My name is Grant Tarrant and I am a recent graduate of Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia class of 2023. And I'm here with Azu Senebiserra, who's also a recent graduate of Kaiser, and we are leading this discussion panel with some recent new grads and current students for various programs within California to answer some frequently asked questions about CRNA school. So Azu, do you want to introduce yourself? Thank you for that introduction. My name is Azu Senebiserra. I go by Azu, also a recent graduate from Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia 2023. I currently work at Kaiser Permanente San Bernardino County out in Fontana. So I'll let everyone else go ahead and introduce themselves. Hi everybody. My name is Heidi Machin. I am a new grad CRNA. I just graduated from USC class of 2024. Happy to be with you all. Hello. My name is Kyle Flair. I'm at Loma Linda University currently, middle of the class of 2025 and classified as a junior halfway through the program. Hello everyone. My name is Chai. I attend Nashville University. I'm going to be class of 2025 and classified as junior as well. Hi everyone. My name is Roxanne Leiter. I go by Roxy and I am at KPSA, so Kaiser's program, and I graduate in about a year, so class of 2025, summer rising senior. All right. Welcome everybody. We'll get started with the questions and get right into it. So the first question I have for whoever wants to answer is what is the best thing you did to prepare for starting CRNA school? I can start us off. I think the best thing that I did to prepare for CRNA school was just to be very well versed on all the ins and outs of my current RN job. So meaning specifically having a good grasp of the emergency algorithms we used. In my case, that was PALS and NRP. Also having a good grasp of the mechanism of action of all of our most common drips. Having a good understanding of all the ins and outs of the pathophysiology of like the top five to 10 most common diagnoses we see. And just simply having a good grasp on everything that I do in my current position and not just why we do or not just what particular plans of action we take, but why we do what we take. Those are all things that are going to serve you well as a CRNA and all things that are going to come up in the interview process. I can only speak to my experience and I wasn't there when they made the decision, but part of it is the cliche part of we're lifelong learners. And that's not specifically just that you're pursuing your own education, it's what also expands into the other areas of your life. And so I had brought a lot of experiences on the units that I was in, including being part of different governance groups, pursuing your CCRN early and expanding to other areas and how you bring that care. I did manage to be a flight nurse. And so I know just the stories and the experience was able to bring to that whole picture. But it's important that it's not just your sole goal. I just want to be a CRNA. I want to expand this career and expand myself through the process. I love it. This kind of we can move on to the next question. And it really piggybacks on the first question, which is, what do you wish you had done to prepare for CRNA school now that many of you are really deep into second, third years and recent graduates, what would you tell your applicant self to do right before school? I can start this one off because someone really wise told me to do this, and I'm really glad I did listen. She told me, you know, take that trip, spend that time with your family, just really enjoy that time before you start, because once you start, your life is just going to change dramatically in so many different ways, and you'll just grow into a different person. And it's kind of nice just to have that moment in time before you start and spend the time with family and kind of prepare them, manage their expectations that, you know, I'm going to be, have a lot of commitments, I won't have a lot of time. And just, yeah, enjoy that time, you know, reward yourself a little bit before, you know, when you got in, reward yourself, take that trip, spend time with loved ones, and then start to manage those expectations. Hey, I might not be able to attend this event, or I don't know, this might be a bad fall for me because I'm starting these, you know, courses and just manage those expectations. Just to piggyback off what Roxy said, basically the same thing, take a vacation and also like learning how to study effectively, such as reading the book, like Make a Stick, which kind of gives you like evidence-based research on how to study. So I utilized Anki throughout my didactic phase, which helped me a lot. Yeah, I think jumping from being a full-time employee as a ICU nurse to being a full-time student is a big transition. And so if you've been outside of school for a long time, just being prepared for that shift in your day-to-day and how being a student is a 24-hour-a-day job. So that's really, really good advice, you guys. Yeah, I agree with that. And just what you said, Chai, too, like preparing, like, you know, getting that didactic information down as far as using Anki and all that. I know before school or before that summer, I took that off. I took some like courses just to refresh and like boost my GPA as far as graduate-level courses go, and then also took that summer off, like Roxy said, just to like enjoy it and know that, okay, I'm going in for the long haul. I