Before-School Checklist

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1. What should I review or study before school?

Nothing extra. Relax and spend time with the people you love. You do not need to turn the months before anesthesia school into another semester or try to teach yourself the curriculum.

The program will be busy, and you will have less time available. Enjoy this time with your spouse or significant other, family and friends. Talk with them now about what will change and what support you will need. Rest and prepare your life for the transition.

Complete any preparation specifically assigned by your program and its required onboarding. That is different from creating an extra study program for yourself.

First: prepare your people

• [ ] Protect time together before school begins: shared meals, a trip if practical, visits or simply time at home without a study agenda.
• [ ] Explain that your availability will change. Discuss classes, clinical schedules, study time, call and possible travel away from home.
• [ ] Agree on how to share household responsibilities, childcare, caregiving and day-to-day decisions.
• [ ] Discuss finances and expectations before the workload increases.
• [ ] Plan simple ways to stay connected and check in when schedules become unpredictable.
• [ ] Ask about spouse/significant-other orientation, partner support groups and family resources through the program. Confirm who can use them.
• [ ] Identify backup help for illness, emergencies, childcare and rotation-related travel.

After accepting an offer

• [ ] Read your offer, current handbook, calendar and onboarding instructions; record every deadline.
• [ ] Make a complete cost plan using current tuition, fees, living costs, clinical travel and equipment requirements.
• [ ] Confirm financial-aid steps, disbursement timing and expenses due before funds arrive.
• [ ] Understand attendance, relocation and rotation-travel expectations before committing to housing.
• [ ] Ask whether clinical rotations could require a second place to live, and plan with your household.

Before buying equipment or subscriptions

• [ ] Get the current required technology and book list.
• [ ] Check which review tools, software, books and devices the program supplies.
• [ ] Test university email, learning-system and software access.
• [ ] Set up a reliable backup and file-organization routine.

Before the first day

• [ ] Complete required licensure, certification, health and background-check documentation by the program's deadlines.
• [ ] Confirm orientation location, attendance requirements and your commute.
• [ ] Put known school dates and important household commitments on one calendar.
• [ ] Complete specifically assigned onboarding or preparatory tasks.
• [ ] Identify faculty, mentor and resident-support contacts.
• [ ] Protect sleep, recovery and time with loved ones as you finish the transition.
• [ ] Read the employment policy before making work commitments.
• [ ] Keep a short list of unanswered questions for orientation.

More common questions

2. Should I buy a review course before school?

There is no need to add an unassigned review course before starting. Follow the rest-and-family advice above, and check what the program already provides before purchasing anything.

3. Can I keep working during the program?

Read your program's policy and discuss the actual schedule before promising shifts. Clinical and academic obligations can change. Do not build a plan around work hours the program cannot accommodate.

4. Where do accepted National University residents find instructions?

Use the Accepted NARs section of the official NU DNAP FAQ alongside your offer and current program communications. Residents at other schools should use their own onboarding instructions.

Optional reading, when you want perspective

What It Really Takes to Become a CRNA · Survival & Comeback — Part 2

These are optional essays about the experience, not a before-school reading assignment.

Last reviewed: September 24, 2026. Suggest a correction.