First off, which program is more competitive for admissions. Secondly, what are the differences in pre-reqs for the two programs? Also, what are some avg. stats for admissions to a typical program of each? Any other info would also be appreciated. I'm a freshman in college trying to figure out what to do!
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CRNA v. PA
Started by MrJosh9788
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deleted6669
all crna applicants must be nurses with a bs degree.
the better comparison would be AA vs crna.
pa is a generalist degree that allows you to work in any specialty. crna/aa are specific to anesthesia.
crna/aa/pa are all fairly competitive with varying prereqs depending on the individual program being considered.
do a search here for crna as well as AA (anesthesiologist assistant) and you will get more info than you want.
for pa info see www.aapa.org for links to all programs.
www.appap.org will get you links to all optional pa residencies.
www.physicianassistant.net for a pa specific forum
the better comparison would be AA vs crna.
pa is a generalist degree that allows you to work in any specialty. crna/aa are specific to anesthesia.
crna/aa/pa are all fairly competitive with varying prereqs depending on the individual program being considered.
do a search here for crna as well as AA (anesthesiologist assistant) and you will get more info than you want.
for pa info see www.aapa.org for links to all programs.
www.appap.org will get you links to all optional pa residencies.
www.physicianassistant.net for a pa specific forum
id say shadow both.
I have a friend who is a CRNA and this is how she described her job: "I always watch the entire surgery, and would venture to say that it is the responsibility of the anesthesia provider to do so. There are sterile drapes--don't get me wrong--I'm not doing any suturing or anything like that--but I have a different role. That is to keep the patient stable, determine what treatments they need during surgery (blood transfusions, pain management, etc.) and do those things. I also do a lot of nerve blocks, epidurals, spinals, central and arterial line placements, etc."
I have shadowed multiple doctors and have seen a few PAs. Some PAs are living the life: scrubbing into all the surgeries and being first assist. Others got stuck doing paperwork and other crappy work. From the PAs I have talked to, it largely depends on the doctor you work under. Also, some areas seem to use PAs a lot more. In my area, they don't use PAs at all. Where my friend works (above) they only use them in CT surgery. It varies and I would check the job search function on hospital websites in your area to see how many they hire.
My AA program requires:
1 year biology
1 year chemistry
1 year organic chemistry
1 year anatomy
1 year physiology
1 year calculus
1 year English
1/2 a year biochem
20+ on the MCAT
All CRNA programs require you to be an RN (and usually have your BSN, which you can get in under 1 year if you have another bachelors degree) and work in critical care for 1 year.
In the end, an AA and a CRNA do the same job and make about the same money. However, CRNAs can practice in all 50 states where AAs cannot. The AA profession is growing and the CRNA profession is already there. I have spent a lot of time in the OR and I personally have only seen CRNAs knocking people out and I live right by the AA training program in Ohio.
To get your Masters in Nursing to go into being a Nurse Practitioner there are a lot of routes. The quickest is to have your BSN. They also have LPN-MSN and RN-MSN programs. The program I am looking into is for people with a bachelors degree in non-nursing. It takes 3 years and you become an RN, get your MSN and are eligible to sit for the NP licensing exam upon graduation.
I have shadowed multiple doctors and have seen a few PAs. Some PAs are living the life: scrubbing into all the surgeries and being first assist. Others got stuck doing paperwork and other crappy work. From the PAs I have talked to, it largely depends on the doctor you work under. Also, some areas seem to use PAs a lot more. In my area, they don't use PAs at all. Where my friend works (above) they only use them in CT surgery. It varies and I would check the job search function on hospital websites in your area to see how many they hire.
My AA program requires:
1 year biology
1 year chemistry
1 year organic chemistry
1 year anatomy
1 year physiology
1 year calculus
1 year English
1/2 a year biochem
20+ on the MCAT
All CRNA programs require you to be an RN (and usually have your BSN, which you can get in under 1 year if you have another bachelors degree) and work in critical care for 1 year.
In the end, an AA and a CRNA do the same job and make about the same money. However, CRNAs can practice in all 50 states where AAs cannot. The AA profession is growing and the CRNA profession is already there. I have spent a lot of time in the OR and I personally have only seen CRNAs knocking people out and I live right by the AA training program in Ohio.
To get your Masters in Nursing to go into being a Nurse Practitioner there are a lot of routes. The quickest is to have your BSN. They also have LPN-MSN and RN-MSN programs. The program I am looking into is for people with a bachelors degree in non-nursing. It takes 3 years and you become an RN, get your MSN and are eligible to sit for the NP licensing exam upon graduation.
this is difficult to say. I'd say they are about the same, but it changes from year to year. There are new CRNA prgrams opening so not sure how many seats are out there.
The best link I have found in below.
http://www.anesthesia-nursing.com/school.html
A word of advice from someone who's been through the process (and as an older career-changer, too, not a college freshman) -- don't make decisions about where you want to end up based on what the first few steps are like.
That would be like deciding to drive to Boston instead of Seattle, because the first exit happens to be for a highway heading East.
That would be like deciding to drive to Boston instead of Seattle, because the first exit happens to be for a highway heading East.