need to like reward myself for getting in, but also enjoy my life right now while it is there, because later it will be different. So I agree. I'll ask the next question. What aspects on your resume do you think helped set you apart from other CRNA school candidates? I can start. At the end of the day, we're never really going to know, right, because they don't reveal to you what really stood out on your application. But if I could guess for myself, not only did I have a long clinical career, I also was a co-PI on some novel research that we were doing on my unit. And then I had my master's degree in bioethics. So I think that's a little more unique, perhaps, than the average candidate, but we'll never really know. And I think the best advice I could give is to just throw everything at the wall and see who sticks. I mentioned a little ahead of time, but it's pursue things in your community, and that includes the ICU, but also where you are as a nurse. I was part of a couple of different nonprofits before New York City Medics, as well as a street medicine program. And all those things add to the fact that you're willing to give more than just the minimum or the baseline expectation. And the more that you can show you're a very well-rounded person, they can see more than just the statistics or the grades, which for a lot of these programs, everyone is the top of their class in those areas. And so it's the areas that you can expand and speak to that as a whole person that show that you might be a good candidate for whatever program you're applying for. I think even between Heidi and Kyle, you guys have very different extracurriculars or things that make you stand out. I definitely think any sort of opportunity to participate on your unit really stands out, like practice governance units or the opportunity to do research or projects that create some change and improve patient outcomes on your unit. Those are all things that I think really help people stand out. And people are sometimes hesitant to participate because it just means adding more to your plate as an ICU nurse. But if you're really looking to go to graduate school and go to CRNA school, those are the kinds of things that I hear a lot of faculty really appreciate seeing on applications. So let's move on to the next one. How did you prepare for the interview process? I know you guys all come from different schools, and they all have their own unique interview process. What do you think helped you prepare for that interview day the best? So I personally prepared in two ways. First, I gathered the most common questions asked, such as, tell me about yourself, why this school, and why CRNA, then kind of developed answers to those questions. And secondly, I prepared clinical scenarios, like the most utilized medications in my unit, the most frequent pathophysiology encounter in the unit, so that way I could walk them through any process if needed. Yeah, definitely. I agree. The interview process for all programs is going to be pretty grueling. So I just recommend practicing as much as you can out loud. You can do it in your room by yourself. You can do it for your dog, your family members, significant other, whoever. Just keep practicing. Get the list of the most common questions that you can Google and find, and just keep practicing out loud. It's going to be weird to hear your voice out loud, but once you start getting kind of a rhythm down, then it won't feel so weird when you do it in person. If you're practicing beforehand, you're creating those pathways, the neuroplasticity, so that when you are in a stressful situation, you don't just become completely blank-minded. You have a basis to kind of pull from, and really think about your clinical experiences because you have so many clinical experiences. If you've been an ICU nurse and you really internalize each shift, and, oh, I remember this experience and this experience, really think about them in your mind and piece them apart, like what happened? What did I do? What actions did I take that were good, and what could I have improved upon? Think about those experiences, write them down, and polish them so when you present them, when you're answering a question that they ask, it sounds like you've put a lot of thought into your experiences, which you have already, so that you can really deliver it with some polish and shine, and it comes out like you're really answering their question, too. That's the number one thing is just make sure you answer the question that they are asking as well. Don't launch into stories that are not related, but really answer their question, but just creating those pathways very much so helps because sometimes I would go blank-minded and then you just take a moment and think about, okay, I know I have a story that relates to this that I could pull in. Yeah, I think those are great points of advice, like having a good story to tell, like having your experience, and then having a story, like narrative of what happened, and providing it in a way that has a beginning, middle, and end, and what you learned from it, and how that made you grow as a provider, and who you are now, and why that would make you a good candidate for a CRNA school. I agree with everything you both said. I can ask the next question. How many schools did you apply to, and how long did it take you to get into school? I can speak for myself. When I was applying for school, it was in 2020, and some schools were requiring