Can You Work During CRNA School?

The honest answer, and the 22 programs that actually permit it

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Quick Answer

Can you work while in CRNA school?

Mostly no. Of the 148 programs that publish a work policy, only 22 permit employment while enrolled — about 15%. The other 126 prohibit it outright. Even at the 22 that allow it, permission is usually limited to the didactic phase, and clinical rotations regularly exceed 40 hours a week. Plan on 3.0 years with little or no nursing income. That gap, not tuition alone, is what drives CRNA student debt.

Source: Work policies published by 148 of 154 COA-accredited programs

This question gets answered with vibes almost everywhere it is asked. So we checked. We hold work policies for 148 of the 154 COA-accredited programs we track, and below we name every single program that permits work while enrolled. As far as we know, nobody else publishes that list. Then we explain why "allowed" and "advisable" are different words.

In This Article (6 sections)

The Answer, In Numbers

Of the 148 programs that publish a policy on outside employment (out of 154 total; 6 do not publish one):

22
Permit working
126
Prohibit working
15%
Of published policies say yes

15% permit work  ·  85% prohibit it. Denominator: the 148 programs that publish a policy.

So the honest answer to "can I work during CRNA school" is: probably not, and you should not build your finances on the assumption that you can. The structural reason is simple. Every accredited program is full-time and doctoral, the average program runs 35.9 months (3.0 years) across the 148 programs that publish a length, and the clinical phase alone regularly exceeds 40 hours a week before study time.

All 22 Programs That Allow It

Every program in our database flagged as permitting employment while enrolled, in 15 states. Click through to any profile for its full requirements.

Program State Degree Length Min. ICU
Bellarmine University Kentucky DNP 36 mo 1 year
Bryan College of Health Sciences Nurse Anesthesia Program Nebraska DNAP 36 mo 1 year
Drexel University Nurse Anesthesia Program Pennsylvania DNP 39 mo 2 years
Endeavor Health/DePaul University Nurse Anesthesia Program Illinois DNP 36 mo 2 years
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Louisiana DNP 36 mo 1 year
Mayo Clinic Nurse Anesthesia Program Minnesota DNAP 39 mo 2 years
Michigan State University Nurse Anesthesia Program Michigan DNP 36 mo 1 year
Midwestern University Arizona DNAP 36 mo 1 year
Murray State University Nurse Anesthesia Program Kentucky DNP 36 mo 1 year
Newman University Nurse Anesthesia Program Kansas DNAP 36 mo 1 year
Northwestern State University Louisiana DNP 36 mo 1 year
Ohio State University Ohio DNP 36 mo 1 year
Samford University Alabama DNP 36 mo 1 year
Texas Christian University Nurse Anesthesia Program Texas DNAP 36 mo 1 year
University of Akron Nurse Anesthesia Program Ohio DNP 36 mo 1 year
University of Detroit Mercy Nurse Anesthesia Program Michigan DNP 36 mo 1 year
University of Michigan-Flint Nurse Anesthesia Program Michigan DNAP 36 mo 1 year
University of New England Nurse Anesthesia Program Maine DNP 36 mo 18 months
University of Southern Mississippi Nurse Anesthesia Program Mississippi DNP 36 mo 1 year
UPMC Hamot/Gannon University Nurse Anesthesia Program Pennsylvania DNP 36 mo 2 years
Villanova University Nurse Anesthesia Program Pennsylvania DNP 36 mo 1 year
West Virginia University Nurse Anesthesia Program West Virginia DNP 36 mo 1 year

Read this before you plan around the list

We record this as a policy flag: the program states that students may hold outside employment. What the flag does not tell you is the fine print — how many hours, which phase of the curriculum, whether you need written approval from the program director, and whether the allowance survives into clinicals. That detail lives in each program's student handbook, and it varies enormously. Treat this table as your shortlist to go and ask, not as a promise. Every row links to the program profile, and you should confirm with the program itself.

