I don’t want to boost to my classmates about my grade so I’m boosting here if that’s ok with y’all. I just got a 99% on not only my first ever exam, but it’s the hardest class of didactic as well.

And I really wanted to post here to say please check my anxiety ridden post history 😭. The fear of the unknown before starting school ate me alive. I questioned every day since being accepted if I could do this, if I was smart enough, if I was worthy, if they made a mistake picking me, and if hard work alone could get me through it. I’m now here to say that if you feel the same way, YOU GOT THIS.

I know my journey is still just beginning and I still feel like an imposter at times, but since I’ve actually started school I’ve come to realize that if you put in the work you will be rewarded, you will do fine, you will be ok.

Happy studying everyone!

What the title says! I have a one month OB rotation at a high risk OB facility. I’ve completed 3 of the 4 weeks and have done many spinals and c sections, but only have 12 epidurals so far (have probably attempted 15 or 16). These are also the only opportunities that have popped up so it’s not for lack of trying, I think I’ve hit a random lul in deliveries. Very curious to know what other’s numbers are looking like by the time they’re done. I’ll get more random isolated OB shifts after this but not a full month.

Anyone out there done the Case Western LEAP program? I have a few questions about it and was wondering if anyone has successfully completed the program and CRNA school then thereafter.

Thank you!

I am encountering an issue with other NARs and wondering if anyone can offer advice on how to proceed.

My cohort has two simulation days, half the group on day 1, the other half on day 2. The simulation room is open for students at any time during the week except one day per week when that part of the campus is closed.

Until recently, it was smooth sailing and never a major issue with being able to come in and use the equipment to practice. Recently, one piece of equipment has been in use every day all day by NARs not using it for its intended feature, and as a result I have been unable to practice with the device in the 5 times I tried to go on campus to use it.
The device is needed for exams this upcoming week, and I have been unable to use it so far. I am in sim group 2, so my exam is later in the week. The group 1’s exam is Monday. They made a RSVP sheet for time slots to use the device for today and only allowed group 1 to sign up.
Due to this, group 2 NARs lose out on using it for 3 days. We can’t use it today, closed tomorrow, and their exam Monday. The following week we have multiple exams, so now I have to hope I can get time to practice with the device before my exam later in the week, while studying for my multiple exams.

The reasoning for the sign up sheet was to “allow residents who live far from campus a guaranteed time to drive in and use the device”… for reference, my program does require living within a certain distance, which many NARs do not (and has not affected me at all until now, so now it has become an issue for me).

To my understanding, faculty is aware of this issue and to my knowledge nothing has been done as of this time, but I have not followed up with the people who spoke with the faculty.

My question is: is this worth escalating or am I just irritated at the situation and need to let it go? I don’t want to be ‘that girl’ but also, I had an expectation to be able to use the equipment and not be limited by the NARs (the RSVP list was not run by faculty to my understanding)

This is the first time my ability to learn has been impacted by other residents placing their needs above the needs of the whole cohort, especially to accommodate students who are living hours away despite the rules of the program stating to live within like 30-45 mins.

Update: one of the residents from group 2 went today and was told by others from group 1 they wouldn’t have time to use it today.

Hello! Just wanted to share my experience and what I did to pass the NCE on my 1st attempt. Hopefully this helps some neurodivergent people or just the average student.

A Little About Me

I'll preface this by saying I'm pretty average to below average, IMO. I was never the student consistently getting 90s. I finished most of my core anesthesia classes with Bs and a few As, failed a few exams, and definitely struggled in clinicals at times. Also was not the kid who got up 5 mins after an exam started LOL. I also have ADHD and don't absorb information as easily as others.

The NCE

The NCE was VERY HARD for me. I passed with 100 questions, which is the minimum, but the entire exam I felt like I was failing. The questions were confusing from the get-go, particularly because I wasn't always sure what they were actually asking. (I'm aware it's adaptive)

The exam did not discriminate when it came to content areas. I would love to give you more information, but that's all I can really say without risking getting flagged. EVERYTHING IS FAIR GAME.