the GRE, and I was really planning my application process based on the schools that weren't requiring GRE, and shooting for those first, knowing notoriously that people have to apply to multiple schools, and it may take me multiple years, and so I was kind of strategically completing my prerequisites, and all the requirements, and applying to those schools. It just so happened that Kaiser was my first choice, and it happened to be the very first deadline and the first interview, and so once I was able to solidify that one, I could kind of halt my search process, but I got very lucky to get in my first year, but I knew all the requirements, and I had been planning my application for, I would say, at least four years before that. So like Azu, I was kind of lucky. I applied to one school and got in the first year, but I also had been planning for a couple years, like how I was going to meet USC's requirements, and everything that I could do to make my application appealing to this particular program. I don't know if anybody else has a different experience, but that's the same for me too. I chose like about year four, I was like, okay, year four in the ICU, I'm going to really get serious about going back, and I spent that next couple years honing in on things and getting it, getting my resume where I wanted it, and doing all the things I could do to get in the first time, and it worked out, but I don't know if that's the case for everybody. I know some people don't like to share, and that's totally fine, so if anybody else has anything else to share, you can share, but don't feel like obligated to. I had already been a nurse for about six years, and started looking at the process, and it took a full year to make sure that I had everything that I needed to be correct and in the right spot. I could have rushed it, and tried to get those first applications in the first three months after I decided, but it didn't seem like that would have been a good decision to make, and so looked at a couple of schools, and was able to kind of pick the one that worked the best around my physical and family status, as well, so it's a big process that really does take, actually, some research into the schools, as well, on what they're looking for. So, just to piggyback everyone, I was planning on applying to multiple schools, but the first school that I applied to, and in my first choice, it worked out, so I just declined everything I was asked about. Yeah, my experience, I applied to one school one year, and I didn't get in, I didn't even get an interview, so it really made me reflect and be like, okay, is this really what I want to do? So, the second time around, I widened my search, and I really looked at my application process, and what I had submitted, and okay, how can I revamp this, or what was not appealing about this, and it just made me, you know, just think harder, and actually want it more, so I did really put a lot more effort into the second time around, as far as interviewing, and then, like, the whole personal statements and everything, and then the second time around was much more fruitful for me and I, same as Chaya, I got into a first couple and then I got into my target school and I was like, okay, I'm done because I was like, this process is very much enough. I don't, this is actually a pretty common question that I get when I run into nurses that are looking to apply to CRNA school. I don't know if any of you guys had to experience this, but did any of you guys had to retake prerequisites in order to apply? I know that there's been some programs that will expire prerequisites after 10 years or so. And for sometimes that's the lifetime of their nursing career. So did any of you guys have to retake prerequisites? I did. I didn't think I was that old, but I guess I was that old. All of my prereqs had expired. So I had to retake anatomy, physio, first semester chem, and then I also had to take physics and organic chemistry. So it was almost a year of coursework that I needed to complete before I started CRNA school. Was not fun, but worth it. And it kind of, I guess the benefit of it because I'm trying to look on the bright side was that it got me back into study mode when I had been out of like science type curriculum for a while. So it wasn't all bad is what I'm telling myself. And was the cutoff 10 years for you, Heidi? The cutoff was 10 years. So I finished nursing school in 2013. And so all the prereqs for that were like 2008, nine. It seems like yesterday, but I guess it wasn't yesterday. It was clearly over 10 years ago. No, but these are little things that I think will cause hiccups in people's application process. And if someone's really looking at applying to CRNA school, it helps them kind of plan their trajectory and consider that when applying to certain schools. So I appreciate you sharing that. Anybody else have a similar experience? