Frequently Asked Questions For The Unsuccessful Applicant
FAIL FORWARD! You Can Do It!
I did not get an interview, accepted or waitlisted can I ask about why?
More than 150+ applicants do not get an interview, accepted or waitlisted to the National University Nurse Anesthesiology Program. As much as we may want to, you can imagine it is nearly impossible to have a one on one to discuss with individual applicants. For that reason we created this FAQ to identify the top reasons why people do not get an interview, accepted or waitlisted.
I did not get an interview, why?
We identified the top 4 reasons why applicants do not get an interview, they are:
1) Did not have the required years of critical care experience (ICU, ER, Flight) or was not competitive among the application year cohort.
2) Did not meet all the requirements for application. More information on the requirements can be found on the Applicant FAQ page
3) GPA (usually science GPA) was below a 3.0 or was not competitive in the current application year.
4) Many applicants are taking graduate level patho/phys/pharm courses and getting A's ,making them more competitive
What can I do to increase my chances of getting an interview next year?
1) Get more relevant experience before the next application period. One year of experience is rarely enough to get accepted.
2) Retake all "C" grades in science prerequisites as we replace the "C" with the new grade which will substantially increase your GPA and shows initiative.
3) If your overall GPA is low consider taking graduate-level pathophysiology, pharmacology etc. We recognize that mistakes/life events can happen when we are young which may impact our GPAs. Taking TWO graduate-level science classes concurrently shows your ability to perform graduate-level science work in volume and shows initiative.
I had an interview but did not get accepted or waitlisted, why?
We identified the top 5 reasons why applicants do not get accepted or waitlisted after an interview, they are:
1) Interviewees may have been extremely anxious or did not present as confident. The operating room is an aggressive, A-Type and 'challenging' environment and if an interviewee presents as demure, passive or shy we will have concerns about how they will do in the clinical residency portion of the program.
2) The interviewee did not appear to have any knowledge of the history of the Nurse Anesthesiology profession, the scope of practice or the politics involved in it. Guessing is not acceptable.
3) The interviewee did not appear to know much about the National University Nurse Anesthesiology program in contrast to other programs and what we do differently or offer that is different.
4) Other applicants who interviewed were stronger overall candidates. This may indicate you need to work on interview skills, GPA, science GPA, experience or consider graduate-level science classes to further stand out.
5) There was no effort to retake low grades or graduate-level science courses in spite of a low GPA. While you may be confident you are able to do it with grit, we cannot know that in a 15-minute interview. Ultimately we have to assume past performance is indicative of future performance without any attempted resolution and have to protect you from failure and the program from risk of attrition.
Consider reviewing the "Applicant FAQ Page" on how you can improve your chances of acceptance.
How can I stand out in the application process?
Here are some steps to help strengthen your application:
- Read watchful care Volume 1 & Volume 2 : The History of Nurse Anesthesia
- Take 2 concurrent graduate-level physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, or research courses
- Review the AANA website documents found here: https://www.aana.com/about-us
- Listen to CRNA anesthesia podcasts such as: Anesthesia Deconstructed & Beyond the Mask
- Read CRNAs: A short history of nurse anesthesia and the future of anesthesia care.
- Know about recent CRNA political 'hot topics'
- Understand the CRNA scope of practice
- Choose more complex assignments when working
- Be an instructor of ACLS, PALS, BLS, NRP, 12 Lead EKG, Hemodynamic monitoring etc.
- Have a publication in recognized journal or healthcare related magazine
- Be involved in research in your unit/facility.
- Retake any science courses with a "C"
- Make sure you have one national certification (CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, CEN etc)
- Consider attending a "Diversity in Nurse Anesthesiology Mentorship" workshop. You can find them HERE
How can I stand out in the interview process?
Here are some steps to help strengthen your interview:
- Speak clearly and confidently
- Do not guess if you do not know
- Answer honestly
- Be prepared
- Consider interview preparation by attending a "Diversity in Nurse Anesthesiology Mentorship" workshop.
You can find them HERE
How does the program 'score/rank' applicants after the interview?
We use a scoring system which takes into account these attributes:
Personality/Preparedness: How you come across in the interview, what you know about the profession and its history/politics and what you know about Nationals Program.
IQ & EQ: How well you answer any clinical questions, personality questions, EQ questions.
Overall GPA & Science GPA: We calculate into the scoring system what your GPA is, science GPA is weighed heavier.
Years of Experience: We assign points to years of experience in the approved units we accept to a maximum of 5 years (no additional points for more).
National Certification Achievement: We add points if you have the CCRN, CEN, CFRN (or equivalent).
Retaken Science Courses, Taken Graduate Level Science Courses: We add points (and replace the grade in GPA) if you have retaken science courses you did poorly on and add points if you have taken graduate-level science courses.