r/srna

hi! im a teacher and my husband is considering crna school. he is a nurse right now. we don't have kids, but we just bought a house for the first time. i bring home around $5,600 a month and our mortgage is around $3,500. our cars are paid off & we have a ton saved up, but the timing of it just makes me worried. we will definitely take out loans, but are there any other ways we can make this work living off my salary? for 3 years? my husband might have to live in a different city and rent somewhere there for the time being. i understand we have to live frugally.

TIA!

This thread is dedicated to potential applicants to Nurse Anesthesiology programs which will repost every monday who want to ask about:

• Are your stats competitive?
• Application questions?
• Experience questions?
• GRE?
• Volunteer work?

Please scroll back and look at old posts! They have lots of info to help.

NOTE: Posts outside of these threads will be deleted or closed and referred to these to avoid spamming the sub with the same questions.

https://preview.redd.it/fkjmoboi7jue1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=e4943ace11af5781268fb8be5c687b07cd796efa

Hey yall. I’m feeling sick over taking out these loans lmao.

What are you guys living off of monthly? I’m looking at about 4K per month. 2000 for living expenses all in then 2000 for all other expenses … is this doable? What did you guys do?

I’ve applied for a few loans with a co-signer & it’s all looking like 13 ish % which is terrifying.

I have SOME savings but I want to keep that for emergencies.

THIS IS SO SCARY!!!!!

For current students/CRNAs, what are things you wish you did BEFORE starting CRNA school? Trying to prepare ahead of time and wanted honest advice from people who’ve already gone through it. What actually helped you the most before school started? Anything you wish someone told you before starting? Would love to hear any tips, regrets, or things you’d do differently if you could start over.

As a third year, I’m still struggling with easy airways and just wondering if I’m even good enough to graduate. I feel confident in the managing phase of anesthesia, treating pain, smooth wake ups and the like. But somehow, with 7 months away from graduating I am still missing easy airways. I have about 170 intubations.. need to get at least 250 under my belt. The majority of my training was with a miller and I feel towards the end of the year I wasn’t missing easy ones. Then I did regional , OB, and didn’t intubate anyways for 3 or 4 months. I picked up my miller and kept struggling. Then a new site kinda forced me into the Mac. 3 months later still using the Mac and get a view almost every time… just either struggling with tube delivery or something of the sort. Now I’m at a peds site and don’t even know what to use. It seems most people use Mac unless they are under 2 years old.

I don’t feel my other classmates have these issues at this time, and it’s honestly even hard for me to come on here like this. I want to graduate as a competent provider in airway management, lines, and the like. I am seriously even worried to start interviewing with jobs and have a “day on the job” sort of interview and miss an easy airway. It’s become like this physical/ mental obstacle and I don’t wanna just do GI forever. What do I do?

Hello,

I was hoping to hear input about how you all are approaching health insurance in school while it is not realistic to work a full time job and get insurance through that.

It looks like schools usually offer thier own plan through some insurance provider and this is what I am considering at the moment, but there doesn't seem to be any way for me to get an estimate for the price until school starts, which for me is in August. I dont want to be uninsured for 3 months so I am wondering if anyone has experience being on school health plans and if so are they reasonably priced? For reference it will be an Aetna plan.

Sorry guys, I know we've all been there anxiously applying to school but there's little moderation of this sub and I'm tired of just seeing the "are my stats good enough to get in?" posts and I find this sub less and less relevant as a current student. I've paid it forward, read countless letters of intent, helped several people with guidance who ended up being accepted to a program. Maybe the mods will step it up and I'll check this sub out from time to time but for now I'm out.

I’ve been getting a lot of comments lately along the lines of “you should enjoy your youth” or “don’t rush into CRNA school,” especially since I’m on the younger side compared to the typical starting age.

I’m curious how people here feel about that perspective. For those who started earlier vs. those who waited do you feel like it actually made a meaningful difference in your life personally or professionally?

I feel ready and I’m genuinely excited about this path, so I’m not really second-guessing my decision. But hearing this so often has made me pause and wonder if there’s something I might be overlooking or if it’s just one of those things people say.

Well I got the 3 icu offers with two just recently.

1. Level 1 cardiac medical ICU (impellas, balloon pumps, CRRT, vents) seems a little less acute since I barely ever see swans or cvp monitoring on the floor. I may be wrong though. 1:2 ratio, free 100% tuition after 6 months, $30/hr base. I trained in this floor and the preceptor wants to mentor me. Two people are leaving the floor for CRNA school now.

2. Medical ICU lv 2 with pretty much everything I said but the cardiac devices. HCA facility with up to 3:1 ratios, not sure about pay yet, and ok benefits. The patients seem more acute and I'd definitely see stuff on the daily.

3. CVICU lv 2 same HCA facility with all the cardiac icu stuff in addition to more pressors, and other stuff

Do you all have an opinion on where I should start?

Passed the NCE yesterday! The pain is finally over. Time to sleep for a week 😴 Good luck to everyone taking it soon! That is all 🥲🩷

Just curious to hear other people’s thoughts on this.

With how much social media exposure anesthesia is getting lately, along with the increasing push toward the profession overall, do you think the anesthesia market could ever become oversaturated in the future?

AAs are being pushed more heavily and continue gaining licensure in additional states, which adds another layer to the discussion. I know social media exaggerates how accessible the field really is, and the education/training requirements still keep a lot of people out compared to other healthcare careers. However, I wonder how long that remains a major barrier as awareness and interest continue to grow.