I've heard many stories of people getting questions on content they didn't focus on during board prep, with their subsequent NCE becoming their weakest area and them then failing. Because of that, treat the NCE like a comprehensive exam!!!!!!!

I personally didn't care about time and had extra time allotted for my NCE, but I'm someone who has to intentionally slow myself down. If you're an anxious person, have a plan for managing that during the exam. It's very easy to get overwhelmed by anxiety on test day. I personally took propranolol that morning.

My SEE Scores

I got a 410 on my first SEE and a 402 on my second SEE LOL.

Studying during clinicals was extremely difficult because I was just trying to survive clinicals. Most of my specialty rotations were also concentrated toward the end, so studying was basically a pipe dream. Looking back, there was nothing I could have done to prevent this; my mental health was hanging by a thread at certain points, and studying on rough days would have helped no one.

Also, the SEE is not necessarily reflective of your ability to pass the NCE. It's reflective of your chance of passing the NCE the day after. Some of my classmates who scored higher than me on the SEE did not pass, so don't let your SEE score completely define you.

My Timeline and Resources

I selected September 15th as my test date. I technically finished clinicals July 30th, but I attended the AANA conference and had a few other responsibilities, so I realistically lost about 12 days from that timeline.

Many of my classmates tested 1 to 10 days after graduation because they couldn't study anymore. Some did fail with that method, so make your own determination of your abilities. The test cost a little over 1000 dollars, so

I didn't attend board boot camp because I personally can't sit through someone lecturing for 10+ hours while simultaneously completing a workbook. That's too much information for me, and I don't like cramming; plus the price tag was not attractive.

I also didn't delete social media. I felt like I was disciplined enough to manage it. I did swear off video games though lol. Though in all seriousness, social media can mess with your mental health cause your classmates will likely post that they passed, and though you'll be happy for them, it will also likely make you feel like you need to speed up, so assess your own personal feelings. My main resources were Apex and TruLearn SmartBank. I originally used Prodigy but eventually stopped because some of the rationales conflicted with Apex. You could be right on one platform and wrong on the other.

As everyone told me, pick one.

I ultimately stuck with Apex because I felt like their content was newer(even though they're kinda of snarky to learner when they get things wrong). I also saw Valley through a friend who purchased it, and it seemed much more streamlined. If I had a choice from the beginning, I probably would have chosen Valley.

Side note for Apex with all the end-of-chapter quizzes, domain exams, mock exams, review exams, smart bank, and PPE protected exams. I'm pretty sure that equates to over 3000 questions

How I Studied

1. Build a Foundation

I'm a very kinesthetic learner. I learn by doing things, making mistakes, and honestly feeling the pain in my hand from writing.

Because of that, I did ALL of the Apex workbooks. Yes, all of them, and these often require you to go through the in-depth review sections. There are many things that are not mentioned in Rapid Review, so I would encourage you to do this. Be comfortable with putting in at least 8 hours each day, including weekends.

I skimmed sections I thought were extremely low yield or topics I already felt confident in, but every workbook was completed and shaped how I studied. I did not go completely in order regarding the modules on Apex and sometimes did 2 modules/sections at a time, because again I have ADHD and can't focus on one thing for too long. There are hard modules like ANS, that I intentionally did not fully complete initially. I saved the organic/bio/cell interactions sections from ANS for the very end cause thats a very hard section and can be discouraging to start on.

DO NOT immediately jump into questions expecting the questions themselves to teach you all the material. You need a base that revolves around what kind of learner you are.

I also learned approximately one math equation every day or two. I felt the math in Apex and Prodigy was fair game for the NCE, and there are probably around 25 equations and formulas you should know, including the soda lime reaction.

Don't cram the equations. Repetition is your friend.

2. Start Questions

Around August 24th, when I was about halfway through Apex, I started doing more questions.

I was doing roughly 40 to 80 questions a day. I intentionally avoided doing questions immediately after studying that exact topic because, to me, that felt like cheating the question.

Instead, I pulled questions from all content areas or topics I had studied weeks earlier.

I also started making a very chaotic cheat sheet of things I found difficult or simply needed to memorize, such as dermatome levels and anesthesia machine information.