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And just to clarify to everybody watching it's it's 10 years from your prereqs, not from when you graduated nursing school and got your like RN. So it's like three, four plus years, like before you've graduated. So it does matter. And I actually didn't even think about that. And I was a nurse for six years. So I probably was like right on the cusp and I didn't even know. So yeah, definitely look at all that. I'll ask the next question too. It is what type of ICU training do you have? And how long were you an ICU nurse before you got accepted to school? So my background is surgical ICU trauma. I was a nurse for like three years, but two and a half years in the ICU. My background actually was in the NICU. And I worked at a level four NICU specifically at Children's Hospital Los Angeles for seven years before I applied to school. I was lucky I was able to start in a surgical ICU that also dealt with trauma and complex narrow cases. And was there for three years, did some emergency medicine, did some flight, and then schools don't necessarily consider those as current experience. So went back to work in a medical ICU for about a year and a half to make sure I had enough current experience to then be eligible for the program. And then I came from a SICU, it was like a surgical trauma transplant ICU, and I had about seven years experience. And I was also six years medical ICU. So a lot of us, you know, they say you have the minimum one year of experience, you're good. But most people, you know, they don't have the experience experience, you're good. But most people, it's like average three years, and then upwards higher, there's people who've been doing it like upwards to 10 years in program. So it's never too late, you can still go back is like the message. And the more experience if you want to take that extra year or two, it's it's three years doctoral program. Now you're not saving yourself any time by going any sooner. So you might as well get that experience if you still want it is my message. Yeah, and just to close it out, I did two and a half years in a surgical trauma ICU as well. Awesome. All right. This is a really popular question when I run to again, nurses that are applying to CRNA school. Did any of you guys had to complete a shadowing experience for your application process? And how did you accomplish that? So for the shadowing experience, I personally didn't know anyone in my hospital, like anesthesia department. So I contact NYSANA, like the state I lived in. And then they reached out to someone in my anesthesia department of my hospital and contact me with someone. So that way, I got my shadowing experience through them. It was a requisite for my program to have shadow experience. So I completed a couple shadow days. And for anybody who's considering or thinking about shadowing, the little tidbit that I will give you is that the anesthesia community is very, very small. So if you do show up to shadow, think of that also as like your first presentation into the anesthesia community, maybe, and make sure you're engaged, make sure you have questions. And you know, don't treat it like an obligation that you need to fulfill for an application. But seriously, make sure you're engaged. And if you have a positive interaction with somebody, make sure to thank them at the end of the day. And you never know, they might know somebody who sits on a school board or an interview committee. So it's also a really important part of your application. It's not just some obligation. I think the Heidi's point as well, is it's important for you as an applicant to see what your future job role and experience is going to be. It's very different than the ICU. There's nuances that reflect the ICU and the training we've received, but it is a very different experience as well. It's a lot of responsibility. And so it wasn't required for the schools that I applied to. But I think it was a very important step along the process. I was previous military and so I was able to reach out to a friend who was in the Navy, who was a CRNA and able to arrange a shadow day. And I really appreciated that you also do even get the chance to meet some of the other students, see what the picture is from the school, because the places that CRNAs are working, there's also a lot of training residents that are in those programs and you get to talk to them and get, for me, the first glimpse kind of behind the wall of what is the inner workings of some of these programs. Yeah, it's shadow. I mean, I had a shadow day and it was a friend at the time. And it's like, if you know somebody, it can be easier. But I want, Chai, what was the resource you had again? Just so, because you didn't know anybody. So you had to reach out. So I contacted like the state association CRNA. So like for me, it was NYSANA. Then they reached out to someone in my student department because they knew them from school back in the day. So like Heidi was saying, such a small community. So someone knows someone and then like they help me connect with someone. Yeah, that's perfect. That's a great resource to have. So for all of you listening and watching, just that's another avenue you can take to get a shadow day if you need that. I'll go into the next question. Did you attend any networking events such as anesthesia conferences prior to applying to school? So I attended diversity CRNA event like the year prior to applying. And it was like incredible networking opportunity because I met many aspiring CRNAs and then current CRNAs and also program directors. So you know what they're looking for and they'll tell you straight up. And then I probably enjoyed the clinical simulation they had on Sundays where you got to do with intubation, glide scope and like do fiber optics. So that was a cool experience. Someone when I was applying to CRNA school gave me a really great tip to go to a conference because like the secret tip is they actually have lectures dedicated to nurses who want to go to CRNA school. And