The CRNA Club Podcast

By Sachi LordBusiness Science Education How To Careers

The CRNA Club Podcast episodes

October 04How CRNA Schools Read Your Transcript: GPA, Grades, and What to Retake
Your transcript tells a bigger story than one GPA. Sachi explains how to read your cumulative, science, and last 60 credits GPAs, why individual science grades matter, and how to decide whether your next course should be a retake or a step forward in the same subject. She also covers repeat courses in NursingCAS, older science grades, pass or fail coursework, and what a strong upward trend can show.
START WITH YOUR TRANSCRIPT:
Free Transcript Analyzer - Review your coursework and plan your next step.
IN THIS EPISODE:
What cumulative, science, and last 60 credits GPAs each show
Why two applicants with the same science GPA may have different grade patterns
How NursingCAS treats repeated courses and course categories
When to retake a required class and when a higher level course may show recovery
How to give each planned course a clear purpose

FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last 60 credits GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a CRNA application timeline
Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
13 min
September 25Ventilator Modes Explained: AC, SIMV, and Pressure Support
Ventilator mode names vary, but the reasoning starts with the targeted variable, breath sequence, and the patient's work of breathing. This episode breaks down volume-targeted and pressure-targeted breaths, assist-control, SIMV, pressure support, peak versus plateau pressure, and the hemodynamic effects of positive-pressure ventilation.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
Mechanical Ventilation Modes Cheat Sheet
CRNA Application Checklist
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
Volume-targeted versus pressure-targeted breaths
Assist-control, SIMV, and pressure support
Peak pressure versus plateau pressure
How PEEP and positive pressure affect hemodynamics

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
17 min
September 23Hemodynamics Explained for ICU Nurses
Hemodynamics makes more sense when pressure, flow, resistance, and oxygen delivery are interpreted together. Sachi connects preload, afterload, contractility, compliance, stroke volume, cardiac output, cardiac index, SVR, CVP, PAOP, and fluid responsiveness, then applies the full profile to a CRNA school interview case.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
Hemodynamics Preload & Afterload Quick Reference
CRNA Mock Interview Practice
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
Pressure versus flow and why blood pressure can mislead
Preload, afterload, contractility, and compliance
Fluid responsiveness and pressure surrogates
A six-pass approach to hemodynamic profiles

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
17 min
September 21Precedex vs Propofol: ICU Sedation and CRNA Interview Decisions
Precedex versus propofol is not a one-drug-wins comparison. The safer choice depends on the sedation target, airway and ventilation risk, hemodynamics, onset, recovery, pain plan, and patient context. This episode moves from GABA-A and alpha-two signaling to the bedside effects ICU nurses should anticipate and explain in a CRNA school interview.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
Precedex vs Propofol Sedation Cheat Sheet
CRNA Mock Interview Practice
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
How propofol changes GABA-A receptor signaling
How dexmedetomidine reduces central sympathetic output
Airway, ventilation, heart rate, and blood-pressure tradeoffs
How to compare the drugs in an interview answer

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
15 min
September 18Vasopressor Pharmacology for ICU Nurses and CRNA Interviews
Vasopressor pharmacology is easier to remember when you start with the hemodynamic problem: does the patient need more vascular tone, more contractility, or both? Sachi reviews alpha-one, beta-one, beta-two, and alpha-two signaling, then compares norepinephrine, epinephrine, phenylephrine, vasopressin, dobutamine, and milrinone by mechanism and clinical job.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
Vasopressor Pharmacology Cheat Sheet
CRNA Mock Interview Practice
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
Alpha and beta receptor signaling
Tone, contractility, and mixed hemodynamic jobs
How the major vasoactive medications differ
A safer structure for CRNA interview answers

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
16 min
September 16Your 18-Month CRNA Application Timeline
A strong CRNA application timeline starts about 18 months before your earliest deadline. This episode walks backward from submission so you can plan prerequisites, academic repair, ICU acuity, the GRE, CCRN preparation, shadowing, your resume and essays, recommendations, transcripts, and final submission without stacking everything into the last few months.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
CRNA Application Timeline Generator
CRNA School Database
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
What to do 18 months before your deadline
When to begin shadowing and CCRN preparation
How to stage resumes, essays, and recommendations
What to verify before submitting

