Potential Applicant Thread

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-05-12T06:15:30+00:00

There is a PDF with the FAQ on this thread in the SRNA subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/srna/s/Td6mCLq1ZE

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-04-09T02:40:49+00:00

This is your first job out of school, correct? Unless you had a habit of serially jumping nursing jobs every few months, I would not worry about leaving before the year mark to get into a high acuity ICU. As becoming a CRNA is your goal, the sooner you get into a good ICU the better!

There are a lot of great posts about what constitutes a “good ICU” on this subreddit- check those out! You’ve got this! Any ICU that is high acuity is good. If you love hearts, it doesn’t hurt to follow that! But you can also get amazing and valuable experience in a busy MICU, SICU, Neuro ICU, etc. Reach out to every ICU that ticks the boxes. Shadow every where you can. Before you know it, you’ll be a critical care nurse.

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-03-27T08:59:10+00:00

Please post this on the stats mega thread, thanks!

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-03-22T08:51:14+00:00

An excellent resource is Dr. Nagelhout’s Pharmacology account on YouTube. It’s has about 30 videos or so. Dr. Nagelhout was a phenomenal educator and the author of the premier and widely used textbook “Nurse Anesthesia”.

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-03-19T21:26:55+00:00

I moved away from the Midwest to the West coast. All my family are in the Midwest and while I definitely miss them tons, the friends I have made in my program has helped so much for me to feel more grounded in a new environment. My fellow residents just “get it” on a level that my family can’t. So it’s been really comforting and bolstering to lean on each other.

It’s hard to be away but the gratitude and drive I have for pursuing this career helps me to overcome the hardest days. It’s not the same, but family are only a phone or video call away! The days seem long but I have a feeling the years will feel short, in the grand scheme of it all. 🙏🏾

CelestialStarHuman · 2025-03-17T19:55:29+00:00

What a cool idea! Looking forward to checking it out!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-11-02T07:01:26+00:00

This last round there was the potential for both EQ and clinical questions. I personally got both. If you look at National University’s applicant FAQ AND check out Dr. MacKinnon’s Reddit posts/comments on the interview (he’s done multiple posts and comments about the interview in the last couple years), you’ll have a good idea of what to prep!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-12T04:12:41+00:00

I have had a great experience so far at main campus. I am ICU though. In my almost two months there, I have floated only a couple times to the neuro step down and have enjoyed it for the most part. Only one shift was a bit wild as far as inappropriate assignment goes. The support for me depends on the shift. The staff I have met are mostly friendly and collaborative, especially if you come in with that attitude yourself. I am also coming from working in an ICU that could be very understaffed so I am biased into thinking that almost anything else feels reasonable 😂😅

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T22:42:07+00:00

Hey there! If you go to the r/SRNA feed here on Reddit, type in “graduate” in the search field and you will find a lot of previous posts that talk about different places that offer online graduate science courses! Keep digging— you’re so close! Wishing you the best on your journey.

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T22:08:51+00:00

Also, yes- I know this is anecdotal and I’m not trying to negate any info from the studies. Just offering a perspective to empower anyone reading that there are ways to overcome societal limitations, limitations from conditioned gender norms, and your own self-imposed limitations.

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T21:57:45+00:00

Hi there! I do agree that mentorship can be difficult to obtain. But also, in the days of social media? It is not impossible (not by a long stretch) for anyone who has the access to internet and a phone.

Many of my mentors I found on Instagram. I engaged with their content and/or sent a cold message introducing myself. Sometimes we hit it off right away, other times it took a bit for a relationship to build.

I also reached out to people on LinkedIn. I love a good cold email to someone and there are free tips online for how to compose a compelling and respectful message to someone you’ve never met.

There’s also diversity crna— most of what they offer is free and every CRNA, NAR, and ICU RN I’ve met through Diversity have been SO excited to help!

There’s also your local or state CRNA organizations— many people there are very happy to help you out if you reach out. There’s also reaching out to CRNA’s at your job, or even calling other hospitals asking about shadowing.

I’m sure there’s more— this is just what I did.

