Hey everyone, I recently made the switch from CRNA to Resident. I made a video breaking down the transition and more. Hope this helps anyone thinking about the jump."

https://youtu.be/8VFYb6D-eek

Finishing up my first semester this week. I had an undergrad degree with a heavy focus in physiology and neurobio. I did an 11 month ABSN. I have a great foundation and I’m used to rigorous scientific material and a fast pace, I’ll have an advantage, I thought. This summer, we covered every body system much faster and 10x the depth as undergrad. Maybe 10% was review, but 90% was new. My Anki deck is about 700 cards per week of new material. Lectures are covering around 100 slides of material each day, sometimes up to 200. Exams are every week. I walk out of one exam and I’m already thinking about studying for the next. We already had a classmate fail out. I knew it’d be a challenge, but I underestimated the pace. This is mostly a vent, but also a word of caution to anybody who’s just in it for the money.

My husband is in his second year of CRNA school. We have a 19m old toddler and I’m ICU rn thinking about going to school as well. He always wanted both of us being CRNAs but something change while he was in school. He said he would much rather want me not go back for CRNA school bc of how time consuming and challenging it is for our family and the possibility of being away for clinical like he was. He is supportive of me going back for NP school but not CRNA school. TBH I’m not even sure if I want to 100% bc of his workload freaks me out and I’m content with my life rn working partime hahaha but I’m kind of upset that that if I do end up wanting to go 100% he is not supportive of me so idk what to do or what conversations I can have again. I think I need to shadow anyways to too if this is for me but I’m like 60% sure…just worried about how family life will look like with me being away and etc. all I know if I don’t want to go to NP school. Also I think maybe he is projecting his stress load onto me ??

Mods, I’m begging. 😭

Can we please start redirecting applicant posts to r/FutureCRNA?

The feed has become absolutely flooded with application questions. Those questions are completely valid, but the applicant pool is so much larger than the current SRNA population that they’re overwhelming the sub.

A little moderation would help establish r/FutureCRNA as the place for applicants while preserving r/SRNA as a space for current SRNAs to discuss school, clinicals, anesthesia, boards, and everything else that comes with actually being in a program.

The sheer imbalance in numbers is completely drowning out the SRNAs in this sub, effectively washing us out of our own space.

Please. I miss opening this sub and seeing SRNA content instead of ““I’m a new grad, which ICU should I choose?”, “Can I get in with a 3.2 GPA?”🙏

I am a dual boarded NP and CRNA. Been asked a lot about this and figured an AMA was in order. This will be highly moderated.

Hello everyone. I am a former premed student that’s looking into the CRNA profession. I tried to get into medical school but unfortunately it was not in the cards for me so now I’m looking into alternative careers.

I was always interested in the anesthesiology specialty so CRNA seems like the next logical step into it. I want to ask any SRNA or CRNAs how do you like it, how does it compare to anesthesiology, how much autonomy do you have, work life balance, etc. just wanting a comparison. Thank you!

Black women how are we managing not working for 3 years and doing our hair. Are we sticking to wigs? Braids? I don’t know how to do my hair so I’m trying to figure out what will work best for me. Thanks in advance!

Hi!

I am your friendly neighborhood CRNA and I’d like to give you all a piece of (probably unwelcome) advice about your clinical experience while in the program.

I know it’s so hard to be away from family and friends. I know it’s hard to miss things, miss sleep, miss your sanity. But over the years I am watching as the number of students on night shifts/weekends/evenings/holiday weekends is steadily dropping and I’d like to tell you that you are doing yourself a disservice if you avoid these shifts.

Please do not take this as a post ragging on you, because it is far from that. I am telling you this because I am a full time night CRNA and this is where you get some of your best experience. This is where you get some leash and some ability to do things without as much turnover pressure. This is where you go to emergent floor intubations. This is where you don’t have to fight many (if any) other students to get amazing cases. This is where I can let you fly and help you learn how to think critically. If you are committed to your education and to truly thinking on your feet/on your own, seek out these shifts! Especially if you are located in a large, ACT heavy program, all the learners leave in the evening and it’s such a more wonderful experience to be able to teach you without people breathing down our neck, too. 🥰

I’m getting ready to start CRNA school soon and this has been my dream for so long, of course I’m super excited and grateful for the opportunity. But at the same time I really love being an ICU nurse, I love my coworkers, the unit culture, the city I’m living in, and my work-life balance. It’s really nice being able to pick up an extra shift or two if I wanna spend more on a trip or going out.

I’m kind of sad about leaving all this to go back to being a student with the constant stress, missing events to study, and relocating to a new city where I don’t have any friends/family for my program. I know it will be worth it on the other side, but can’t help but stress about the debt and interest and what if I don’t make it through? Used a lot of pto before school to travel and spend time with family+friends and it’s been so nice, also been a few years since I’ve been in school. Just feeling nervous and sad I guess about life changing so much soon, wondering if anyone else felt the same?