Filter and compare all 22 work-permitting programs →

"Allowed" Is Not "Advisable"

The gap between what a handbook permits and what a cohort actually does is where applicants get hurt. Three things to understand about that 22-program list:

Permission is usually didactic-only

Many programs that allow work in the classroom phase bar it outright once clinical rotations begin — the same handbook that says "students may work" says "students may not be employed during the clinical residency." Two sentences, two different answers, and only one of them makes it into the recruiting brochure.

The schedule is the real constraint, not the rule

Even where a program never forbids it, clinical days plus call plus case preparation routinely exceed 40 hours a week. Patient safety is the reason programs care: an SRNA who worked a night shift before an OR day is a problem the program owns. Some faculty will permit work in writing and still tell you, plainly, not to.

"Partially online" does not mean part-time

127 of the 147 programs that publish a delivery format put some coursework online, and this is the number people misread as flexibility. It means hybrid lectures. There is no part-time CRNA program and no online CRNA program; every accredited program is full-time and doctoral.

PRN vs Full-Time: What SRNAs Actually Do

Arrangement Realistic? What actually happens
Full-time RN No Not permitted anywhere in practice, and not survivable where it is not explicitly barred. Do not plan on this.
Part-time (0.5–0.6 FTE) Rarely A scheduled commitment collides with a clinical calendar you do not control. Most who try this drop it within a semester.
PRN / per-diem, didactic phase Sometimes The one arrangement that genuinely works, and only at the 22 programs that permit it. A shift or two a month in a front-loaded first year.
PRN, clinical phase Almost never Frequently barred outright, and where it is not, the hours simply are not there. Nearly everyone stops here.

The pattern that repeats across cohorts is this: an SRNA keeps a per-diem contract alive through the front-loaded didactic phase, picks up a shift or two a month, and then quietly stops when clinicals start. Sometimes the badge stays active with zero shifts, purely to make the post-graduation return easier. That is the realistic ceiling. It is a supplement, not an income.

If you are still choosing programs, note that a front-loaded curriculum is the structure that makes even this modest plan possible, because it concentrates the classroom content up front. That is a legitimate reason to weigh curriculum structure when you build your shortlist.

The Loan Gap This Creates

This is why the question matters. It is not really about work. It is about a multi-year hole in your income that you are not permitted to fill.

$118,734
Average in-state tuition, of the 149 programs publishing one
3.0 yrs
Average time with little or no nursing income

Tuition is the number everyone quotes, and it is the smaller half of the problem. Add 3.0 years of forgone ICU salary to an average in-state tuition of $118,734 and the true cost of the credential roughly doubles. That combination is the number one driver of the CRNA loan burden, and it is entirely predictable — which means it is entirely plannable.

What to actually do about it

  • Build the runway before you matriculate. The last 12 months of ICU work are the cheapest money you will ever earn toward this degree. Overtime now is worth more than a hypothetical PRN shift in year two.
  • Budget for zero student income. If you get some, it is a windfall. If you plan on it and the program bars it in clinicals, you have a crisis.
  • Do not choose a program because it allows work. A worse-fit program with a work allowance you cannot use in clinicals is a bad trade. Use the list above as a tiebreaker, not a filter.
  • Model the loan honestly. Tuition plus living costs plus lost wages, over the real program length. We break the whole thing down on paying for CRNA school.

Wondering how long the whole road is, not just the school part? That is a separate question and we answer it properly in the fastest way to become a CRNA.

Not sure if you're competitive enough?

Get personalized insights on your GPA, ICU experience, and credentials. See exactly what gaps to focus on to strengthen your application.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you work while in CRNA school?

Usually not. Only 22 of the 148 programs that publish a work policy permit students to hold outside employment, which is about 15%. 126 prohibit it explicitly. The remaining 6 of our 154 programs do not publish a policy at all, which in practice usually means "ask, and expect a no." Where work is permitted, it is almost always confined to the didactic phase and capped at per-diem or PRN hours. Once clinical rotations start, the schedule itself makes a job impractical: full clinical days plus call plus case prep routinely exceed 40 hours a week before you have studied anything.

