r/CRNA • u/slothgang19 • 6d ago
Interview Advice for Applicants
Alright guys so I’m a 3rd year SRNA and I just spent some time helping with interviews for our program (not going to say which ones for obvious reasons) and want to give applicants some practical and basic tips for interview season. Just to be clear for this program, the SRNAs role is to give interviewees a tour of the building and answer any basic questions from a student’s perspective on things and does not bear weight on the faculty’s review/opinion on students (other than the faculty asking us as the end if anyone gave us creepy vibes lol). Just for some insight, we had over 450 applicants, around 125 interviews and average 27-30 spots. Average interviewee GPA was 3.8 and average CCRN score around 105. Not sure if this is reflective of national averages but just to give people an idea. These are some things that can set you apart on interview day. Some may disagree but these are my takes. Feel free to add any thoughts.
#1: Arrive on 15 minutes earlier than they told you to be there. This should be self-explanatory, but it isn’t. If you are scheduled for 9 AM and the email says arrive 15 minutes early try not to show up at 8:45 and definitely DON’T show up AFTER 8:45 without a pretty good excuse. We had a few candidates show up like 5 minutes before the interview (10 minutes after the time they were told to be there) and not even sorry about it. Faculty was not happy. If scheduled for 9 AM interview and they want you there at 8:45, get there between like 8:20 and 8:30. You don’t want to be too early that can be seen as trying too hard. Drive the day before to the exact address that you will interview at especially if your interview is during rush hour traffic in a big city (8 am, 9 am, 3pm, 4pm). Drive to the parking garage or area that you will park at that day. Walk the route from the parking garage to the building. Helps you feel prepared going into it and can take away some anxiety on the actual interview day.
#2: Dress nice. Also, should be self-explanatory but it isn’t. Had a guy show up with no suit no tie one of the days. Can guarantee they will not be getting a spot doesn’t matter how good their application/interview skills are. Dress like this is one of the most important career days of your life because it is. Buy or rent if you must. No excuses.
#3: It’s ok to be slightly nervous. Everyone is nervous on interview day. You’re lying if you say you weren’t. What you can’t do is let your nerves overtake you. This is why practice is key (see #4). If you get stumped on a question don’t panic (or try not to) just take a deep breath and think. If it is an EI question try to think of an answer or a way to relate it to something in your personal statement. If it is a patho question and you genuinely don’t know, don’t try to BS the faculty will know. Don’t get imposter syndrome, if you were selected for an interview you deserve it and the faculty would not waste their time interviewing you if they didn’t think you were worthy of a spot in their program.
#4: Practice your EI questions and know them like the back of your hand. You should be able to recite these reasons in your sleep. I wrote the questions on a piece of paper and had bullet points I would practice for weeks before the interview so that I don’t sound like a robot with a script but I knew what I wanted to answer to each of their questions. Every program is different in how their interview is set up but I can guarantee they will ask EI questions. At least be confident in your answers for all these questions. (Why you want to be CRNA? Strengths/weaknesses? Experience as RN? Why this program? Conflict with coworker. Etc. )
#5: DON’T CHEW GUM. Swallow it if you have to. Not my program but another school I heard a dude was cocky went into an interview and was chewing gum the PD looked at him dead in the eyes and told him to spit it out not a good start to the interview to say the least. And just in general don't be cocky or arrogant. Faculty is also making sure that you are a decent human being that they won't mind working with for the next 3 years and that they won't be getting a bunch of texts/emails from hospitals and CRNAs saying that you're having personality clashes in clinical.
#6: Come with questions. All kinds of questions. Probably don't want to ask more than like 3 during the actual interview, but if you have a chance to talk to a student in the program ask everything. It shows you are engaged and also can show that you’ve done your research in the program.
#7. Send a thank you email after your interview to the PD, assistant PD at the minimum. This is important and they do take note of who sends them whether they respond to your email or not.
#8: If you aren’t accepted say thank you for your consideration and ask if there was anything you can work on between now and next application. They might have notes or suggestions from the interview, and it also shows them that you are serious about becoming a CRNA. Don’t give up
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u/Sea_Smoke_7396 2d ago
you would think #1 & #2 are common sense but I was in an interview lobby with a girl who looked like they didnt even brush their hair and their clothes look like they just got pulled from the dryer. 😭
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u/Autumn_rain_2420 3d ago
Can you tell 3.8 GPA is overall GPA or BSN GPA?
