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.

pink stethoscope and black marble macbook case

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!