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What steps should I take in college in order to get into a nurse anesthesia program?

I am a senior in high school, who has been applying to college into the nursing program. I am wondering how difficult it is to get into a nurse anesthesia program, and how heavily your grades in college affect this. Is there a certain grade you should keep throughout college in order to better your chances? Are there more specific classes that you should be taking aside from the general nursing classes? What kind of critical care setting is best to work in for a year before applying to a nurse anesthesia program? #nursing #nurse #school #registered-nurses #college-majors #anesthesiology #nurse-anesthetist

Thank you comment icon There is quite a lot packed into this question but hoping you get a response soon because it will be very telling- especially the best critical care setting. Ms. M JoAnn MacPherson

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Estelle’s Answer

CRNAs must first become a registered nurse. After that, they need to get a master's degree in nurse anesthesia. The day is busy working under an anesthesiologist to put patients to sleep for surgeries. You will assist in epidurals for women in labor and post-anesthesia recovery in the PACU.
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Jared’s Answer

Getting accepted to anesthesia school is very competitive and grades play a role in this. You must have at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive, most have 3.6-4.0. The additional classes you would need to take include specific classes that the anesthesia school requires. Most anesthesia schools require a Chemistry or Organic Chemistry course within the last 5 years - I took this during my last year of nursing school. I would look at the requirements for your preferred schools. From my personal experience and research I believe the most competitive ICU experience is Cardiac ICU or Surgical ICU due to the acute titration of vasoactive medications and technical skills required to manage surgical patients. Medical/Neuro is also good. The acuity of patients you take care of is more important than the unit, for example a Cardiac ICU that does not do open hearts may not be better than a Medical ICU that utilizes ECMO, etc. Entering the ICU directly out of nursing school is not a guarantee. Furthermore, a year is minimal for acceptance to school - most have 2-5 years ICU experience. Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions.
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