What should I do first to prepare for CRNA school?

The order to do things in, based on what 154 accredited programs actually require

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Quick Answer

What should I do first to prepare for CRNA school?

Start with whatever takes longest to change. That is almost always ICU experience and GPA, because both are measured in years and neither can be fixed in the month before a deadline. Certifications, shadowing, and essays are all faster and can happen later. Of 154 accredited programs, 123 accept a minimum GPA of 3.0 or lower and 77 do not require the CCRN — so the bar to apply is lower than most applicants assume. The real constraint is time, not eligibility.

Source: The CRNA Club database (154 COA-accredited programs)

This is the question our members ask more than any other. Not "what are the requirements" — that is answered in a dozen places. What they actually want to know is what to do on a Tuesday, with one day off and a shift tomorrow. So this page is an order of operations, not a checklist.

In This Article (6 sections)

What order should you do things in?

Sequence by how long each thing takes to change, not by how hard it feels. Here is the order, with why each one sits where it does.

Do this How long it takes Why it goes here
1. Get into a high-acuity ICU 1–2 years minimum The only item measured in years. Every month you delay is a month added to the end.
2. Fix your science GPA 1–3 semesters A retake takes a full term and can only be done so many times before a deadline.
3. Sit the CCRN 2–3 months of study Required by 74 of 154 programs. Fits in the year before you apply.
4. Arrange shadowing 4–6 weeks to arrange, 1–2 days to do Required by 55 programs. The scheduling is the slow part, not the shadowing.
5. Build your target list A weekend Do it before the essay, so you know who you are writing for.
6. Write the essay and resume 4–6 weeks with revisions 0 programs require an essay, 0 a resume. Both improve with drafts.
7. Prep for interviews 2–4 weeks Last, because it only matters once you have an invitation.

Why start with the longest thing instead of the easiest?

Because the short items stay short. You can write an essay in six weeks whether you start today or a year from now. You cannot compress two years of ICU experience, and you cannot retake organic chemistry in a fortnight.

Most applicants do this backwards. They start with the essay because it feels like progress, then discover the thing standing between them and an acceptance was an acuity problem that needed eighteen months of lead time.

The practical test: for each item on your list, ask "if I start this in six months, does it still finish before the deadline?" Anything where the answer is no goes first.

What can you do this week?

Three things, none of which need money or anyone's permission.

  • Ask for higher-acuity assignments. One conversation with your charge nurse or manager. It starts the clock on the slowest variable you have.
  • Calculate your science GPA separately. Most applicants have never done this, and programs weigh it differently from your cumulative. You may be more competitive than you think, or you may find out which retake matters.
  • Email your unit educator about shadowing. 55 of 154 programs require it, and arranging it reliably takes longer than doing it.

What if you have 6, 12, or 24 months?

The order does not change. What changes is how much of it you finish before the first deadline. Of the 146 programs that publish one, the heaviest deadline month is September.

24 months out

Everything in order, unhurried. This is where a GPA problem is genuinely fixable and where moving units is realistic.

12 months out

Skip the unit move unless your current acuity is genuinely disqualifying. CCRN, shadowing, essay, and one science retake all still fit. Build the target list early so the essay has a subject.

6 months out

Apply this cycle anyway, to programs whose stated requirements you already meet, and treat it as a rehearsal. An interview you do not convert teaches you more than another year of preparing in the abstract.

What is the most common sequencing mistake?

Waiting until every box is ticked before applying to anything. It is the single most expensive mistake in this process, because it costs a whole cycle.

Requirements vary far more than most applicants assume. 109 of 154 programs do not require the GRE. 77 do not require the CCRN. 94 do not require documented shadowing. 123 accept a minimum GPA of 3.0 or lower. The programs you are eligible for today are probably not the ones you have been picturing.

Build the list from what programs actually publish, not from what you have heard. You can filter all 154 programs by each of those requirements, and check where you currently stand before deciding to wait another year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first to prepare for CRNA school?

Get into a high-acuity ICU, and start fixing your GPA if it needs fixing. Both take years and neither can be rushed at the end, which is what makes them first. Everything else — CCRN, shadowing, essays, letters — takes weeks to months and can be sequenced later. Of 154 accredited programs, the median published minimum GPA is 3.0 and 123 programs accept 3.0 or lower, so a middling GPA is rarely what disqualifies someone. Running out of runway is.

Should I get my CCRN before or after I start applying?

Before, if you can, but it is not the emergency people treat it as. 74 of 154 programs require the CCRN and 77 do not. It takes most nurses two to three months of study alongside full-time work, so it fits comfortably in the year before you apply. The reason to do it earlier is not the requirement — it is that studying for it makes you better at the clinical questions in your interview.

When should I start preparing for CRNA school?

Work backwards from the deadlines. Of the 146 programs in The CRNA Club database that publish an application deadline, the heaviest month is September. Most applicants need 12 to 18 months of deliberate preparation before that date: long enough to accumulate ICU time at the right acuity, retake a science course if needed, sit the CCRN, arrange shadowing, and write an essay that is not rushed. If you have less than six months, apply anyway and treat this cycle as a rehearsal.

What can I do this week to be more competitive?

Three things, all finishable in a week. Ask your manager to move you toward higher-acuity assignments — that starts the clock on the slowest variable. Pull your transcript and calculate your science GPA separately from your cumulative, because programs weigh them differently and most applicants have never done the maths. And email your unit educator about shadowing, since 55 programs require it and arranging it takes longer than doing it. None of these need money or permission.

Do I need to do everything before I apply?

No, and waiting until everything is perfect is the most common way people lose a year. Requirements vary more than applicants expect: 109 of 154 programs do not require the GRE, 77 do not require the CCRN, and 94 do not require documented shadowing. Build a target list of programs whose actual requirements match where you are now, apply to those, and keep improving in parallel. The CRNA Club's program database lets you filter by each of those requirements.
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