there's no greater opportunity to learn more about the profession than to like pick the brains of 100, 200 CRNAs that do it every single day. So the time I went, I just happened to sit at a table with unknowingly program directors and had a chance to have full conversations with people that I would die to talk to. So it's really an untapped resource that I encourage people to do every time they say they want to apply to school was to, you know, just attend a one day half day event and network a little bit and learn a little bit more, go to some of their lectures that are dedicated to nurses and you will not regret it. We can move on to the next one. So how did you guys prepare for the financial toll of CRNA school? As we all know, CRNA school is a full-time commitment. It's highly recommended that you do not work during CRNA school. I can't fathom how people have the time to even consider that. And, you know, programs are getting pretty costly nowadays. So how did you guys manage the finances of CRNA school? I think it's really important for anyone to look at attending any school, whatever your dream is of becoming and doing a business plan, how much you expect it to cost, what it's going to look like on the other side of that, when you're expecting to at least be able to break even with the loans. Like I said before, I was in the Navy and so I did get some partial support from the GI Bill, but it only kind of scratches the surface when it comes to CRNA programs. And there's not as many grant resources as other areas of nursing. And that's where you kind of have to fall back onto that financial plan and that business plan that you have to have assurance once you're through the program. Because once you're in the middle of it, it looks like a giant mountain, but you already have that kind of forethought to plan ahead. Yeah, I can agree with that. I think it really helps me to just be working for a number of years, honestly, and saving. So I knew it was always a long-term goal. So I really did work and saved. And once I started looking back or looking to going back to school, like realistically, I looked at my expenses, my sister's a CPA. So she helped me like, you know, budget all of my expenses and, you know, how could this actually look in a reasonable, like practical sense. And then, yeah, loans, grants apply for everything and everything that you can. And, you know, and the loans, you will be taking out loans and you will live on loans and it will hurt and make you sad, but you realize that you will have them and you will be able to pay them back. Theoretically, I haven't yet because I haven't graduated, but theoretically, yes, you will be able to pay them back after. So it is definitely going to hurt though, because it's very hard to be a gainfully employed ICU nurse and with a good income and then have to go back to school and have no income. So it does, it's, you know, it is considerable. But if you take an honest look at your expenses, you know, make sure you're checking with your family, your spouse, your significant other, everyone's on like, you know, the same plan on what, you know, the budget's going to look like and just look honestly and realistically. But if it is a dream, you kind of try to find every avenue to make it a reality. Yeah, I agree with that for sure. It's interesting because being on a year out from school, it's like, okay, I am paying back these loans. I'm able to do that and live my day to day life. I love my job so much. So I'm like, I'm really investing in an immediate gain and like the job itself and like my work life balance and what do I enjoy about work so much? And then the long-term is like your retirement and your, it's like a long-term financial goal to go back. But it is, it's not immediate, like, you know, you're paying back these loans, your income, it doesn't feel like you think it might feel is what I'm learning. And it's like, it just takes time and I'm aware of that. And I think going into school and taking this opportunity to go back, it's a big investment in your time, money, and like work to do this. So you have to really want it. I'd say it's something that you can't just say, I'm going to do and decide on a whim. It's like, you have to really want this. So, and that you kind of touched on it, Roxanne, but I'm going to ask this similar follow-up question to that is, did you apply for any grants or any scholarships during school? And if so, how'd you find those or what were those opportunities offered that you found? I can share a little bit about this one. In my time at USC's program of nurse anesthesia, I always was, I also was our student representative for the AANA Foundation. So the AANA Foundation is like the charitable arm of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists. And they actually offer a lot of different scholarships. They're organized like state by state mostly, but some of them are like need-based. Some of them are like emergency fund type scholarships. I have two young kids. And so I applied to some of their scholarships specifically for student moms. I didn't get them, but that doesn't mean that that doesn't mean that they aren't out there. So certainly resources do exist. And if you're interested in applying for scholarships, I would kind of steer people towards the AANA Foundation as like a first stop. I personally got lucky because I received a grant from the school along with my entire cohort from like the assistant program director who applied for a grant and it kind of helps out a lot. So there's hope out there. That's nice. Yeah. I think some of our classmates, we received some grants and scholarships along the way. So I just tell everyone to apply, apply, apply, take a little extra time. Sometimes it's, you know, writing a little essay or submitting a personal statement, but it's worth the time and hopefully it pays off. So the next question is, how did you guys juggle your time between long clinical days and studying for school? A lot of you are living it now. Not doing Q&A discussions on your free time. No, I'm joking. Part of it's blocking your time and really trying to do the best you can to plan your study time ahead of time. You really have to protect that and everything that evolves and revolves around clinical together. Because there is a place where you do need to keep your significant other, your spouse, in the loop to what's going on. You need to try and communicate. That's part of this as well. So you do need a community to encourage you through this because otherwise it's very isolating. But the other part to that is you got to block your time so that you can get your studying in and know you're getting it in because things change very quickly where your clinical site is, what day you are, and if you're not planning to get those things done and you were trying to take extra time, then all of a sudden you're more behind. And so the more you can do to preventively like block ahead, the better you'll be and understand the material instead of trying to cram before your test because this is stuff we really do need to know and be able to speak to on a moment's notice, particularly in clinicals as well. Yeah, that was a really good word that Kyle used, is protective. You become very protective of your time and the time that you have as far as studying. And I have my study time, I have my clinical time, I have my rest and recovery time, and everything has to align. And you just have to be very protective. And it comes naturally because you have to get good at time management in order to survive. And it sounds very daunting, and it is daunting, but you will get through it and you will learn by trial and error. And also what he touched upon, like planning ahead, get things done that can be done ahead. Get assignments done that can be done ahead to prepare because things do happen. And you do want like a little cushion of time or grade support, things like that. So just plan ahead, be protective, communicate with your family members. You know, I really can't go to this event, I really need to buckle down and study. You know, this is very critical for me and the people that truly support you and love you, friends, relationships, they will understand that. They know they can understand what you're going through. They don't really totally understand it, your cohort does. But the ones that truly love you and will be there for you will be there. Yeah, you get really good at like saying no, which is hard, because you like want to do a thing, you want to see your people. And then you don't always get to and you have to like prioritize and it's difficult. But like you said, Roxy, like people will, your loved ones will understand. And, and it's not every day. It's like there's days you get back or there's days that are a little better. But it's, it's a lot. It's a lot of an undertaking that it's a big life change. So thank you guys for sharing. And then for those of you with children, how did you manage being a parent and a student at the same time? Because I have no idea what that's like. So please share. Dude, it's hard. It's hard, but it kind of the same way. Like we were talking about managing studying and clinical. It's just being flexible. And I told myself very early in the program that, you know, I was used to being an A plus student. And during this program, if it meant that I had to be an A minus student so that I could see my kids more than I would do it. I mean, you really have to be flexible with your time. And sometimes even though school is very, very important, it's also really important for you to see your kids so that they remember what your face looks like. And you don't just show up three years later with a nice paycheck and they have no memory of you. So it's really, really important to be able to establish a support system for yourself. For me, I was lucky. My parents live close. My in-laws live close. My husband did a lot of his work online. So if the girls weren't with me, they were with somebody else that loved them a lot. And all you can do is your best and balance as best you can. Thank you so much for sharing, Heidi. I know that's a big question that a lot of parents have and kind of a daunting barrier to applying to school. And there are plenty of students out there who are succeeding in CRNA schools that don't let that hold you back. So our next question is, what kind of study techniques worked best for you during CRNA school? I mean, was it creating a study group? Was it solo studying? Was it finding that cute little cafe down the street where you could just shut the door and lock yourself there for six hours? What study techniques worked really, really best for you guys? I personally utilized Anki throughout my whole didactic session and through my C exams. Just even though making cards is very time consuming, I feel like if you're dedicated to it, as you put in the work, it will pay off. But then there's great