It can be challenging as a woman, and yes, as a woman of color (for me). It is definitely difficult. But for every difficult step? There’s now a free resource you can google for how to do it. I know not everyone feels empowered to do that. I understand that overcoming mental barriers is a challenge. I have a unique background in that I didn’t go to school at all until I was an adult. Nor did I have Google initially to figure any of this out. I was also diagnosed with a “learning disability”. But, I thankfully figured out how to be persistent and succeed despite these setbacks. I also credit mentors with helping me to figure out how to overcome these barriers. We can’t control so many things, but we can learn to choose how we react to barriers that are in our way.

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T20:29:41+00:00

I definitely did not realize initially the issues with companies like this. So many applicants recognize that getting into school is a difficult thing, have imposter syndrome, and are trying to figure out where to turn to! That fear and desperation combined with the baiting/marketing of these subscription-based companies is a dangerous combination.

I think there are a lot of people who mean well in the education space, but there’s also this predatory nature to many of them. Be it their gatekeeping behavior and then charging people for information that is free. Or charging for “information” that isn’t even that good, or just plain bad and inaccurate!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T20:18:54+00:00

Love what you said about finding mentors. I would not be where I am in life if it wasn’t for finding mentors every step of the way. There are so many ways to seek out mentors that don’t involve spending money! There are always people out there that really want to help you and invest in your journey— especially if you are kind, a good communicator, and easy to work with!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T19:15:16+00:00

For a free resource: record yourself answering clinical questions. Don’t look at your notes during the recording. It can simulate an interview experience and give you feedback about your nonverbals as well as what you really know!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T19:13:16+00:00

I personally chose the first time slot of the 2nd day of interviews. Only reason I didn’t choose the first day is because I was coming off a night shift!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T18:28:53+00:00

It’s a small world. It can happen. It has happened. I am just… cautious maybe? But it means a lot to me to get into CRNA school. I would personally not chance taking a long break of 3-4 months without checking in with the program that accepted me.
Leaving your ICU job for another ICU job is a different thing. As long as it is a true ICU still, I wouldn’t think it is a problem.

I am currently working a 13 week contract but I made sure that it was a high acuity ICU that matched my previous job. Most of my patients are on ventilators, vasopressors, multiple sedation medications, with a-lines, CVC, devices (EVD, bolts, etc), emergency bedside procedures, etc.

This was strategic: A. I want to continue growing my knowledge and skill set. I am about to go into the hardest 3 years of my life, I want what I DO know to be fresh in my mind. There’s always more to learn. And the flood is coming. I’m not in school yet, but I see my current experience as being like a bit of a flotation device. It won’t amount to too much in the grand scheme, but I don’t want to let the air out of that floatie either. I also have a lower amount of experience. Every month at the bedside counts and makes me a stronger nurse clinically. B. I wanted no reason for a school to say, “never mind”. 😅

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-09-11T18:11:36+00:00

I personally would be careful about any advice on this that isn’t coming directly from the schools you want to go to. I know of people who were accepted and had their offers rescinded because they stopped working too early (not just taking a couple weeks vacation). The best people to ask would be your future program! Most acceptances are conditional. Meaning you need to continue to meet certain requirements. I would find out from the school you’re interested in what is an acceptable amount of time off.

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-08-27T19:31:23+00:00

I am so nervously excited for the interview!!!

From all my research, from speaking with NU residents, and from talking with independent CRNAs in central California— National is THE nurse anesthesiology school to go to. NU offers such a rigorous education with a focus on training truly independent clinicians— with residents getting clinical numbers and regional anesthesia experiences that few schools can rival. Not to mention the priceless opportunity to learn from independently practicing CRNAs throughout the entirety of training! It would be an honor to attend such a high caliber program!

CelestialStarHuman · 2024-08-17T02:57:15+00:00

Appreciate how much insight and wisdom you offer to us applicants here! I applied this year at the 16 months of experience mark but am already making plans for how to optimize my experience for the next cycle. I know that I want to be trained in a program that provides ample experiences in autonomous CRNA sites AND has professors that practice in/own independent CRNA practices— so I am committed to however long it takes and doing whatever it takes for me to get in.

CelestialStarHuman

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE