The Nurse Anesthesia program prepares registered nurses to function in the role of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA). Upon completion, the graduate will be prepared to administer all types of anesthesia to diverse populations in a variety of clinical settings.
Graduates will be eligible to take the national certification examination for CRNA from the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists.
Curriculum
The BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program is offered as an 83-credit doctoral degree for baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses.
Accreditation
The program is accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). In 2022, the program received the maximum accreditation status of ten years from the COA.
Date of Last Review: 10/2022
Date of Next Review: 10/2032
Accreditation Status: Continued Accreditation
Council on Accreditation
10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906
Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
224-275-9130
https://www.coacrna.org
Admission Requirements
An applicant for the program must possess a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA accredited program; have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 or other evidence of ability to complete successfully a graduate program such as grades in other post-baccalaureate courses, scores from national graduate school entrance examinations, or a record of progressively higher work experiences; and hold an unencumbered license as a registered nurse in either Pennsylvania or New York. At this time, applicants with competency-based transcripts will not be considered. The applicant should have completed undergraduate or equivalent approved courses in basic physical assessment and statistics. The applicant must submit two professional references and a 300-word essay identifying career goals, demonstrating communication and writing skills. A personal interview with the program director or a faculty member to clarify goals and objectives is required.
In addition, Nurse Anesthesia DNP applicants must also have a minimum of one year of recent critical care nursing experience, current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification, current Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification, and have completed two courses in college chemistry. Critical Care Registered Nurse certification (CCRN) is strongly recommended, but not required.
The deadline for completed applications is October 1 of the year prior to expected enrollment. All admissions requirements for the nurse anesthesia program must be met by the application deadline.
At this time, applicants with competency-based transcripts will not be considered.
Scheduling
The program can be completed in 36 months of continuous full-time study. There is no part-time option. Students are accepted for the summer semester to the full-time program, with projected graduation 3 years later in May. Most classes and clinical practicums are scheduled during the day. However, some evening and weekend classes and clinicals are also required.
Academic Regulations
Nurse Anesthesia DNP students are expected to conform to the regulations stated in both The University of Scranton Graduate Studies Catalog and the Department of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Student Handbook.
Any student who fails to receive a final course grade of “B” or higher in the NA specialty courses cannot progress in the DNP NA specialization. This applies to the following courses in the specialization: NURS 504 - Anatomy and Physiology for Nurse Anesthesia , NURS 510 - Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology , NURS 514 - Chemistry and Physics for Nurse Anesthesia , NURS 517 - Advanced Pharmacology of Nurse Administered Anesthesia I , NURS 518 - Advanced Pharmacology of Nurse Administered Anesthesia II , NURS 529 - Nurse Anesthesia Principles I , NURS 539 - Nurse Anesthesia Principles II , NURS 549 - Nurse Anesthesia Principles III , NURS 559 - Nurse Anesthesia Principles IV , and NURS 778 - Organizational and Systems Leadership for Nurse Anesthesia . The student may make an application to the Department of Nursing to repeat the course when it is next offered, after demonstrating continued competency in previously completed NA specialty courses. The student shall also be required to repeat any co-requisite laboratory course, regardless of the laboratory grade. Any student who fails to obtain a final course grade of “B” or higher on the second attempt will be dismissed from the program. A student may repeat only one specialty course. Any student who receives an Unsatisfactory in a clinical practicum (NURS 546 - Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practicum I , NURS 556 - Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practicum II ) or residency course (NURS 765 - Nurse Anesthesia Residency and DNP Scholarship I , NURS 775 - Nurse Anesthesia Residency and DNP Scholarship II , NURS 785 - Nurse Anesthesia Synthesis and Residency III ) will be dismissed from the program.
Costs
Tuition, which includes clinical fees, for the 83-credit program is $1,200 per credit. In addition to tuition, nurse anesthesia students are responsible for the following out-of-pocket expenses: student nurse anesthetist liability insurance; self-evaluation examination during the second and third years, background clearances and drug testing; one-time student tracking software; one-time certification review course; and attendance at one anesthesia conference during the program. Students are also required to join the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. All students must maintain Pennsylvania and New York registered nurse licenses and current ACLS and PALS certification. All students must have health insurance.
A one-time, nonrefundable fee is payable at the time of admission to the DNP program with a specialization in nurse anesthesia. This fee assures the student’s place in class and will be applied to tuition for the initial summer semester of full-time nurse anesthesia study.
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