22F — CAA or should I pursue ABSN → CRNA instead?
I realized I want to pusure medicine and came across CRNA and the CAA career path. I’m trying to figure out the most realistic path toward anesthesia and would really appreciate honest advice from people the field.
Right now, my cumulative GPA is around a 3.0 (maybe slightly above depending on how programs calculate transfer credits). Earlier in college I went through a really difficult period personally and my grades suffered because of it. However, my last 3 semesters have been much stronger (3.5+ each semester), and I finally feel like I’ve found direction academically and professionally.
I graduate this semester and plan to take post-bacc classes afterward.
Completed / Current Grades:
* General Biology I: C+
* General Biology II: A
* General Biology Lab: A
* General Chemistry I: C (planning to retake)
* General Chemistry Lab: A-
* Calculus: A-
* Statistics: C
* EMT course: A
* Nutrition: A
* Psychology: A
Experience:
* Recently earned my EMT license
* Currently working as a Physical Therapy Aide
* 16 hours of shadowing an Anesthesiologist
* Strong references
Still need to complete:
* Microbiology + lab
* Anatomy & Physiology I + lab
* Biochemistry
* Lifespan Development
I know GPA is the weakest part of my application. Even with GPA repair and strong grades moving forward, my cumulative GPA will probably still only end up somewhere in the low 3’s by the time I apply. However, I think my science GPA will end up significantly stronger than my cumulative GPA.
I’m really interested in anesthesia and originally was looking heavily into CAA programs, but lately I’ve been wondering whether pursuing an ABSN and eventually becoming a CRNA would realistically make more sense for someone with my academic background.
I’m not looking for sugarcoated answers — I’m genuinely trying to figure out:
* Has anyone here gotten done a ABSN to CRNA route?
* Would an ABSN be a smarter/more realistic route for me?
* Would a master’s or additional coursework help significantly?
* What would I realistically need to do over the next few years to become competitive?