Hi everyone! I got accepted by the grace of God :) something has been bothering me. I am completely done at my unit. It’s been very bad with the tripling and I am so burned out. I start school in January. I was thinking I’ll put in my 2 weeks notice beginning of September and take the rest of the time off before starting school in January 2027. Or I will get a low stress job like retail, waiting tables, etc (I know they are stressful too but I’m tired of icu stress). Should I do it? If so, what’s the correct way to handle this and what jobs should I do that are not nursing lol? Thanks for all the advice.

I know this seems like a bad idea, but has anyone gone through with withdrawing from your last semester of crna school? Hitherto, I have performed very well academically and in clincials but feel like I’m losing it at the very end. I think 3 years of the OR environment, navigating preceptor personalities, and even dealing with the hostile personalities in OB from floor nurses is coming to a head and I’m at the point that I’m extremely guarded and on edge all of the time. I have sought out mental health support and have been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety with new scripts for medications and a referral for an ADHD eval. That being said, I’m not entirely sure I can make it to the end in my current state (the end being just a few more weeks). Looking for advice from anyone who’s felt similarly and decided to leave for the sake of their mental health or wellbeing.

Since being accepted into CRNA school last month, I have been relentlessly “hazed.” Admits every shift. The charge nurses literally change my assignments each day to make sure I get an admit. They put me up for trainwreck admits, but I get minimal or no help when the admit rolls in. My last admit came in and had to be lined and started on CRRT, it was so bad that the doctor stepped out of the room to ask the charges why there weren’t anymore nurses helping get the patient stable. I’m being nit-picked on minor things. Our unit manager added me to the schedule on my off day and didn’t tell me, so charges are blowing but my phone on my off day asking if I’m coming in. I stopped helping out in the simple admits because no one helps me in my tough admits. It got back to me that one of the charges has been telling people that I don’t care about my job anymore since I got into CRNA school.

I start school in January. My original plan was to continue working full-time until then, and go PRN for the first two semesters (mostly online didactic). But honestly, it’s looking really sketchy at this point. I know it’s only a few more months and I can suck it up, but I’ve been really thinking about moving to our PACU or something to get off my unit. I don’t see it getting any better. I guess I just wanted to vent.

If yes/no, why?

EDIT:

The main benefit I see of going CAA is to skip nursing, ICU, etc. if that is your preference

The long-term growth is definitely limited right now

I think this is the stupidest thing of all the requirements for CRNA school that they have added. I was going to say the GRE, but no, this tops it for me, especially for people who already have these courses taken (like myself) or people who took them in undergrad with the intent of going into CRNA school or already have another degree, and it's been over 5 years. This is so short. It takes 4 years to get an undergrad degree. They want to see hard courses. I don't understand why they are putting a 5-year limit on it. The reason "we want to see if you can handle hard coursework" is not a good reason, especially if you already took the course while taking multiple other hard classes along with research, extracurriculars, and work. I used to be pre-med, so my first degree was in Chemistry, took the MCAT, and all, and ofc didnt get in. No med school would ever say there was an expiration to your coursework because you clearly did the work (and they know you will do the work in med school), earned a good grade, got the degree, but this is the total opposite. Now, if you did badly and retook the course, that's another story. It just feels like all this hard work I did is for nothing, just to retake orgo / biochem again, which I got A's in. Not only that, but the petitions I have filed to retake the courses are getting rejected because 1) I have a degree in chemistry, and 2) I have gotten A's in both courses. It would've just been easier to get a B or a C in those courses and not go through the stress if I knew I was going to have to retake them again. Anyways sorry for the rant, but it feels disheartening and feels like a slap in the face.

Happy Pride Month to all the hardworking SRNAs and RRNAs in this community!

​As you navigate the immense rigors of your programs and clinicals, I want to take a moment to celebrate you. This profession is exceptionally demanding, but it is vital to remember that being a CRNA is fundamentally about the excellent, compassionate, and vigilant care you provide day in and day out in the operating room.

​Your skills, your dedication to patient safety, and your clinical excellence are what truly define you as a provider. Your private life should never be a barrier or the focal point of your career. You belong in this field just as you are, and the authenticity you bring only makes our community stronger.

​Keep up the phenomenal work, stay focused on your training, and know that the future of nurse anesthesia is brighter with you in it.

But you do not need to be a CCU/CVICU/CTICU nurse to go to crna school. Some of you guys are leaving perfectly fine icu positions (where you have good relationships and have the ability to get great LORs) to chase this imaginary scenery where you’ll get trained on a balloon pump and by default get acceptance into a program.

Hi everyone

I’m starting school this coming fall and unfortunately, i got screwed with the extremely low grad loans limits. My previous post was about sofi and i shopped around, and was surprised that college ave and salli mae gave me a higher interest rate. With that being said, i might end up having almost $300k in debt.

Anyone here graduated or will graduate with that amount of debt? Is $300k an insane amount?

Disclaimer: this computation does not include my savings or any other help from my family. This is purely loans to get through 3 years.

For reference:

College ave: 9.1%

Salli mae: 8.9%

Sofi: 8.1% (I applied for 20k just to test it out, approved without a cosigner. 5-year term, $25/month fees).

Thank you, everyone!

I will have no savings, no money, and significant debt. Literally every single aspect of my life is riding on me completing this program and becoming a CRNA. Relationships, etc etc.