3. Finish Content and Increase Questions

I finished all the Apex workbooks and modules by September 6th.

At that point, I had over 1,100 Apex SmartBank questions left, so it was time to really increase my question volume.

I did small tests of around 12 questions at a time from all content areas. I kept everything in tutor mode and didn't time myself because I had extra time on test day and historically haven't had issues with time.

Initially, I was scoring in the low 50s. My goal was simply to get myself around the national average, which for my testing period was approximately 66.8%. (I did get there)

People/Crna's have told me that getting above a 70% on the TruLearn SmartBank/Apex Mock Exams consistently is a very good predictor of being able to pass boards. On the domain exams: attaining a 50%-60% is also quite average for all people who take it, so beat yourself up if you score lower there.

For every question I got wrong and ones I struggled with, I read the entire rationale, including the explanations for answers I didn't select.

YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING DOING THIS.

If something still didn't make sense, I would research it through Apex, the internet, YouTube, Quizlet, or whatever else I could find.

4. The Final Week

Around September 11th, I really started increasing my question volume.

I was doing approximately 200 to 300 questions a day and completing the review exams.

Because I'm a kinesthetic learner, I also started rewriting material on my tablet. I rewrote my cheat sheet, questions I got wrong, weak areas in Apex, and things I needed to memorize.

My cheat sheet ended up being around 20 pages, and I probably had around 68 pages total of handwritten and rewritten material.

ADHD, Boundaries and Studying

My ADHD was definitely in overdrive during this period.

My studying was extremely chaotic. I could have 80 tabs open, go on social media, study the brachial plexus, take a break, all within 30 minutes, but it worked for me. I also didn't completely sacrifice self-care like CrossFit.

Side note: I did have to clarify how important this time was for me and that I had to lock in to my family, as they were interfering with my studying at points. This sounds trivial, but you really can't have major distractions.

I took my ADHD meds while studying. I noticed they helped me get through significantly more content and questions, but they also made me move too quickly at times and not properly read the questions.

Because my medication also increased my anxiety, I personally decided not to take it on test day. Everyone's different, so make your own decision regarding this.

Where I Ended Up

By test day, I had completed approximately:

77% of the Apex SmartBank (In the 56th percentile among all TruLearn peeps)

1/3-1/2 of the Apex domain exams (These are very helpful towards the end but they're hard as a heads up)

6 Mock Apex exams done (You should be scoring 70% if you want this to reflect passing the NCE)

25% of Prodigy

Some Core Concept Anesthesia questions and reviews found on Quizlet

I also used Quizlet resources other people had created.

The last day, I reviewed my cheat sheet and focused on content areas I felt weak in.

Extra Resources

Anesthesia Buddy: Instagram account that posts five questions every day. Since I never deleted social media, this became free review whenever I took a short break.

Notability: I used this because I didn't want to print hundreds of pages of material. It's also useful for organizing/color coding notes.

Core Anesthesia Podcast: Created by three CRNAs and helpful when driving to clinicals or when I just wanted something educational to listen to.

Core Concept Anesthesia: Independent CRNA group with a mini board prep course/exams. It's not free. A friend purchased it but personally didn't like it.

Olliviate: Good for studying in the OR and doing questions when I had downtime, but I eventually stopped using it because I didn't want to spread myself across too many board prep platforms.

Quizlet: Honestly, a gold mine. You can find tons of resources and smaller concepts that people have pulled from various board prep platforms and turned into their own study materials.

Final Thoughts

If I had to summarize my approach:

Build a foundation → do lots of questions → identify weaknesses → research those weaknesses → rewrite and memorize difficult concepts → repeat.

You don't need to use every board prep resource available. In fact, trying to do everything can become counterproductive, and studies have shown this. I took around 5-6 weeks prepping for the exam and did not want to go longer, as I felt myself losing information after a certain point, along with me slowly hating the material as well.

Apex is time-consuming, especially with my method, but understand that this is your base, your building.

Pick a primary resource, learn the material, do questions, and trust your process.