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
17 min
September 14CRNA School Prerequisites: What to Retake Before You Apply
CRNA prerequisites involve two different questions: what each target program requires for eligibility and what your transcript needs to prove for competitiveness. Sachi explains how to review core science grades, compare a same-course retake with higher-level academic recovery, and make the decision in the right order.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
CRNA School Database
CRNA Transcript Analyzer
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
Eligibility versus competitiveness
How to identify science grades that need review
Same-course retakes versus higher-level recovery
How repeated coursework may be evaluated

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
15 min
September 10CRRT Explained for ICU Nurses
CRRT becomes easier to reason through when you start with diffusion, convection, and ultrafiltration. This episode connects those transport mechanisms to CVVHD, CVVH, CVVHDF, and SCUF, then walks through effluent dose, circuit pressures, alarms, anticoagulation, and a CRNA school interview case.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
CRRT Modes, Settings & Alarms Cheat Sheet
CRNA Mock Interview Practice
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
Diffusion, convection, and ultrafiltration
How CVVHD, CVVH, CVVHDF, and SCUF differ
Effluent dose and common CRRT settings
How to interpret access, return, filter, and TMP alarms

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
13 min
September 09What to Put (and NOT put) on Your CRNA School Resume/CV
Your CRNA school resume should make your ICU acuity, critical-care skills, leadership, certifications, and preparation for anesthesia easy to find. In this episode, Sachi explains what belongs on the first page, when a second page is useful, how to write specific ICU bullets, and what to cut.
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
CRNA School Database
FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - See your cumulative, science, and last-60-credit GPAs
9-Step Application Checklist - Work through the CRNA school application process in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Build a CCRN, CSC, or CMC study schedule around your shifts
Timeline Generator - Build a personalized CRNA application timeline
IN THIS EPISODE:
The job of a CRNA school resume
How to describe ICU acuity and clinical growth
What counts as leadership and preparation
When to use one page versus two

Try The CRNA Club free for seven days - Explore the all-in-one CRNA school application platform.
Follow The CRNA Club:
Instagram: @thecrnaclub
YouTube: The CRNA Club
Website: thecrnaclub.com
Share this episode with an ICU nurse preparing for CRNA school.
12 min
June 15 They WILL Ask You About Shock in Your CRNA Interview
Every CRNA school interview panel asks about shock. Most applicants can name the four types. What separates the answers that land is mechanism — Frank-Starling in hypovolemic, the afterload trap in cardiogenic, iNOS-driven nitric oxide collapse in distributive, RV dilation and septal shift in obstructive.
This episode covers all four shock states at the cellular level: hemodynamic profiles, bedside clues, and the exact language to use when a program asks you to walk through shock in an interview.

We have a full shock states lesson inside The CRNA Club learning library — hemodynamic profiles for every shock type, built for CCRN prep and CRNA interview practice. Start your free seven-day trial.

FREE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR CRNA JOURNEY:
Transcript Analyzer - Find out if your GPA is competitive for CRNA school
9-Step Application Checklist - Every step you need to apply to CRNA school, in order
CRNA School Database - Search and compare 140+ CRNA programs
Certification Planner - Your personalized CCRN study schedule
Timeline Generator - Build your personalized application timeline

Try The CRNA Club FREE for 7 days - The only tool personalized to YOUR CRNA school journey

CHAPTERS:
[00:00] Cold open: warm post-op patient, ambiguous shock type
[01:30] Welcome and shared framework: shock as inadequate tissue perfusion
[02:30] Tank, pump, pipes, obstruction overview
[03:00] Hypovolemic shock: Frank-Starling, sympathetic compensation, why pressors alone fail
[06:00] Mid-episode: learning library shock lesson
[07:00] Cardiogenic shock: calcium handling failure, the afterload trap, inotrope rationale
[10:00] Distributive shock: iNOS, nitric oxide, why norepinephrine targets the right receptor
[13:00] Obstructive shock: PE anatomy, tension pneumo, tamponade — and Beck's triad caveat
[15:00] How to answer the shock question in your CRNA interview
[16:30] Three clinical takeaways and cold open callback

Follow us on Instagram: @thecrnaclub
More resources at THECRNACLUB.COM
40 min

About The CRNA Club Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Wish you knew exactly what you needed to do to get into CRNA school? Need help coming up with a strategy to be a competitive applicant? You're in the right place! You'll get all of that and more when you tune into The CRNA Club Podcast with your host (and practicing CRNA) Sachi Lord. Her specialty? Breaking things down and turning them into bite-sized actionable steps and dishing the strategy you need to be a competitive applicant. Tune in, get inspired, and learn exactly what you need to do to check all the right boxes so you can get into CRNA school and join #thecrnaclub.