Which CRNA programs let you work?

22 programs in our database are flagged as permitting work during enrollment, spread across 15 states: Bellarmine University, Bryan College of Health Sciences Nurse Anesthesia Program, Drexel University Nurse Anesthesia Program, Endeavor Health/DePaul University Nurse Anesthesia Program, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Mayo Clinic Nurse Anesthesia Program, Michigan State University Nurse Anesthesia Program, Midwestern University, and 14 others. We list every one of them by name on this page with a link to its profile. Two cautions. First, our database records this as a yes/no policy flag; the specific limits (how many hours, which phase, whether you need program approval) come from each program's own handbook, so verify before you plan around it. Second, "allowed" is not the same as "advisable" — several of these programs permit work on paper and strongly discourage it in the advising room.

Is there a part-time or online CRNA program?

No. Every accredited nurse anesthesia program is full-time and doctoral (153 of the 153 programs that publish a degree award a DNP or DNAP). 127 of the 147 programs that publish a delivery format offer some coursework online, and this is the field people misread as "part-time." It is not. It means hybrid didactic lectures. The clinical component is in-person and full-time everywhere. There is no version of this credential you can earn around a full-time nursing job.

What do SRNAs actually do for money?

The realistic pattern is: keep a per-diem or PRN contract alive during the front-loaded didactic phase, work sparingly, and stop entirely once clinicals begin. Many SRNAs pick up a shift or two a month early on, mostly to keep their ICU skills and their benefits eligibility, then let it lapse. Others keep a per-diem badge active with zero shifts, purely so they can return quickly after graduation. Almost nobody works meaningfully through the clinical years. The honest financial plan assumes near-zero nursing income for the full 3.0 years and treats any earnings as a bonus, not a line item.

Why does not working matter so much financially?

Because the lost income is usually larger than the tuition. Across the 149 programs that publish an in-state tuition figure, the average is $118,734. Now add 3.0 years of forgone ICU salary and the real cost of the degree roughly doubles. That combination — tuition plus a multi-year income gap you are not allowed to close by working — is the number one driver of the CRNA loan burden. We walk through the full picture, including loan strategy and what programs actually cost, on paying for CRNA school.

Can I work PRN just during the didactic phase?

This is the most common realistic plan, and at the 22 programs that permit work it is usually what "permitted" means in practice. Front-loaded programs stack the classroom content at the start, which leaves some genuine capacity for occasional PRN shifts in year one. The failure mode is treating that early capacity as permanent and building a budget around it. Didactic load ramps, clinicals arrive, and the shifts stop — usually right when the money is tightest. If you plan to work PRN, plan for it to end.

How long is CRNA school, and how long is the no-income window?

Across the 148 programs that publish a length, the average is 35.9 months (3.0 years). Your no-income window is that, plus whatever runway you burn before the program starts. For the full stage-by-stage timeline from ICU nurse to CRNA, see our guide to the fastest way to become a CRNA.

Our Final Thoughts

We would love to tell you that you can keep your income through CRNA school. The data says otherwise: 22 of 148 programs permit it, most of those confine it to the didactic phase, and the clinical schedule closes the door on the rest. The applicants who come through this without financial damage are the ones who saw the 3.0-year income gap coming and built a runway for it, not the ones who found a program that said yes.

Use the list above to ask sharper questions on interview day. Then go plan the money: paying for CRNA school covers the loan side, work-permitting programs lets you filter and compare, and the CRNA ReadyScore tells you whether you are competitive enough to be having this conversation yet.

Work policies are published by 148 of the 154 COA-accredited programs we track; program lengths by 148; in-state tuition by 149. Policies change and handbooks are stricter than websites — always verify directly with the program before you plan around a work allowance. Learn about our methodology →

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