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Response to Personal Statement/Lena Gould, CRNA, MSN

This is a fabulous question!!

First, congratulations on your pursuit of entry into the nurse anesthesia program!

Initially, start your exhaustive search for an accredited nurse anesthesia program on the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) website, www.aana.com. To find one in your state, click on Professional Development, then click on Nurse Anesthesia Education, then click on Accredited Programs and select state, then query. Note the deadline for submission and submit the essay well in advance before the proposed date.

To answer your question to how to set yourself apart in your well constructed essay for a nurse anesthesia program you need to be aware of what Program Directors are seeking in a competitive applicant. Introduce yourself and include not only information about your critical care experience (state the unit and name of hospital specifically )but also why you want to be an advance practice nurse in nurse anesthesia. So, do your homework on the role of a CRNA encompasses and who influenced your decision. Was it a very sick relative? Was it a CRNA who reached out to you about the field? Was it after you shadowed a CRNA? Be very descriptive in your personal account. Also, include your shadow experience and be explicit with this experience. Please read more about the specific shadowing experience in another nurse anesthesia forum that I posted under, Response to Shadowing/Lena Gould, CRNA, MSN. Also, if you attended any national or state nurse anesthesia association meetings in the past would highlight and make your application uniquely different and favorable as well. Just for your information, you can attend these events as a non-member and pay a reduced rate as a result. You can gain valuable information in regards to legislative issues impacting the profession and or anesthesia related matters that you can express in your essay will only enhance it.

I am aware of those past participants from the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Information Sessions who learned more about the admission process, rigors of the program, clinical expectations, didactic course, board preparation and Doctoral opportunities who wrote about their experience at this event in their essay. Those who attended whether it was in New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, and or Maryland specifically wrote they heard from the AANA Leadership (Terry Wicks, CRNA, MHS/AANA Past President, Goldie Brangman, CRNA, MEd./AANA Past President, Frank Purcell, BS/Senior Director Federal Affairs, Dr. Francis Gerbasi, CRNA/Executive Director Council of Accreditation and or Steve Alves, CRNA, PhD/AANA Vice President). So not only are you able to write the shadowing experience and hearing from our AANA Leadership but you will also be able to articulate this during your interview. Also worth noting, your participation in one of our Anesthesia Airway Workshops sponsored by the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Program held at South Jersey Healthcare System and Thomas Jefferson University Nurse Anesthesia Simulation Lab. This will allow once again to write and verbally express that you were able to review checking the anesthesia machine, intubate the mannequin, simulate a spinal and epidural placement, anesthetic medications and discuss in length the anesthetic plan with CRNAs and SRNAs. You will be viewed as a very serious candidate who sought more information about the nurse anesthesia program and this too is favored well in consideration for admission.

Other considerations ensuring a well written essay is to personalize each essay by typing in the individual nurse anesthesia program and what is it that they possess as a unique program. When you write this descriptive account it should be between two to three pages. Lastly, have a nurse anesthetist read your letter prior to submission for any comments, if necessary. Allow enough time to have those who are writing your letter of reference and seek a committed date for completion. For example, if you need the letters by May 15th, I would give them your resume and a short synopsis of your background and other pertinent information with a stamped envelope and inform them you need it by May 1st. They also have to sign the back of the envelope and return to you for submission, if directed.

I hope this helped you with your inquiry. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at crna4u@comcast.net

Take Care Lena Gould, CRNA, MSN
Founder, Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program
www.diversitycrna.org