How to get into CRNA School: Basic Admission Requirements

Let’s start out with the basics of CRNA school. I get a lot of questions regarding requirements and career pathways to become a CRNA (in the U.S.). Below you’ll find education requirements, what’s considered “critical care experience” and exceptions to that, info on GPA and GRE, types of CRNA programs and if you scroll to the bottom, I’ve listed out CRNA programs by city, state, and degree type. Let’s get started.

 

Education Requirements

(from the AANA, individual school requirements subject to change):

• A Bachelors degree or higher in nursing
• A clean, unencumbered nursing license in the U.S.
• BLS/ACLS
• CCRN highly recommended, my post on why this is important here. How I studied here.
• A minimum of one year full-time work experience, or its part-time equivalent, as a registered nurse in a critical care setting within the United States, its territories, or a U.S. military hospital outside of the United States. The average experience of RNs entering nurse anesthesia educational programs is 2.9 years.

“Critical Care” Experience

Another question I get asked often is what qualifies as “critical care experience”? Here’s a list. Again, this may vary on individual programs, so it’s important to check out individual requirements for your schools of interest). In general, and overall, this means an Intensive Care Unit.

• SICU (Surgical ICU)
• MICU (Medical ICU)
• CICU (Cardiac ICU)
• CVICU, CTICU (Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic ICU)
• CCU (Coronary Care Unit)
• Neuro ICU
• TICU (Trauma ICU)

Exceptions?

While these departments are accepted in some programs, I do believe it will make your admission more difficult, as it will be a very steep learning curve while in the program. Majority of CRNA school is adult-focused. Does that mean there’s no pediatric CRNAs? Of course not. Everyone in the program will learn pediatric/neonatal anesthesia. I just add this on because there are so. many. applicants. that will have more generalized ICU experience than you and that might filter you out. But, if you kick ass on your interview or your resume is phenomenal, its possible. Here’s that list.

• Emergency Department
• Pediatric & Neonatal ICU (PICU/NICU)
• Burn Unit

Departments that basically filter you out:

• Operating Room
• Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
• Step-down “ICUs”
• Progressive Care Units (PCU)
• Telemetry
• Medical-Surgical
• Obstetrics
• Labor & Delivery
• Basically anything else not listed above

I will also add on, that I’ve heard statistics showing that those SRNAs (student registered nurse anesthetists) that did not have an ICU background, were more likely to fail boards.

 

 

 

GPA

You need a 3.0 right off the bat. The market is too competitive, if you’ve got less than this you’re going to need to retake some classes. The recommendation is >3.5, at least. I know a lot of schools (mine included) filters out applicants based off of GPA before anything else has even been looked at on the application. Now, this GPA “standard” reeeally varies school to school. I’ve heard of schools that majority have extremely high GPAs like 3.8 and above. Others are ok with lower. I would research your specific school of interest, they typically have specific requirements on their application page.

So. With that said.

I had a 3.5. GASP. I’ve never been one of those “school people” that thrives on straight A’s or loves studying. Would I like that? Of course. But to me, clinical has always been the determinant of success. I hate memorizing with no application, I learn nothing. You can memorize shit all day to get those straight A’s but could be terrible bedside. But I digress this has nothing to do with anything we’re talking about HA.

NOW. Did I get in just because of that GPA? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I believe my resume spoke louder than numbers and got me that interview. I’ve been a resume junkie for yearsssss and have perfected my resume to be well-rounded and unique. I’ve gotten every job I’ve applied for, and I attribute that to having a kickass resume and great interview skills. Click on those links if you’re interested in learning more about that.

Back to GPA. There’s this really cool GPA calculator to calculate what grades you need to get in additional classes to raise your current GPA.

A future post is coming in regards to what I did specifically to make my resume speak louder than GPA in regards to CRNA school.

GRE

I’m gonna keep this part short and simple because my CRNA school did not require taking the GRE. Typically, it is recommended you get a score of 300 or better. If you’re curious, scroll down and I’ve listed CRNA schools by state. I’ve linked each of their CRNA program pages so you can check specifically what those schools require. You’re welcome.

Prereqs

This is going to vary entirely by school, so scroll down and find the link to your program of interest for their specific requirements in this regard. In super, super, superrrrr general terms most will require chemistry, anatomy/physiology, statistics.

Shadowing a CRNA

Some programs require this, some don’t. Will it boost your resume? Absolutely.

Letters of Rec or Personal Statement

Search for specific program requirements below.

