything else that helps you reduce stress. For me it was working out. Just make sure to keep that activity around. It is very easy to become overly consumed with school to to the point you start sacrificing things that make you happy. Staying healthy in CRNA school means being able to unwind somehow during the week, because if you don’t your grades and health will start to suffer.
Free CRNA School Interview Practice Test
We wish you the best of luck!
#HowHardisCrnaSchool #GetIntoCrnaSchool