Nursing Student looking for advice, HELP!!

[kem3226]

Hi everyone,
I'm a new member of the forum (switched over from allnazi). I'm in my first two years of nursing school and have a lot of options as to which pre-reqs to take that would qualify me for the rest of the program. I was wondering if there was any advice that you could give me that would make for a more appealing and especially prepared candidate, or if there are any classes that might be a good idea even if they might not be required. I have heard that the CRNA program is a very challenging and rewarding program, and career, that I would like to be as prepared as possible for.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Kate

[ed3]

Some of the classes included in many BSN programs are pre-requisites for CRNA programs as well. Most BSN programs have courses such as chemistry, micro, statistics, and A&P included in their pre-nursing curriculum…doing well in those classes is a great start at making yourself an attractive applicant.

Each CRNA program is different, but they normally require classes like chemistry and/or statistics. You can go to the AANA website to see the different requirements of each program.

http://webapps.aana.com/AccreditedPrograms/accreditedprograms.asp?State=all

[MmacFN]

take a peek at the "so you wanna be a CRNA" section of the forum, lots of help!

[nurserebecca]

General Chemistry,then Organic Chem ,then Biochem if possible. Also get good grades especially in sciences (strong work in anatomy and physiology too). If you do a capstone project senior year I would suggest ICU. (Some OR rotation would be helpful if you have the opportunity.) :)

[armygas]

My advice......read everything you can on this board and you will be far ahead of where you need to be. Also take a public speaking class to polish that skill (it will also boost your confidence with interviewing skills).

[kem3226]

Thanks alot for the advice from everyone. My four year that I'm debating transferring to accepts four different chem courses as pre reqs for the BSN so the exact chem courses are a big help. Also, do you know if the CRNA schools look at the ranking of the Bachelor Program that I graduate from? UW Milwaukee vs. smaller UW Oshkosh for example

Thanks again
Kate

[assilem]

I don't think so, they'll mainly look at those science courses GPAs. Some schools rely heavily on the GRE score too. Some don't require the GRE at all. They're all different. But definitely shadow a CRNA while you're in school if you get the chance. For my BSN, in one of our classes we had to do clinical time with an advanced practice nurse. I used that chance to shadow a CRNA and when I started applying to schools, he was the first one I contacted to write me a recommendation. The schools love the fact that you actually know what a CRNA does and have spent time with some in the OR. That's what I have found to be the case anyways :)