APPLICATION PROCESS FAQ 

Please get organized! Whether you use a filing system on your computer, or by paper, make sure you keep track of the requirements and deadlines.  Using a spreadsheet can also help for this purpose. 

• Contact your past schools  to obtain your official transcripts.  Proofread your resume and give your references enough time to prepare a letter of recommendation for you. 

• Don't forget that it's OK to contact the school if you have any questions during the application process. 

Applying to 3-5 CRNA schools is the typical range.  Applying and interviewing can become very expensive.  Do your research on the schools and don’t apply to the schools that you know are not a good fit for you. 

You should try to submit your application to the chosen CRNA schools as early as possible.  Try not to wait until the deadline to submit your application. Some schools have rolling admissions where they look and decide on applicants as they are received.  Other schools wait to begin the process until the deadline. If you’re missing information, you may not have enough time to submit the required information before the deadline if you wait until the last minute. 

Check with the school’s guidelines for submission.  Converting documents like resumes to PDF format will maintain the format of the document.  

Yes! Many schools include an email address and or telephone number of a dedicated person or department that you can contact with questions. 

Check with the school you’re applying to first to see if they have specific individuals your references should come from.  Good references may be obtained from: 

• Recent Nurse Manager

• Charge Nurse 

• Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant on unit 

• Surgeon

• Professor or Dean of Nursing School 

• CRNA or Anesthesiologist (you may need to provide a recommendation from a CRNA that you have shadowed)

• Church Minister 

• Volunteer Coordinator 

Try and choose individuals that are able to speak about your unique abilities that can be applicable to your graduate education.  Get your letter of recommendation from an individual in a leadership position. Do not ask a fellow coworker unless it is required for your school.

After you submit your application, make sure you receive confirmation that the school received all of your application materials and that you are not missing anything, especially if they use an online form for references.  You should then begin to prepare for a potential interview. 

Some frequently required courses include:

• Undergraduate Statistics or Research 

• Organic Chemistry (typically lab isn’t required) 

• Pathophysiology

• Pharmacolgy

• Chemistry/Biochemistry 

• Physics 

• Physical Health Assessment 

Some courses have restrictions and need to be completed within 5 years of attending the program.  Aim to get a B or better in all of the prerequisite courses. Please contact the school admissions to see what courses, if any, that they require.

CRNA schools require applicants to be licensed as an RN in the United States.   Some schools are unable to accept international students who are on a student Visa. 

Other Requirements (varies per school) 

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 

• Full education course-by-course evaluation 

• 30 semester hours of coursework in the US or Canadian institution that uses English as its primary language. 

Contact your school of choice for their specific requirements.

Current ACLS, BLS and PALS are required.  PALS may not be required for admission, but will need to be obtained prior to beginning clinical rotations. 

An applicant must be licensed as an RN in any state at the time of application with eligibility to obtain licensure in the state of their desired program which will then be required upon admission. 

Unfortunately, it's commonplace for nurses to be unsupportive of other nurses’  aspirations of higher education. Depending on your unit culture, it may be better for you to keep it to yourself until you’re accepted. Give your manager advance notice to prevent a staffing shortage.  Leave on a good note and don’t burn any bridges! 

• If you lie during your job interview for an ICU position and commit to a specific time frame, it IS possible that you can be blacklisted and be unable to work at that facility if you don’t fulfill your commitment. 

• Ask your unit when applying to the ICU if they are supportive of nurses pursuing graduate education. 

If you are not accepted, contact the school to see where your application fell short. They may encourage you to take an additional class, obtain a certification or work on your interviewing skills.  Depending on the cost, and other schools you have applied to, it may be in your best interest to reapply if you have increased the value of your application. 

When you’re placed on the wait-list, that doesn’t mean that you won’t ever come off.  This means that you are a qualified applicant, but sometimes there aren’t enough seats to accommodate everyone! Many candidates apply to more than one school and may decide not to attend the program that you’re on the waitlist for, opening up a spot.  Ask the school if they rank their waitlist or is it random when a spot opens. 

Try to get your foot in the door as early as possible.  Look for student nurse specific positions that will be flexible with your work schedule such as Student Nurse Patient Care Technician, Internships and Externships 

If you have the opportunity to rotate through the ICU for a clinical rotation, be sure to make a good and lasting impression with the manager of the unit.  Be prepared to use the information that you learned during your rotation for your potential interview.

The next best unit to obtain nursing experience is the Step-down unit or CCU.  This may allow you to have an easier transition to the ICU. You’ll also have direct access to the ICU to communicate your desire to work there since you’ll be accepting patients from and possibly transferring to the ICU. 

Use any critical care experiences to your advantage.  Become familiar with the patient population that you’ll be taking care of. 

• Be prepared to answer situational based interview questions (Tell me about a time when…)

• Know your strengths, weaknesses and 5-10 year plan. 

• Although you are a new graduate or have no experience in the ICU, you need to sell yourself and convince the manager(s) that you’re willing and ready to learn all that the ICU has to offer.

I used the website, ICUFAQS.org to prepare myself for the ICU.  

If you have the chance, shadow the ICU and ask the nurses what are important topics that you should focus on that are specific to that unit.