Nurse Anesthesia, DNP
The application deadline for the Nurse Anesthesia for the cohort starting 2025 is September 1, 2024.
The Nurse Anesthesia (NA) program is a full-time, rigorous, and comprehensive 36-month program, which prepares registered nurses to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Students are given the opportunity to integrate classroom content with direct application of advanced techniques in the provision of anesthesia care to patients throughout the lifespan. Clinical skills are learned in a variety of environments, each of which offers experiences in the anesthetic management of specialized patient populations.
Program Specific 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 3.0 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. The applicant should have completed undergraduate or equivalent approved courses in basic physical assessment and statistics. The applicant must submit three 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 application deadline for the Nurse Anesthesia for the cohort starting 2025 is September 1, 2024. All admissions requirements for the nurse anesthesia program must be met by the application deadline.
For general application requirements, please Visit Our Admissions Webpage.
*HEALTH AND LIABILITY INSURANCE
Students that are admitted and choose to enroll in the DNP program are expected to have their own health insurance. Health insurance is not offered by The University of Scranton.
In addition, while enrolled in the practicum courses, DNP students must carry professional liability insurance from the AANA. All DNP students enrolled in practicum courses utilizing affiliating agencies must upload evidence of their health and liability insurance to their CastleBranch account prior to starting their practicum hours. Clinical sites may require additional information prior to starting at that facility.
Curriculum
The Doctorate of Nursing Practice - Nurse Anesthesia track is a rigorous 36-month, full-time educational program for post-baccalaureate registered nurses who are seeking the opportunity to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. The curriculum includes didactic coursework, simulation laboratory and clinical experiences at the program's multiple affiliated clinical sites in PA and NY where you will gain over 2,000 hours of clinical experience and participate in over 750 clinical cases with patients whose ages range throughout the lifespan.
First Year:
- The first year of the program includes didactic coursework that may be carried out in-person and/or via distance education formats. The focus of this first year is developing and exercising the knowledge and skills related to integrating evidence-based practice into the students’ clinical knowledge.
Second Year:
- The students begin to develop the knowledge and clinical skills related to the practice of anesthesia through didactic coursework and simulation laboratory sessions. Students start clinical experience during this year. Some of the clinical skills that students will learn include patient safety best practices, airway management, patient positioning, use of the anesthesia gas machine, medication administration, induction sequencing and a variety of others prior to beginning clinical rotations.
Third Year:
- The focus of the final year will be demonstrating safe clinical practice through varied clinical experiences, synthesis of knowledge through the culmination of the DNP scholarly project and portfolio presentation, and preparation for the national certification exam which is taken after graduation.
For additional information on the curriculum, visit the Loading... Catalog.
Mission Statement of Nursing Department
Our mission is to prepare nurses at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels, who are grounded in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, and commited to excellence in practice for the 21st century. Our graduates have the knowledge and competencies to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, holistic person-centered care.
Beyond the Classroom
Real World Experience
The Class of 2016 averaged 802 anesthetic cases and provided over 1,600 hours of anesthetic care during the program.
Outstanding Facilities
Students learn in a brand new suite of laboratories within McGurrin Hall, bringing the classroom experience to life.
Competencies of the Nurse Anesthetist
Graduates of the Nurse Anesthesia program will demonstrate that s/he has acquired the knowledge, skills and competencies as identified by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. These competencies are identified as patient safety, individualized peri-anesthetic management, critical thinking, communication skills and having a professional role.
Graduate Education at Scranton
With over 30 programs The University of Scranton can help you to achieve your goals, personally and professionally. Find out what our students have to say about graduate education at Scranton.
Successful Graduates
Clinical Site Locations
We have affiliations with numerous clinical agencies in Northeastern PA and in Southern & upstate NY.
Clinical Opportunities
Currently the program has fully executed legally bound contracts with clinical sites such as: Bassett Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center, Geisinger Community Medical Center, Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, Geisinger Wyoming Valley, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Hospital (Allentown), Moses Taylor Hospital, Mountain Laurel Surgery Center, LVHN Pocono, Regional Hospital of Scranton/Surgery Center, Robert Packer Hospital/Guthrie Clinic, LVHN Schuylkill, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, UPMC Williamsport, Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital/Surgery Center, and Wilson Regional Medical Center.
Our excellent clinical opportunities are illustrated by the Class of 2023, who averaged 864 anesthetic cases and gained over 2,000 hours of clinical experience.
Accreditation Status
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
Meet the Program Administrator
Ann Culp DNP, CRNA
Nurse Anesthesia Graduate Program Administrator
D.N.P., Case Western Reserve University M.S.N., Case Western Reserve University B.S.N., Ottawa University R.N., Pittston Hospital School of Nursing
(570) 941-5588ann.culp@scranton.edu