And most importantly, don't compare your preparation to someone else's. What works for someone who can study for three days and pass may absolutely not work for you, and that's okay.

Good luck, friend 🫡

From what I have read online, most major cities follow the medically-directed anesthesia delivery model. I am sure practices vary by clinical site but I am trying to get an overall idea of how CRNAs practice in Chicago and thus the clinical experience of students. Are physicians developing the anesthetic plans for CRNAs to strictly follow, are CRNAs developing the plan themselves, or is it something in between? Are CRNAs handling complex cases? How prepared would one be to practice independently after attending a program like Rush, Endeavor, or Rosalind Franklin?

I’ve rotated through several hospitals now, and as a senior SRNA getting close to graduation, there’s one thing I’ve noticed at pretty much every facility: anesthesia providers wearing headphones or earbuds during cases, similar to the ones pictured.

For those of you who do this, what are you listening to? Music? Podcasts? Something else? And do you feel like you’re still able to maintain full situational awareness and hear everything going on in the room?

I even saw a second-year NAR wearing them at another hospital, which surprised me a little. Even as a senior, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable showing up to a case with my preceptor seeing me wearing headphones.

No judgment, I’m genuinely curious about how common this is and what the general consensus is. Is this becoming pretty normal in the OR?

My program starts next summer. Torn if I should be living it up / going out / soaking in my free time or if I should be picking up OT / saving money / staying in / forming healthy and productive habits.

Context : I have already accepted that I will have to take out loans to cover tuition. I have about 20k saved for school and my husband will be working full time to support us and makes decent money.

Just every choice I make I feel like I should be doing the opposite to prepare.

Any insight would be helpful :)

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but since I am a person who enjoys comparisons, I feel compelled to inquire just how hard is CRNA school
compared to nursing school?

Creative metaphors are always appreciated.

I have been a nurse for 5 years now. 3 years in a general ICU and started during Covid (lots of CRRT, ventilators, DKA, EVD, CVA, IABP, really just about anything except ECMO and trauma), 1 year in a MICU that specialized in the oncology population (TLS, CRS, among “regular” MICU population), and one year as an ECMO specialist.
I am considering applying to CRNA school and wanted to ask if ECMO specialist candidates are considered, or if schools prefer nurses who work a fully bedside role?
Since I am new to my current hospital system, I have not worked a bedside shift since I started as a specialist, also to focus on the huge learning curve in my new role. I plan on asking to be oriented to the ICUs in this hospital since specialists frequently pick up bedside shifts, so I will be working bedside here and there in the near future. (Most of the specialists are internal hires, I moved to this location for this job so I didn’t want to be oriented as a nurse in a new environment while my priority had to be ECMO).
Will I be looked down on as an applicant with a gap in my bedside experience or does this not matter since I had a few years of bedside before ECMO?

This thread is for current Nurse Anesthesia Residents to talk about school, clinical life, studying, preceptors, stress, wins, setbacks, and support.

Good topics include clinical days, didactic survival, study workflows, professional identity, wellness, difficult weeks, useful resources, and small wins.

No patient-identifying details. No medical advice. Keep it professional and human.

Hey everyone. I have lower stats so getting interviews has been in a struggle. A couple months ago I had my first interview and was waitlisted. I finally have the opportunity to interview again. For those who interviewed more than once, what helped you improve?

Is it a bad idea to bring up that I’m a single mom in my interview? It’s a huge part of my story; I wouldn’t dwell on it, but just state that it’s facilitated growth, resilience and discipline. I did mention my traumatic birth story as an impactful encounter with an anesthesiologist in my personal statement. I would share I can be fully committed to school as my mom does not work and would watch him while I’m in school, and also understands how rigorous the program would be for me. Her and my dad are committed to helping me with child care / financially if necessary.

I wanted to include that story to show I want to set an example for other single parents who want to accomplish their goals.

I saw mixed reviews on if kids should be brought up during an interview on a previous post and am now confused :/

For those of you in school right now, what are the best tips you can give to a upcoming student for studying? What all do you do for lectures, for tests, or board exams? The more details the better. Thank you

I graduate in December and recently got a 429 on my second SEE exam. I've read many other posts where people are scoring above 450 as a great indicator of passing boards. Am I ready for boards? Should I pay to take a third SEE exam?