YouTube videos out there that show you how to make effective Anki cards. And it just gives you a variety of ideas. Yeah, I'll second the Anki too. That's what I did throughout school. And I used that. It's a lot to make the cards, but that's also study time when you're making the cards too. So I considered that my first pass of material and then every other subsequent pass through those cards was what got me through. I almost did that solely for the first two years. And then I kind of backed off and did some reading and that worked out too. I just did on the back end. So yeah. Yeah, I do a little a combination. I do like Anki a lot. I use it a lot. And it's, it takes, there's a little bit of a learning curve with it. But I'm usually very technologically averse. And I was able to use Anki and I still use Anki and like it. So if I can do it, anyone can learn to do it. And then I also do small like group sessions. And I find that very valuable. Just holding your cohort, your other friends in your cohort, like accountable for knowing the material. So we'll do like group study sessions before tests and just make sure that we're all on the same page on like, do we understand the content? And then now where I am in the program, we're starting to pull in other resources, textbooks, things like that. Other than the core content we've already learned. So now it's trying to like manage, like diversifying that. And so it's a little bit, you know, in real time right now that I'm trying to process all of it. But it's, it's always just being flexible and going back to like, you know, know what works for you. But then trying to, you know, always augment and see if you can learn more in a smaller amount of time and retain it. You're always adapting to try to, you know, retain more information. And then like, again, a lifelong learner, like you're never, you're always going to keep learning and recalling the information. One technique I did, which is very old school is I still did note cards. I know a lot of people are very tech savvy and I am not. So I went back to the old school note cards and would just hand write the content, rewrite contents from lectures. And one of the themes of CRNA school is you relearn the same content multiple times over and over again over the course of three years. And so let's say we were covered like covering respiratory again, I'd pull my own old note cards back and just build on that deck. So that's just worked for me. I haven't really met too many other people that did the old school handwriting because it's incredibly time consuming, but my brain is just wired that way. And I think just learning and really understanding the best ways that you retain information is, is key. It may not be the same for, you know, your other classmates, but just really, really being flexible and molding to the content and your study styles. So sorry, I cut you off Kyle. It's not a problem at all. Mine's different and similar kind of an old school technique. I have a notebook and it's writing out concept maps by subjects. And even our program does a good thing, which they told us early on, we want you to go through all this material about three times by the time you're done with this. And you'll see it in different capacities. And each time as a program, you go back through it, you're seeing new nuances and new pieces. But for me, that brain to hand movement is very different even than a keyboard. And it helps me to like, kind of remember some of those concepts and ingrain the principles because you'll need it. And you won't always have that, whether it's flashcards, notebooks, anything, and a lot of this will need to come from memory. And so the other pieces with a small get walking through concepts and quizzing each other, we do that quite a bit. Having that really good tight knit network with your peers, be able to talk through the concepts to see new research to see how it's applied is part of the program. And it actually builds up and it helps you in your clinical as well, because you're already talking to the principles when they start asking you some of the questions. And also when questions come up in clinicals, then we're also talking to each other, how would you handle this? What was your perception? What was the answer, you know, for this case? And that network is something that I think you'll always use as well. Yeah, I definitely agree with that. And with what everybody said, and I think the key is like, learn what works for you, like early on, and then do what works for you. And like, you're going to have to adapt and change things along the way. But you know, core, like at the core, what's going to get you through and stick to that thing mainly, and then adapt it as you go if you need to. But I agree with everything you guys said. It's good information. To piggyback off of that, did you use any other special applications? We already talked about Anki, but we can talk about it more if you want. Or any other tech during school, like iPads, laptop, I mean, laptops are given, but what did you use, note taking, all of that? Let us know. For me, the only other app that I use was Notability. So we would upload like our, or I would upload my PowerPoints to Notability. And it's just a way for you to make like annotations directly on to a PowerPoint that was provided from class. Yeah, I definitely support Notability. I love writing out notes, and I don't do them on paper, because I'm afraid I'll lose them. So Notability