Mayo Clinic CRNA Program Interview: Behavioral Interview and Dates
What happens at the Mayo Clinic nurse anesthesia (CRNA) interview, how you get one, and how offers are made.
Applicants Mayo Clinic is considering may be asked to Rochester, at their own expense, for a personal behavioral interview with the admissions committee. Interviews are held in the fall, final candidates are chosen after all interviews are done, and acceptance letters are mailed by November. Up to 30 students start each mid-September.
Key facts (September start)
- Format
- A personal behavioral interview with the admissions committee.
- Online or in person
- In person on Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus, at your own expense.
- When
- Interviews are in the fall, after an April 1 to June 1 application window. Acceptance letters are mailed by November.
- Who is interviewed
- Applicants Mayo is considering for acceptance after screening on academics, clinical experience, professional involvement, references and knowledge of the profession.
- Class size
- Up to 30 students each year.
- Requirements
- CCRN, 2 years of ICU by the program start, and a 3.25 GPA overall and in science.
- How you apply
- Through NursingCAS.
What happens at the interview
Mayo calls its interview a personal behavioral interview with the admissions committee, held in person in Rochester.
- Behavioral. Expect questions about how you acted in real past situations.
- In Rochester. You may be asked to visit Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, and you pay for the trip.
- In the fall. Interviews are held in the fall, after the June 1 application deadline.
Use the STAR shape. For each story, give the situation, your task, what you did and the result. Keep the focus on your own actions.
How offers are decided
Mayo waits until every interview is done, then selects its final candidates.
- Letters by November. Acceptance letters are mailed by November.
- A $1,500 fee. If accepted, you pay a nonrefundable slot-retention fee of $1,500 (subject to change).
- Up to 30 places. Up to 30 students are accepted on a competitive basis each year.
How you get an interview
Mayo screens every application on cognitive and non-cognitive factors, and says applicants are not selected on grades alone.
What Mayo screens for
- Academics. Overall academic performance and ability in science courses.
- Clinical experience and professional involvement. Your ICU work and your involvement in the profession.
- Two set references. Your ICU nurse manager, and an ICU physician or advanced practice provider you have worked with in the last 2 years.
- Knowledge of the profession. Nurse anesthesia shadowing is recommended.
Requirements
- 2 years of ICU. At least 2 years as an RN in an ICU by the program start, worked at 0.6 FTE or more. If you have moved out of critical care, your ICU experience must be within 2 years of the start date.
- CCRN. Mayo requires AACN's CCRN certification.
- GPA 3.25. At least 3.25 overall and 3.25 in science. If you fall short, the program director may consider your last 60 credits or last 30 science credits.
- Science courses. At least 30 semester credits of science, including anatomy, chemistry and physiology.
- Degree and license. A bachelor's in nursing or an appropriate biological science, and a Minnesota RN license by enrollment.
- Who can apply. US citizens, US nationals, permanent residents, asylees and refugees. Mayo does not sponsor visas.
Dates and other details
Mayo runs the same calendar every year. It publishes the pattern, not dated years.
The yearly calendar
The application opens April 1 of the year before you start. So for a September 2027 start, the window was April 1 to June 1, 2026, with interviews in fall 2026.
- April 1 to June 1. Apply on NursingCAS, using Mayo's DNAP CV template. Everything is due by June 1.
- Fall. Behavioral interviews in Rochester.
- By November. Acceptance letters are mailed.
- Mid-September the next year. Classes begin.
The program
It is a continuous 39-month program that ends in mid-December. Mayo says it is the oldest continuously operating nurse anesthesia program, teaching nurse anesthetists since 1889.
Faculty and mentors are practicing CRNAs. Apart from off-campus rotations, all classes and clinical work are on one campus within a one-mile radius. Transfer credits are not accepted.
How to prepare
A behavioral interview rewards specific, honest stories, so build them before you go.
- Build eight stories. Cover a hard patient, a mistake, a conflict, teamwork, advocacy, pressure, leadership and a time you did not know the answer.
- Know your references' view. Mayo asks for your ICU manager and an ICU physician or APP. Think about what they saw you do, and be ready to tell those stories yourself.
- Show you know the role. Mayo screens for knowledge of the profession. Be ready to describe what you saw while shadowing a CRNA.
- Plan the trip. The interview is in Rochester at your own cost, so book early once you are invited.
Name what you learned. End each story with what you would do the same or differently. Behavioral interviewers listen for reflection.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Behavioral interview (in person) station, written for applicants to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Describe a time you remained calm under extreme pressure.
Pick one real moment, say what you did first and why, and show how you kept the team focused.
Tell me about a conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it.
Show you listened first, addressed it directly and kept patient care at the center.
How would you handle a medication error?
Protect the patient first, report it honestly, and explain what you would change to prevent it.
If you don't know the answer to something in clinical practice, what do you do?
Admit it, keep the patient safe, and show how you find the right answer or the right person.
How did you study for your CCRN certification?
Describe your plan, how you handled weak areas, and how that habit will carry into anesthesia school.
Tell me about your CRNA shadow experience.
Go beyond what you watched. Describe what the CRNA decided and why it made you want the role.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of interview does Mayo Clinic's CRNA program use?
A personal behavioral interview with the admissions committee on Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus.
Is the Mayo Clinic CRNA interview in person?
Yes. Applicants Mayo is considering may be asked to visit the Rochester campus, at their own expense.
When does Mayo Clinic send CRNA acceptances?
Interviews are held in the fall, final candidates are selected after all interviews are done, and acceptance letters are mailed by November.
Does Mayo Clinic's DNAP require CCRN?
Yes. Mayo requires AACN's CCRN certification, along with 2 years of ICU experience by the program start and a 3.25 GPA overall and in science.
How many students does Mayo Clinic's CRNA program take?
Up to 30 students each year, starting in mid-September.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.