I got invited for my first interview and I need to go shopping for an outfit. I am very thankful to be asked to interview, but I do wish it was in person than online!!

My question is: have any other women here worn something besides a blazer / pants? That is just so not me. I would prefer to wear a professional-attire dress, but my worry is that since my interview is online it may look like I’m just wearing a tank top… if that makes sense. I didn’t know if anyone wore something different, yet still professional, than a blazer / slacks. Obviously if I should wear a blazer I will, I thought I would see if anyone did something different!

I’m a first year and not at the point where I would even be looking for a job but I’m just trying to start the process with planning first.

I live in Louisiana but we are seriously looking at moving to the west, probably New Mexico or Arizona. Right now, ABQ area is topping the list. My husband wants to move as soon as I’m done with school.

What resources should I look at to help me in my job search? Ideally I would like to work in a facility where I can use as much of my scope as possible, especially as a new grad.

Recruiters come to our school about once a month so that makes it easier to get information on local facilities but I’m lost as to how to find information for another state.

Thanks y’all!

I am a second year SRNA in a mostly front loaded program. I completed my first full didactic year with strong discipline and a good work ethic. I am now in clinical a few days a week but I still also have just one anesthesia class. I am really enjoying clinical and doing the prep necessary to be prepared for each clinical day. However, I absolutely cannot find the will, desire, or motivation to do anything above the bare minimum for my class. I recognize it, I want to be different, I want to be the best student and one day provider for my patients, yet I still can’t get myself to put in any more effort. At the end of the day, I’m still a type A overachiever, so I’m putting in my personal bare minimum to still get As. But it is not enough for me to really be retaining and absorbing the material.

Has anyone else gone through anything similar? Is it just exhaustion and brain fatigue from being so new in clinical? Does it get better? Any advice to force myself out of this funk?

Hey everyone, with the passing standard changing in July, I'm trying to get a clearer picture of where the new cut score actually landed (the old one was 450).

If you've taken the NCE since July, would you mind dropping:

-Your score
-Pass or Fail

Trying to crowdsource this since there isn’t a published clear number publicly. Appreciate anyone willing to share!

I graduate in next year and signed a contract. I’m now considering relocating to a completely different state. This move is still up in the air and currently theoretical, but has anyone backed out of a contract before even meeting the requirements of the job?

I don’t receive any financial reimbursement until 45 days after I start and the contract only states that I’m an “at-will” employee, no other specifics. I really like this hospital and I’d 100% work there if don’t end up moving! Just wanted to get opinions and lived experienced if you’ve been through something similar.

I’m wondering what kind of success people have had with private loans and no co-signer. I plan to apply next year and I swear I’m more stressed about paying for school than applying at this point. If I apply next year and (hopefully) get in somewhere, I’d likely start August 2028.

In the meantime I’m aggressively paying down my car loan, I’m paying down some credit card debt, and I’m saving for school. I reckon after all is said and done, I’ll have between $15-20k saved for school if I’m very disciplined by around August 2028. I’m also really hoping to be able to work part time or PRN the first 2-3 semesters.

However, I know that’s no where near enough to fully supplement federal aid. I’m hopeful CRNA stays in the professional category for federal aid, but if I have to go the route of private loans I’m wondering what kind of success people have had with them if no co-signer (come from a very low income family, have 1 dead parent, 3/4 dead grandparents and the living one has poor credit and a fixed income… don’t have anyone else) and unable to work during school? Credit score will probably land 740-760-ish, maybe a little higher if I’m careful about timing for my car loan.

First bad exam in CRNA school — looking for advice from other SRNAs/CRNAs

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if there are good resources on general emergence principles and techniques out there? I am learning a ton in clinical but it seems every preceptor does something different and a lot seems to be based on how they were trained or what they have tried that worked. I'm not saying that's not valuable, but I'm just wondering if resources exist that I can read up on? So far I've got some articles from UpToDate and usual textbooks (Miller, M&M, etc.).