is definitely a better way to go. And exactly like Heidi said, you will just download the PowerPoint, you can write it on, you can add in other notes. And then we also used Otter. It's pretty helpful just for transcribing like lectures and things like that. And the concept mapping that Kyle was talking about is also incredibly useful and like a great way to learn and study and retain your things. So you kind of, you hear like whispers from other students of what they use, and you try to try to incorporate it in, you know, how you study. But again, like Brent was saying, you're going to go back to what you know, works for you. And you kind of like let the rest go, you know, do what works for you. Yes, you can add in other things, but just stick to the core aspects that you know, like keep you succeeding and moving forward. Do any of you guys use Vargo? That was a big popular one for us. As applicants are going to find out, you case prep for your clinical days. And the day before you look up all your cases, and you pull up Vargo, and it's a really resourceful app. It's an app that I still use to this day when I come, you know, to work and I get an add on case that I haven't come across in two years. So Vargo is definitely a great way to do that. It's really quick one-stop shop that gives you the cliff notes of how to handle those cases and how to best prep and consider like an aesthetic considerations you may not consider. So Vargo is a popular one for us too. You guys have come to our last question. So last one is, did you guys have a mentor during school? And was this a school arrangement or personally arranged mentor? Tell us a little bit about it. So we get mentors assigned from the cohort prior to us. Some at a school, but like usually the cohort rep will like assign everyone for the next cohort. And it could be incredibly helpful to get like guidance on someone who was just in your shoes just a year ago, tell you about their clinical experience, what happened didactic, what helped them with the study and the professors and there's question type. It helps a lot. Yeah, I had a couple mentors going through like when I was thinking about going back to school and then the application process and that was really helpful, you know, kind of lean on, it is a very small community like Heidi was mentioning. So, you know, you probably know people that have applied and gone back to school, you know, reach out to them, ask them what their experience was, you know, maybe they know someone that's a friend of a friend that works on your unit or things like those connections are really powerful. So it's okay to maybe be a little bit uncomfortable and reach out to someone you don't know personally and ask like, hey, I'm thinking about applying, you know, did you have a good experience? Do you have any tips or, you know, sometimes those things like help you really solidify that this is what you want to do because you'll talk to someone who's very passionate about it and you'll get fired up to you're like, okay, this is awesome. I really want to pursue this more and it's those small things that if you take a little chance and even though it's uncomfortable, just reach out and start that conversation and dialogue because it's a small community and people remember that, you know, they remember you taking that little effort and we have a similar type setup where there's mentors that are assigned and I find that helpful as well but also there can just be like kind of like organic natural mentors that you just come across in your clinical experience. Those are really, you know, powerful and meaningful as well. So it's just kind of be open to all kinds of mentors during this process. Yeah, and I know a lot of programs assign mentors or you have your own friends from prior that have gone through it. But there are if for anybody out there who has knows nobody and has no connections and you're trying to figure this out solo, there's a lot of Facebook groups that could be good resources too that you can join for prospective nurse anesthesia residents that can link you up with current CRNAs that can give you some insight on anything that would potentially want to mentor you. So that's a resource that you could look into. I've had a really positive experience with mentors through my whole career and particularly to people who aren't in CRNA school yet, whether they're a CRNA or another area of nursing, someone who is invested in your career development is really important. They can help guide you and see deficits that you have either in your clinical practice or something to work on as a person and help develop a plan that can carry in beyond just beyond your own mind, your own thoughts and help to actually articulate what your thoughts are too. So before you even get into CRNA school, just having that mentor in nursing is a really important task and process if you want to grow as a nurse in general. Well, thank you guys so much. I'm so grateful you guys all took some time out of your busy days to come and really help our program. Are there any last thoughts before we wrap this up? No. Good luck to everybody who's applying. Yes. Good luck. The community is very welcoming. And so we welcome any nurses, even CRNA students currently in school looking for mentors. People are always willing to take students under their wings. So thank you so much, you guys. And I hope you have a lovely night.

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