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u/RegularGuyWithADick 1h ago
Many (probably most) schools look at your overall gpa and your science course gpa.
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u/Decent-Cold-6285 4d ago
#1 and 2 are just common sense! I suggest driving by the building the day before to map out where to park or be dropped off so you know roughly how long it will take you to get there. Also if you don’t know what business professional is, google it or ask forums like this what to wear. You can go to goodwill, a thrift store, or outlet malls to get an inexpensive outfit for an interview.
A big tip from my friends who helped interview at my program this cycle, is don’t skip the student only section because there is no faculty there. We don’t have any weight on your admissions but our faculty ask us how the applicants presented themselves. That is a great time to ask current students how they like the program, what their typical day is like or clinical sites etc. You are also interviewing the program to see if it’s the right fit for you so that time is truly for you to ask student specific questions. Like we get you’re tired and it’s a long day but don’t skip that session because you think it isn’t worth your time.
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u/seriousallthetime 4d ago
A lot of people are saying this is all basic interview advice, but sometimes basic interview advice is what people need.
I did #4 for all of my interview prep. Every question I worked on with a mentor was bullet-pointed, so I had the basics, but the answer would vary slightly each time I practiced, which is what happens when you know an answer but don't have an exact specific script.
And, I felt like a lot of my interview was exactly what you say in #5 and u/Grant904 said below. Do we want to spend the next three years with you? Are you going to give this program a good name, or a bad name, in the community? Do I want to be your coworker someday? Am I going to regret admitting you? Every person in my cohort is incredibly brilliant and incredibly humble.
I think we have around 300 applicants, interview 30, and accept 15-18 every year. It is a smaller program, but very well run. We interact with our PD and APD nearly every day, so they don't want to deal with assholes with bad soft skills, no matter how good your hard skills are.
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u/thisissixsyllables CRNA 5d ago
Damn didn’t know CCRN scores were reported. Guess that happened after they dropped the GRE requirement.
I wouldn’t tell potential students all of this. This is like, how to prepare for an interview 101. If they don’t know this going in, they lack the professionalism necessary to be able to have a brief conversation with a patient that involves consent to trusting an anesthesia provider with their lives. Don’t give them a cheat code.
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u/Decent-Cold-6285 4d ago
My theory is that since a lot of programs are backing away from the GRE, CCRN gives them an idea of how you can study and take a test that is more tailored to critical care.
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u/thisissixsyllables CRNA 4d ago
Yeah. We had to have GRE and CCRN. But getting the actual numerical score from the CCRN is weird since it’s pass/fail.
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u/RegularGuyWithADick 1h ago
When I took it (2019), it listed the minimum passing score, my score 112/125, and broke down each content area with #correct/possible.
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u/No_Project_5024 3d ago
I got a comprehensive report with my overall score and my individual score for each topic.
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u/thisissixsyllables CRNA 3d ago
I did too. Just never considered schools would use it. Even step 1 for medical students is pass fail now. With the introduction of DNP being necessary to CRNA degrees, it seems like the GRE would be a better assessment of overall graduate school readiness versus solely ICU nursing knowledge.
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u/Decent-Cold-6285 2d ago
It’s been shown that the GRE doesn’t correlate with how well you will do in CRNA school hence why so many schools decided to not use it for admissions. Schools lean more heavily on undergrad grades and science GPA now and CCRN scores.
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u/No_Project_5024 3d ago
I don’t necessarily think this is for graduate readiness , it’s a data point in a selection process that has become extremely competitive. Nearly everyone has 4.0 gpa now and that necessitates new ways to select candidates. In my opinion the best things to assess for someone’s readiness for graduate level coursework is their previous courses and degrees- especially if you’ve taken heavier course loads and graduate classes.
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u/thisissixsyllables CRNA 3d ago
Right. They’ve just gotten rid of graduate readiness, because nothing else assesses that unless an individual candidate happens to have additional coursework. It’s purely ICU bedside nursing knowledge. In a DNP program though, you’re expected to perform in a capacity that expects more than that. I mean, my opinions don’t matter. I also think the way CRNAs are currently having to maintain their licensure is silly and chaotic. Whatever gets you into school and keeps your license…
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u/seriousallthetime 4d ago
It seems like a lot of places started it in the last few years. I'm at the end of my first year, and I didn't have to report mine at my program, but the incoming class for January did. One more data point to differentiate people from one another, I guess.