I can’t imagine it would ever become difficult to find a job altogether given the ongoing anesthesia demand and provider shortages, but do you think compensation could eventually plateau or decrease similarly to what has happened in some NP and PA markets?

Genuinely interested to hear different perspectives.

I had purchased the smartbank a while ago. I’ve been using it here and there, but I prefer the Apex mock exams for sure. I’m running low on mock exams, so I started using the smartbank more. I am not finding it particularly helpful, and I wanted to see if others have used it/found it helpful for taking NCE. Thanks!

I got into CRNA school. I’m 30, I have a 5 month old and a super supportive husband. I’ve worked in the ICU for 5 years, 3 in a level 1 trauma ICU. CCRN and other certs

I suck in the classroom. I’m so afraid of failing. I’m so afraid after reading Reddit every night about the terror of CRNA school that I’m not cut out for it. I had a 3.5 GPA in an accelerated BSN, and really worked for it. I don’t know how I’m going to mange class and clinicals,… is this normal?

i know the rigor needed, and terrified that I’m going to get halfway through and be left with a ton of debt and no degree.

any advice would be great

As someone who felt in nursing school like they need to have all the content memorized to do well on tests, what is your advice for CRNA school? obviously the content amount is huge and there's no way I can memorize the entirety of a powerpoint like I did in nursing school. active recall worked for me then, going through the slides and reciting what was on it. I feel like if I can't remember the content that way and be confident in it, ill get to the test and get confused and blank on the content and therefore not know how to answer the question correctly. that's why I haven't taken the CCRN yet, because I obviously can't memorize the entire critical care specialty so im nervous im going to fail especially when its 150 questions.

how do you guys study with such vast and large amounts of content? how many tests do you have in school per class in a semester? I feel like clinical is going to wipe me physically and mentally and idk if I'll be able to come home and study for so long. I just don't know if im cut out for this

Hey everyone, I am about 5 months out from taking my first SEE exam. I have been working through a large Anki deck and utilizing APEX. I have been focusing more on Ollivate. For those of you who have completed Ollivate- how long did it take you? Did you find it effective when you took the SEE?

Hi everyone!

I recently was accepted into CRNA school—starting next summer. (yay!)
I was wondering if I could get the perspective of the dog parents before I consider getting a dog. Is it too ambitious to get a dog before/during school? Were there conflicts with your clinical and dog care?

I do have a live in partner (planning engagement by end of year). He works 9-5.

TIYA

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?

Any current NARs willing to share how your program handles personal time off from clinical and how many days off you are allowed a year. I am in a newer program and our allotted personal days off seem low to me with no built in time off between semesters. Wanting to get a feel for how it works in other programs to see if I just have unrealistic expectations.

Long time lurker, and was accepted off the waitlist to my top pick school!

I’m ecstatic that I was accepted from the waitlist at my top pick school! This school is ideal for me because it’s close to home, and I don’t have to move out of state away from my family/friends/support systems.

I feel like I’ve faced many adversities during my application process that I would like to share to give others hope if they have similar stats as I do! For starters, my BSN was achieved from a nursing program that had a “Pass/No Pass” grading system, and to achieve the “Pass” one had to score >92%. On my BSN transcript, it reflects 4.0 GPA, but not letter grade. Not a lot of CRNA programs recognize this type of grading, or automatically make it a GPA of 2.0-3.0 when applying :( I did a dig deep search on schools around me that recognize and account for my 4.0 nursing transcript.

My pre-requisite courses (anatomy, physiology, chemistry, prob&stats) that some CRNA schools want you take within 5-10 yrs were old, like right at 10-11 yrs old. However, I received straight A’s in them previously, so I was on the fence about re-taking them, since it was risking getting a lower grade. If I didn’t make this round of applying, I definitely would have re-taken them.

I work in neurosurgery/neuro critical care in a level I trauma hospital for the past 4.5 yrs. I was also on the fence about leaving my current unit for higher acuity trauma or cardiac ICU, but I became too established there. I gained lots of rapport with my colleagues, providers, and managers who I know can vouch for me. It gave me hope knowing a few of my colleagues left my current unit and also went on to CRNA school.

First cycle applying. I’ve applied to 7 schools, 3 interviews, 2 waitlisted, 1 acceptance.

Initially when I was waitlisted, sent me down a rabbit hole of self doubt because it felt like a mild rejection ;( It also fueled my drive to keep on continuing to try to grow and challenge myself because I felt my goal was so close. I’m glad I didn’t give up after being waitlisted!

My other stats: RN for 8 years, 6 years working in critical care (1 yr in MICU, 5 years in NeuroICU), charge nurse, preceptor, chair member in 1 committee, volunteer work, 4.0 BSN GPA, 3.84 science GPA, 40+ hours of CRNA shadowing, 4 LOR’s (1 from unit assistant manager, 1 from ANS, 1 from my unit’s neuro critical care PA, 1 from neurosurgical PGY3 resident), certifications (CCRN/ACLS/BLS/PALS/CSRN/ENLS/NIHSS/TNCC), AACN member.

If you feel you’ve in a similar situation as me, don’t give up hope! I like to believe the hard work you put into this goal, will manifest itself!

I also work in a small, 4-bed, critical access hospital where drips and invasive lines are rare. can I get into school? Maybe one that is easy to get into? Also, wtf does a CRNA do? I don’t care, I just want money and lifestyle.

/s