Looking to becoming a CRNA in 2019 and don’t know where to start? Here are 9 straight to the point CRNA tips to serve you as a roadmap.
Are you looking to becoming a CRNA in 2019 (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) and wonder what are all the details?
I teach how to become a CRNA and provide career tips for existing CRNAs. In this post, we talk about how to become a CRNA in 2019.
How To Become A CRNA In 2019?
CRNAs are advanced practice registered with graduate level education in anesthesia. CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in a variety of practice settings. In addition, CRNA’s provide anesthetics for every type of surgery or procedure. They are the main anesthesia providers in almost all rural hospitals, and the sole anesthesia providers in the United States Armed Forces.
But how do you become a CRNA? Here are the steps to becoming a CRNA:
- Become a Registered Nurse
- Go right into the ICU
- Get a CCRN
- Prepare for GRE
- Get accepted into a CRNA School
- Manage the expenses
- Preserve and work hard
- Get a CRNA Job
Step No. 1: Become A Registered Nurse
The first step is that you have to become a registered nurse. There are different levels of becoming a registered nurse.
There is an Associate’s Prepared versus Bachelor’s Prepared. In order to get into CRNA School, you will need a Bachelors of Nursing.
Step No. 2: Go Right Into The ICU
Next step is to go right into the Intensive Care Unit. It could be in any type of Intensive Care Unit; Surgical Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care or Trauma Intensive Care.
In some schools, they do not accept the Neuro Intensive Care Unit. So I really recommend going to the Medical, Surgical, or Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit for at least a year. More years of training will increase your chances of being accepted into a CRNA school.
Step 3: Get Your CCRN
Say you got your training and you have done a minimum of a year. You also need something called a CCRN that is a Certificate in Critical Care specific to ICU. For that, you need to take that certification exam.
Remember, a lot of schools do require that.
Step 4: Prepare For GRE Exam
In order to get into CRNA school, you need to prepare yourself for your GRE exam. Depending on what school you are interested in, they have different scores that are a minimum to accept you into the school. Therefore, that’s another step you’ll need to do.
Step 5: Get Accepted Into A CRNA School
Next step is to get accepted. Now you may apply to a nursing school and you may not be accepted. Don’t stop there. If you have a dream of becoming a CRNA and that is your soul calling, you ought to keep trying and trying until you get in.
Think about it.
You want to become a CRNA so apply to any school in the country. I know it might seem like ‘I don’t want to leave my family’, ‘I don’t want to leave my life’. Uh!
If you live in New York and you apply to a school in Nebraska and that’s the only school that accepted you. On top of that, you have to join in September. Do it.
It’s temporary.
I know it sounds harder than it seems but when you have a plan you got to do it.
Step 6: Learn To Manage The Expenses
Another thing that worries people is that a CRNA school is quite expensive. But remember, as a nurse you get a pretty good salary. I recommend saving; saving for your future because that’s your plan. So when you do get a place in a CRNA program, you have some savings to cover you for your transition.
Now you may have to take out loans but, then again, it’s all temporary. When you graduate you’re going to make a good salary where you’ll pay back those loans in a short period of time. That is, as long as you put yourself on a budget.
Step 7: Preserve And Work Hard
After you’re in a CRNA school, you put 110% of your willpower into it. When I went to school I did a program that was a Master’s of Science (MSN) in Nurse Anesthesia. Although now a lot of the programs have transitioned into Nurse Anesthesia Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) So it’s a much longer program.
However, it’s temporary. When you become a CRNA you have the rest of your life to enjoy yourself. So even if it’s an MSN versus a DNP program, which will be longer, it’s fine. It’s temporary. Becoming a CRNA is what you want to become. So you’re going to do it.
Step 9: Get A Job
When you graduate from a CRNA school in flying colors or by just surviving, you then apply for a job. There are multiple jobs across the country. CRNAs are in need, especially if you’re interested in traveling and becoming a locum CRNA. There are tons of jobs and they pay very well. At the same time, it’s what you love and you just did it.
You became a CRNA. You can take your family with you everywhere or go back home where you want to work close to your family; that’s always another option.
These are probably a lot of different steps for what I’m speaking to you about but this is your roadmap to your dream of becoming a CRNA in 2019.
For existing CRNAs, I will be doing some future posts on the business of anesthesia and share some resume writing skills. We will also cover some topics of how to become a 1099.
If you want to learn more about becoming a CRNA stick around for more meaningful information on CRNA’s and how to become a successful one.