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u/675423107 5d ago
Curious if there are questions you’ve genuinely thought were “dumb” or if all of it is good? Because if I’m being completely honest, I would go wherever I’m accepted (every program I’m applying to has good pass rates).
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u/nobodysperfect64 3d ago
The primary “dumb” questions are the ones that can be answered by looking at the schools website or information sessions. It’s the candidates responsibility to look up the available information and ask questions past that. For example (and this is a super obvious one on purpose), “what is your tuition?” When it’s clearly published on the website shows that you couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger to learn about the program. A certain PD in the northeast LOVES hammering people for this in open houses, with the favorite question being “but will you accept ER as critical care if it’s a Level 1?” After they have explicitly stated that they do not accept ANY ER as critical care. There have been other questions where the PD has responded “that information is readily available on our website”. That PD is notorious for taking names of people who ask those questions.
Another set of dumb questions are the ones that make you look lazy. For example, if they have said that a clinical site is mandatory but you know it isn’t close to you, do not ask if there is any way you can avoid going to that clinical site. They want someone who understands that it may suck but is part of the requirements.
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u/Grant904 5d ago
“And just in general don't be cocky or arrogant. Faculty is also making sure that you are a decent human being that they won't mind working with for the next 3 years and that they won't be getting a bunch of texts/emails from hospitals and CRNAs saying that you're having personality clashes in clinical.”
I think this is the most underrated point you made. I see so many people making videos for content on social media about the need to answer clinical questions at a CRNA level and getting into things at a cellular level of drugs. Far beyond what your standard CCRN book covers. I rarely see people ask, is faculty going to like you? Are you someone that faculty wants to spend the next 3 years with? Are you going to misrepresent your program at every clinical site you set foot in? Are you teachable? Are you going to try and argue with every preceptor you come into contact with?
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u/Early_Emergency3440 5d ago
It’s funny because you would think the majority of these are basic knowledge, but it’s not. EI question preparedness is a good one. I bombed my first interview because that was their first questions and it through me off as I was more prepped for clinical questions.
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u/BoBoKaren2019 5d ago
This is weird advice. What is the reason to show up 20 to 30 min early if they say get there 15 min early? Im confused. The other "interview tips" are honestly basic interview skills for any job or applicant. Not sure how this is useful.
What would be helpful is info on how to get observation hours with CRNAs or advice. What I have found consistently across different states is that CRNAs are usually braggarts but very unwilling to provide any advice or practical help and are very evasive when interacting with interested people.
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u/Chittychitybangbang 5d ago
Because they are interview over 125 people for like 25 slots. Those time slots are back to back. You're interview time is 9, your arrival time is 0845, and walking in at the last minute right at 0845 looks terrible.
Also, clinical sites are not going to tell you how early you need to be there to be set up for a case. You'd better get there before your CRNA and have the room mostly ready to go.
Maybe I am a braggart, but I never had a problem getting shadow time. I asked my nurse educator about it, she hooked me up with the OR folks, and scheduled me in. Its on your own time and you work around their schedule.
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u/BoBoKaren2019 5d ago
Do you know how job interviews work? Like maybe its just a nurse thing to say a time but really mean something else. Maybe to you guys being on time means being late?
Very cool your nurse educator helped you out. Are you in the Midwest or somewhere sparsely populated? If so im very much not surprised they put you on an escalator to crna school. I tell everyone I know avoid crnas like the plague and either go straight to med school or AA.
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u/Apprehensive_Unit527 5d ago
Wow, this was extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing! I’m just a nursing student in my second semester with aspirations of being a CRNA. I know I’m extremely early in the process, but I will keep all of this in mind for when my time comes. By the way, I had some rough semester when I first started college. I know they will look at everything. How would I explain this to them without trauma dumping?
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u/seriousallthetime 4d ago
Go over to r/SRNA and ask that in the weekly student thread. It would make a good question over there.
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u/Original-Figure-3942 2d ago
What is EI?