u/GlitteringCut9708

Hi im an aspiring icu nurse with the dream of becoming a CRNA! My stats are not the best but I will do what it takes to get to my goal. My nursing gpa is on the low end due to financial and personal hardships during nursing school (GPA 3.25), i work at a level II trauma center ccu with 2 years of experience and currently studying for my ccrn. What are the things I should do to help with my gpa and make myself stand out to atleast secure my interview. I do plan to apply to a LOT of programs and am willing to move wherever I can get accepted!

Hello, even before starting nursing school, CRNA has always been a dream of mine. I am not the strongest applicant because of my GPA and experience. However, I knew that no matter what it takes, I will work hard to become a CRNA.

After finally being able to land a job in a Level II CVICU unit, I have decided to start prepping for CRNA school.

My current stats as of right now are:

Nursing GPA: 3.25 (I went through financial and personal hardship during nursing school that heavily impacted my academic standing)

sGPA: So far 3.5 (I plan to take Organic Chem, Bio or Gen Chem, and two more grad courses to boost mt GPA)

Certifications: waiting for my one year mark to take the CCRN. I have ACLS, BLS, PALS, and PCCN. Might also get my CMC?

Experience: Level II CVICU unit (approaching 6 months right now, I do plan to have atleast 2 years when I apply while also prepping my application for school)

Shadowing: will plan to shadow CRNAs or Anesthesiologists in my unit once the right time comes (a year in to my job)

Others: I plan to become a Preceptor, involve myself in leadership and committee works as well.

I know most of what I have are plans for now but I do take those words seriously. As of right now, my focus is to become a competent CVICU nurse and take science courses. I won’t be applying anytime soon (in 2-3 years) however during those years, I want to do as much as possible to make myself a strong applicant. I know that at the end of the day that what you look in papers gets you an interview but the interview process is what gets you a seat. That is something i will worry about the closer I get to my plan of application.

I just want some insights and advices for those who didn’t have the strongest GPA out there and are SRNA/CRNAs now!