New Grad Playbook
The most consequential 90 days of your career.
You survived CRNA school. The next 90 days — NCE, licensure, first contract, signing bonus, credentialing, loan strategy — set the trajectory for the next 30 years. Get them right the first time.
90 days
The window that compounds
$200K+
Before bonus + 1099 work
12
Score every offer before signing
$180K+
OBBBA-era repayment math
What Are You Working On Right Now?
Pick the next 10 days. Skip the noise.
Flagship New-Grad Resources
Three resources to anchor the launch.
The full guide
The 90-Day Playbook
Week-by-week from graduation to first clinical day. Every milestone, every decision, every common new-grad mistake — with the move that prevents it.
Open12-factor score
Contract Scorecard
Grade your offer before you sign. Flags restrictive covenants, clawbacks, malpractice gaps, vague call language — the quiet six-figure mistakes.
OpenPost-OBBBA
Student Loan Optimizer
$180K+ in debt meets $270K+ in income. Compare PSLF, IDR, refinancing, and aggressive payoff side-by-side. The decision compounds for a decade.
OpenStep 1 · Exam
Pass the NCE
Final hurdle between you and the credential. Smart study beats hard study — the question banks and content-area weights matter more than total hours.
The 90-Day Playbook
Week-by-week from graduation to first clinical day. NCE prep, licensure, job search, contract negotiation, and a 12-point scorecard.
NCE Exam Prep
12-week study plan, content area weights, the question banks that map closest to the real exam, and the retake policy nobody reads.
SRNA & Early-Career Wellness
The three predictable crises, honest guidance on mental health without licensing fear, and the message worth saving.
Step 2 · Offer
Find the Right Offer
Most new grads accept the first offer because they don't know the market. The salary data is free, the negotiation script is free, and they save you $20K–$50K over the contract.
New Grad Salary Benchmarks
First-year CRNA salary floors by state, setting modifiers, and the items new grads can actually negotiate beyond base.
Salary Calculator
Run your specific scenario by state, setting, experience, and call burden. See your percentile from 25th to 90th.
Interview Prep
20+ common questions with answer frameworks, technical clinical prep, and the questions you should be asking employers.
50-State Practice Map
Choosing where to work? Practice authority, supervision rules, salary ranges, and licensure details for every state.
Step 3 · Sign
Read the Contract
A signing bonus that looks like $30K can be worth less than $5K after tax + clawback + vesting. A non-compete written in 12-point font shapes the next five years of your life. Read everything.
Negotiation Playbook
12-item scorecard, scripts for signing bonuses and starting salary, and the leverage new grads don't realize they have.
Contract Scorecard
Grade any CRNA contract across 12 factors. Flags restrictive covenants, clawbacks, and malpractice gaps before you sign.
15 Contract Red Flags
The clauses that quietly cost new grads six figures — non-competes, productivity bonuses, tail coverage, and more.
Signing Bonus Analyzer
After-tax, clawback-adjusted, vesting-aware real value of signing and retention bonuses — before you sign.
Credentialing Guide
Start credentialing before your first offer. 16-item checklist, NLC compact, and how to avoid delays that cost weeks of income.
Step 4 · Launch
Launch the Money
The first-year financial decisions compound for thirty years. Loan strategy, emergency fund, disability insurance, and the discipline to skip the lifestyle creep — all while paying down debt with the highest-leverage income of your life.
Student Loan Optimizer
You just graduated with $180K+ in debt. Compare PSLF, IDR, refinancing, and aggressive payoff — see which saves the most.
Student Loans After OBBBA
Grad PLUS elimination, new borrowing caps, and updated repayment strategies for current and future CRNAs.
First-Year Financial Playbook
The 'don't buy the car' survival guide. Budget template, emergency fund, debt prioritization, and the insurance you must not skip.
Disability Insurance
Own-occupation, specialty-specific, and the critical riders most new grads skip until it's too late.
CPC Requirements
Your first CPC cycle starts at certification. 100 credits over 4 years — understand what's required before you fall behind.
1099 vs W2 Guide
Some new grads jump straight to 1099. Read the decision guide before the move — the math is rarely what the recruiter says.
Where Our New-Grad Data Comes From
NCE format + content weights: NBCRNA blueprint and AANA practice analysis. Salary benchmarks: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, AANA compensation surveys, recruiter pay-band data, direct CRNA-submitted offers. Contract guidance reviewed against attorney-published CRNA contract checklists. Loan math: federal IDR formulas + OBBBA borrowing rules. Last verified: April 2026. Read the full methodology →
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