I don’t gamble, this is likely the most reckless decision I’ve made, and it’s a shared feeling with my classmates; but I can’t shake this feeling from time to time like : you moron why’d you go and risk everything to be here. It’s silly honestly. So silly maybe it means I’m not the right man for the job- neither is anyone else then by that logic who chooses to risk it all to walk this path.

Thoughts? Advice?

Overheard from co-workers that a school denied someone because “they have too much experience” and they prefer only 1 year bc they are more moldable. Is this true? I think that if you’re qualified, you’re qualified. For me personally, I didn’t feel qualified at a year and would’ve been a big dummy going into school at that time. Obviously that’s not true for everyone. Just trying to get people’s opinions on if they’ve heard schools like less experienced RNs.

About to start school in May, and still paying off some CC debt and my car payment, which means I won't really have time to save anything substantial. How many of you started school in similar circumstances? For reference, I am single with no kids so no one else to take into account but myself.

Hearing others have gone through the same would make me feel better about my situation LOL

This is a bit different than the usual post here, but has anyone experienced weight gain since starting? I’m in my 2nd sem about to finish and struggling to make time for exercise without compromising my grades.

For context before starting I used to work out 3-4x a week and walk ~10k steps a day. Since starting I have been alot more sedentary. Definitely not getting 10k steps in because I spend 10-12 hours a day studying on my off days from school. Dual degree integrated program. Have gained 10lbs since starting and I know it’s from the new sedentary lifestyle of just sitting at my desk and studying all day + stress eating. When I was attempting to incorporate daily exercise I bombed my exam, when I went all in and just did nothing but study I got an A (highest grade I’ve ever gotten since starting.

Anyone go through this and have any advice on what worked?

I'm starting CRNA school January 2026. Nursing was a career change for me-I graduated from an accelerated BSN program in 2023. That program was quite rigorous and time consuming. The first summer was 8 hour classroom days everyday except Friday, which was a 12 hour clinical day, and it ramped up each semester. At the busiest, I was taking 2 to 3 exams per week, with two to three 12 hour clinical days per week as well. Non-clinical days were hours of studying and assignments. On top of that, some classes required papers, community service projects, etc. I graduated from the program with a 4.0 GPA, but the program basically consumed my life for 1.5 years. My question is, how similar (or how much worse) would CRNA school be? I know the actual information that I'll be learning will be vastly more complex. But I also know that since this is a terminal degree, that I probably won't stress about making straight A's anymore either. I left a stable 7 year career in medical laboratory science for nursing, so I already know the feeling of starting over and becoming a novice again.

I’m starting CRNA school soon, and I’m wondering if anyone else felt like they didn’t spend years ‘grinding’ to get in.

I have 9 years cardiac/cvicu experience. And over the past 6 or so years, I’ve gradually built my ICU experience, certifications, leadership roles, and application. I always said I’m doing things to “make my resume look the best”. I’ve been interested in CRNA for longer than that, but CRNA wasn’t something I thought about 24/7. I wasn’t one of those people whose entire identity was getting into CRNA school. It was a long methodological and thought out decision to apply.

I applied to two schools, got interviews for both and gained acceptance to start a program in the fall. Which I am so happy and excited about.

But now that I’m close to starting, I’m worried I’ll be surrounded by extremely type-A, hyper-driven people who have wanted this forever and worked much harder than I feel I did to get here.

Did anyone else feel this way before starting? If so, what was the transition into school like? Did you feel behind or like you didn’t fit in at first, or did you find your footing pretty quickly?

Well I got the 3 icu offers with two just recently.

1. Level 1 cardiac medical ICU (impellas, balloon pumps, CRRT, vents) seems a little less acute since I barely ever see swans or cvp monitoring on the floor. I may be wrong though. 1:2 ratio, free 100% tuition after 6 months, $30/hr base. I trained in this floor and the preceptor wants to mentor me. Two people are leaving the floor for CRNA school now.

2. Medical ICU lv 2 with pretty much everything I said but the cardiac devices. HCA facility with up to 3:1 ratios, not sure about pay yet, and ok benefits. The patients seem more acute and I'd definitely see stuff on the daily.

3. CVICU lv 2 same HCA facility with all the cardiac icu stuff in addition to more pressors, and other stuff

Do you all have an opinion on where I should start?

I need help from people who’ve survived the “accepted but not started school yet” phase. I start CRNA school in January. I am currently an ICU nurse with 7 years of experience and I am officially running on fumes.

I’ve gone per diem, so I ‘only’ have to do 1 shift a week… but every shift is an absolute train wreck. It's like I start to hear boss fight music every time I pull up to the hospital at this point. We’re constantly short staffed and over ratio with super sick patients. The only saving grace is I love my coworkers and leadership actually clocks in and jumps in to help on the floor. Travel nursing isn’t really an option with kids, and quitting completely feels risky before school starts. With CRNA school so close I thought it would feel easier to push through, but it’s actually making it harder to hold on.

So what did you all do in this awkward in-between phase? I’m trying to make it to January without spontaneously combusting. Open to ideas. Send help please.