 

Two Types of CRNA Programs (as of now)

Masters or Doctorate Level.

A Masters Program is typically around 27-30 months, a little over two years. HOWEVER, there will be an upcoming transition requiring all CRNA schools to be Doctorate level to maintain accreditation. Doctorate nurse anesthesia programs take around 36 months or 3 years to complete.

Need more info? I recommend joining this awesome CRNA Prep Academy where you have TONS of amazing access on how to prepare yourself when its time to apply. You can also book me for a personal resume review. Check it out!

CRNA Schools By State

There are currently no CRNA schools in the following states:

Alaska
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Vermont
Wyoming(dated August, 2020)

Alabama (2)

Samford University
Birmingham, AL
MSN

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
DNP

Arizona (2)

Midwestern University
Glendale, AZ
MSN & DNP

University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
DNP

Arkansas (1)

Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR
DNP

California (5)

Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
DNP

National University
Fresno, CA
DNP

Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, CA
MSN

University of Southern California (USC)
Los Angeles, CA
DNP

Connecticut (4)

Central Connecticut State University
Hartford, CT
DNP

Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT
DNP

Yale University – New Haven Hospital
New Haven, CT
DNP

Florida (9)

Adventist University of Health Sciences
Orlando, FL
DNP

Barry University
Hollywood, FL
DNP

Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL
DNP

Florida International University
Miami, FL
DNP

Florida State University
Panama City, FL
MSN

 

Georgia (2)

 

Illinois (5)

Millikin University
Decatur, IL
DNP

Northshore University
Evanston, IL
DNP

Rosalind Franklin University
North Chicago, IL
DNAP

Rush University
Chicago, IL
DNP

Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville, IL
DNP

Indiana (2)

Marian University
Indianapolis, IN
DNP

University of Saint Francis
Fort Wayne, IN
DNP

Iowa (1)

Iowa University
Iowa City IA
DNP

Kansas (2)

University of Kansas
Kansas City, KS
DNP

Kentucky (2)

Murray State University
Madisonville, KY
DNP

Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
DNP

Louisiana (2)

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Baton Rouge, LA
DNP

Louisiana State University
New Orleans, LA
DNP

Maine (1)

Maryland (2)

Uniformed Services University
Bethesda, MD
DNP

University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD
DNP

Massachusetts (2)

Michigan (5)

Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
MSN

Oakland University Beaumont
Royal Oak, MI
DNP

The University of Michigan Flint
Flint, MI
DNP

University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, MI
MSN

Wayne State University
Detroit, MI
MSN

Minnesota (4)

Mayo School of Health Sciences
Rochester, MN
DNP

Missouri (4)

North Carolina (7)

East Carolina University
Greenville, NC
MSN

Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia
Raleigh, NC
DNP

Greensboro, NC

Winston-Salem, NC
MSN

North Dakota (1)

University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND
DNP

Ohio (7)

Cleveland Clinic School of Anesthesia – Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
MSN

Frances Payne Bolton
Cleveland, Ohio
MSN

Lourdes University
Sylvania, OH
MSN

Oregon (1)

Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, OR
MSN or DNP

Pennsylvania (12)

Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
MSN

Excella Health – Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, PA
DNP

La Salle University – Einstein Medical Center
Norristown, PA
DNP

La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA
MSN

Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA
DNP

University of Scranton
Scranton, PA
MSN

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
DNP

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
DNP

Villanova University – Crozer Chester Medical Center
Springfield, PA
DNP

Rhode Island (1)

St. Joseph Hospital School of Anesthesia for Nurses
North Providence, RI
MSN

South Carolina (2)

Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
DNP

University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
MSN

South Dakota (1)

Mount Marty College
Sioux Falls, SD
DNP

Tennessee (6)

Lincoln Memorial University
Harrogate, TN
MSN

Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia
Madison, TN
DNP

University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
MSN

University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Erlanger Health
Chattanooga, TN
MSN

University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, TN
DNP

Union University
Jackson, TN
DNP

Texas (5)

Baylor College
Houston, TX
DNP

Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
DNP

Texas Wesleyan University
Forth Worth, TX
MSN & DNP

University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center
Houston, TX
DNP

US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing – Northeastern University
San Antonio, TX
DNP

Utah (1)

Westminster College
Salt Lake City, UT
MSN

Virginia (2)

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
DNP

Washington (1)

Wisconsin (3)

 

Questions or comments? Drop em below. I wish you luck on your CRNA journey!