CRNA Schools in California


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California, known as the Golden State, is ranked #6 in total number of CRNA Schools in the United States.  It shares the #6 ranking with Texas, Illinois, and Michigan.  Frankly, CRNA students love California.  California has one of the largest economies in the United States and is often seen as the epicenter of the Tech, education and entertainment industries.  They rate the State highly in terms of the Mediterranean climate as well as the diversity of students from overseas (Hispanic, Asia, Canada and India).  In fact, USC accepts more international students than any other school in America.  Only one of the CRNA schools in CA is located in the larger city of Los Angeles, while the remaining are a bit farther away from San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento.  In total, there are 5 CRNA Schools in California as shown below:

  1. Kaiser CRNA, Pasadena (Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nursing Anesthesia)
  2. Samuel Merritt CRNA, Oakland (Master of Science in Nursing)
  3. USC CRNA School, Los Angeles (Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice)
  4. Loma Linda CRNA, Loma Linda (Doctor of Nursing Practice)
  5. National University CRNA, Fresno (Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice)

Nurse Anesthetist Programs in California

As of 2021, there are 124 CRNA schools in the United States and 2.4 CRNA schools in each State on average.  To compare, there are 13 CRNA schools in Pennsylvania and 9 CRNA schools in Florida.  In addition, North Carolina and Tennessee both have 6 CRNA schools.  On the other hand, there are no CRNA programs at all in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska and Hawaii.  More often than not, the States with more CRNA schools tend to have more CRNA jobs as well.  This wholeheartedly applies to CRNA jobs in California as well – California is ranked #10 in the US in terms of most number of nurse anesthetist jobs.

CRNA Programs in California Acceptance Rate

CRNA Programs in California Acceptance RateThe average acceptance rate for CRNA programs in California is 18%.  This is much lower when compared to the national CRNA average acceptance rate of 26%.  In general, the easiest CRNA schools to get into by State are generally in the States with more CRNA schools.  For example, the average acceptance rate for CRNA schools in Florida is 30% with 9 CRNA Schools.  This compares with an acceptance rate of 13% for CRNA schools in Georgia and 24% in South Carolina, which only have 2 CRNA schools.  However, this basic guideline definitely does not apply to California.

California houses some of the most competitive CRNA schools in the country with the lowest acceptance rates.  The CRNA acceptance rates of Kaiser CRNA and Loma Linda CRNA are only 13% and that of National University CRNA is 15%.  In addition, the Kaiser CRNA program is the #1 most popular program in the United States with hundreds of qualified applicants competing for only a small number of available spots.

Best CRNA Schools in California

best crna schoolsPlease see the list below for the best CRNA schools in California.

Best CRNA School RankingAll CRNA SchoolsCityDegree Offered
32Kaiser CRNAPasadenaDNPNA
34Samuel Merritt CRNAOaklandMSN
37USC CRNA SchoolLos AngelesDNAP
65Loma Linda CRNALoma LindaDNP
95National University CRNAFresnoDNAP

Be sure to check out our exclusive best nurse anesthetist schools list.  Through interviewing over 125 real CRNAs, we ranked all CRNA schools to come up with the best CRNA schools in America.

Other California CRNA Information

CRNA Programs in CA InformationWhether you are a student aspiring to attend a CRNA programs in California or already a CRNA, check out CRNA Salary in California and California Board of Nursing to learn more about nurse anesthesia in the State.

Map of CRNA Schools by State

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Notes:
The darker the blue color equivocates to more CRNA Schools in the State.
Tier 1 = 6 or more CRNA Schools
2nd Tier  = 3 to 5 CRNA Schools
Tier 3 = 1 or 2 CRNA Schools
White means no CRNA schools in the State.
Data source: everythingCRNA

CRNA Salary in California

crna salary in californiaSince you’re reading about CRNA Schools in California, we thought you might be interested in learning about the CRNA Salary in California if you’re going to work in the State.  Be sure to also check out our CRNA Salary Guide and CRNA Starting Salary if you’re still a student or if you’re wondering how much a fresh CRNA can make right out of nurse anesthesia school.  Different States have different demand and supply economics of nurse anesthetists, so my advice is to be sure to read up on different states to see which ones fit you best.

Nurse Anesthetist Programs in CA Conclusion

To conclude, California is one of the hottest states for CRNA programs and CRNA jobs.  Potential students applying to CRNA schools in CA are attracted to some of the best CRNA programs in the country in addition to the weather, culture and lifestyle of the State.  To add to that, the demand for CRNA graduates is sky high making it a great combination.

Are you currently a CRNA student in California or working there now as a nurse anesthetist?  Please share your feedback and comments below.  For more information, click on the image gallery below.

 

Nelson
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Nelson

Author Bio: Nelson started everythingCRNA to help aspiring, student and practicing CRNAs & CAAs. Nelson is currently a CRNA in New York City.  Previously, he worked as an ICU Travel RN and Critical Care RN in Philadelphia, Miami, Washington DC, and Boston.  He earned his BSN from Penn State and his MSN from Bloomsburg.  He is also a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). In his free time, he enjoys working out, exploring the outdoors, and helping future CRNAs.

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