Erik Tepan

November 2023

How I got into CRNA school

Hey friends,

Welcome to todays newsletter! Today I'll be discussing my application process on getting accepted into CRNA school, let's dive in!

The Beginning Process

Following the completion of my ADN, I decided to embark on the CRNA journey. In 2018, I secured my initial position in a step-down CVICU, which offered a bridge program enabling a transition to the CVICU after one year. However, due to commuting and the demands of clinical work for my bachelor's degree, I had to leave the position and remain local. Fortunately, things fell into place, and I secured my first Medical ICU job in March of 2019.

I began my ICU career at a trauma level 3 hospital and after obtaining my bachelor's degree, I transitioned to a trauma level 1 hospital. This move allowed me to accumulate significant experiences, form more valuable friendships, and enjoy the learning process.

Events unfolded, and I ended up transitioning into the role of an ICU travel nurse for 3 years. I was fortunate to experience fulfilling assignments in five different states, obtained my CCRN certification, and felt prepared to initiate the application process for CRNA school.

Setback

I submitted applications to 2 of my top schools. At this time, I had about 4 years of ICU experience, my certifications, a GPA of 3.45 and was highly confident in my qualifications. I was enthused when I found out that I got interviews in those two schools.

I ended up getting rejected by the two schools I interviewed for. I was in shock, I was highly confident I would get in. I started to think what could I do to improve myself? Should I wait until next year to apply again? Should I retake classes? Should I look into different schools? I thoroughly looked my top 2 schools, studied my ICU medications, spent considerable about of time studying for these interviews but still fell short.

So many questions in my mind but I knew my situation would stay the same if I didn't take action.

The Rebuilding Stage

I began thinking of ways to improve and it all began at my workplace. I took initiative to take on the roles of charge nurse, becoming an advocate not only for my patients but also for my unit. Additionally, I also was mentoring both student nurses and new graduates. I gained CRNA shadowing experiences which still is very useful today. I attended the AANA conference in Austin, TX to gain insights and explore services that the anesthesia community provides.

However I still felt that something was missing. The setbacks did decrease my confidence but I was determined to improve on every single aspect of the CRNA application process. I began to ask myself "I managed to secure interviews but why wasn't I selected?". One day it hit me. I needed to practice my interview skills. Once in that interview seat, its fair game to anyone. The interview is what sets you different.

At first I was practicing interviewing myself. It wasn't helping and luckily I found a free mock interview session coming up hosted by Diversity CRNA. All this time I thought I was decent at interviews but it turned out I had lots to work on.
Things we discussed:

How to improve your communication
Duration in responses (90 seconds)
Discussing shadowing experiences
Being very detailed in responses

Accepted

The mock sessions proved extremely beneficial as I managed to secure an interview at Laroche University in Pittsburgh, PA a month after participating in them. It was go time. I can tell I was a much different candidate than I was before. While I already possessed the certifications, GPA, and ICU experience, this time I was engaged in the anesthesia aspect of things. I had more details to provide on why I wanted to become a CRNA. The interview went well and I got accepted. I learned far more in my failures than in my successes. Failure showed me that my strong will was much more powerful than I had suspected and now a new journey begins.