Degree Offered
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
Nature of the Program
Description
The DNP Nurse Anesthetist Program prepares registered nurses to become certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) through a rigorous, challenging curriculum based on the Standards of Accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) and the DNP Essentials of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Only offered as a full-time program, students are required to take 88 credits over 3 years or 9 continuous semesters. The program received a five-year initial accreditation from the COA effective October 9, 2019.
Nurse anesthesia practice covers the continuum of care from pre-operative assessment to discharge from the recovery unit. Nurse anesthetists interview and assess each patient to best formulate and implement an individualized plan of care while collaborating with members of a multi-disciplinary health care team. The DNP Nurse Anesthetist Program prepares students through course work that develops knowledge and skill in anesthesia practice, translation and implementation of evidence to practice, improvement in health outcomes for diverse populations, and organizational leadership.
Courses are divided into four categories, including core DNP, anesthesia specialty, clinical practicum, and DNP project offerings. Core DNP courses are offered online and address foundations of nursing theory, assessment, pharmacology, statistics, evidence-based practice methods, health promotion, informatics, leadership, ethics, and health policy. Anesthesia specialty courses are face-to-face classes with online capabilities. They are heavily based in sciences including chemistry, physics, advanced anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and basic and advanced principles of anesthesia. Additional specialty courses present physical assessment and principles of business, management, and finance pertinent to anesthesia practice. Clinical practicum begins in the third semester and provides the student the opportunity to integrate didactic content with application of state-of-the-art techniques in the provision of anesthesia care to patients in all risk categories and age ranges in a variety of health care settings. Students are required to administer a minimum of 650 anesthetics and complete over 2000 clinical hours; however, graduating WVU DNP student nurse anesthetists are expected to exceed that minimum. DNP project courses are incorporated early in the curriculum to give the student and faculty time to develop a project question, perform a literature search, refine and implement an initiative, collect and analyze data, and write a manuscript. The DNP Project manuscript and a portfolio of course work demonstrate a synthesis of the student’s efforts in the program and lay the foundation for future clinical scholarly initiatives directed at improving health and organizational outcomes in nurse anesthesia practice.
The graduate earns a DNP degree and is eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam (NCE). This is a board exam administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Graduates who pass the Certification Exam become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Certified graduates have the opportunity to practice in traditional hospital operating suites; ambulatory surgical centers; offices of dentists, podiatrists, and pain management specialists; or in a wide variety of settings including the U.S. military and Public Health Services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for Nurse Anesthetists will grow 12% by 2031. According to the most current American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) statistics, the mean total compensation for full-time CRNAs is greater than $215,000.
Accreditation Information
The WVU Nurse Anesthetist Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) through October 2024. The COA may be contacted by mail at 10275 W. Higgins Road, Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603; by phone at 224-275-9130; or on the web at www.coacrna.org.
The WVU School of Nursing DNP program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
Admissions for 2025-2026
DNP Nurse Anesthetist Admission Criteria
Qualifications to apply to the WVU DNP Nurse Anesthetist program include:
- Bachelor of Science or graduate degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program and regionally accredited institution.
- Minimum nursing GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Cumulative GPA of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on all college work attempted.
- Minimum of 1-year post-orientation, and preferably 2-3 years of current, full-time critical care experience.
- Employment in telemetry, cardiac catheterization lab, operating room, post-anesthesia care unit, interventional radiology, or emergency department is not considered critical care experience.
- American Heart Association certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification is required prior to beginning clinical activities.
- Current, unencumbered RN or APRN license. (Licensure in West Virginia will be required during the program and possibly one or more of the following states: Maryland, Ohio, and/or Pennsylvania.
Applicants must submit official transcripts from all degree programs of attendance, a curriculum vitae/resume, 3 letters of recommendation (Professor/Faculty Member, Supervisor/Employer responsible for your annual performance review, and a professional colleague, physician or CRNA), evidence of licensure, BLS, and ACLS certification, and an application fee by the specified deadline. It is also strongly recommended that students shadow a CRNA prior to applying to the program. An applicant must provide of letter of good standing from any program in which the applicant is currently enrolled or any graduate program in which courses were taken but the program was not completed.
Competitive applicants will be invited for an interview. Applicants will not be admitted without an interview. Admission into any graduate program is granted on a competitive basis and students meeting minimum requirements may be denied admission based on such factors as program capacity or academic discretion.
Students must satisfactorily complete background checks and drug screens upon admission.
Please note: To be considered, applicants must meet all WVU admission requirements, in addition to program specific admission criteria. Admission criteria are subject to change. Please see the School of Nursing website for the most up-to-date criteria at https://nursing.hsc.wvu.edu.
Readmission Policy
Any student who has been dismissed from the West Virginia University School of Nursing or any other nursing program may be considered for readmission if the dismissal was academic and was followed by successful completion of an additional degree. Any student who has withdrawn from the WVU School of Nursing program may be considered for readmission. See Graduate Readmission Policy.
Admission as a non-degree seeking student
Non-degree seeking students may only enroll in NSG 701 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics, NSG 705 Advanced Health Assessment, and NSG 706 Advanced Pathophysiology.
Application Process
Complete two application forms as indicated below and return to the appropriate offices by the deadline.
- Application for Admission to Graduate Studies (available at: https://westvirginia.force.com/wvugrad/TX_SiteLogin?startURL=%2Fwvugrad%2FTargetX_Portal__PB)
- On the Supplemental Materials screen, you will upload the following:
- Current curriculum vita or resume
- Professional goals statement. View the guidelines on writing the essay on the School of Nursing website.
- Applicants will list your references, with their email addresses, on the Recommendations screen. References will receive an email from the application vendor with an electronic form. Applicants will also need to upload a letter of recommendation.
- On the Supplemental Materials screen, you will upload the following:
- Supplemental Application for the DNP Nurse Anesthetist Program.
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Request an official transcript of records from each college or university attended.
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It is preferred that official transcripts be sent via an online, secure service such as eScrip-Safe, National Student Clearinghouse, or Parchment to graduateadmissions@mail.wvu.edu.
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Alternatively, sealed, untampered, physical official transcripts can be sent directly to WVU Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 6510, Morgantown, WV 26506-6510.
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Applicants who completed prior education outside of the U.S. must have their transcripts evaluated by World Education Services (WES). Please request a “course-by-course” International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP).
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For more information, visit the website at https://nursing.hsc.wvu.edu, write to West Virginia University School of Nursing, P.O. Box 9600, Morgantown, WV 26506-9600; or call (304) 293-1386.
Major Code: 8625
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for the degree. | ||
| NSG 701 | Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NSG 702 | Population Health Promotion | 3 |
| NSG 704 | Health Care Leadership | 3 |
| NSG 705 | Advanced Lifespan Assessment | 3 |
| NSG 706 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NSG 707 | Evidence Based Practice Methods | 3 |
| NSG 710 | Health Care Issues, Policy, and Ethics | 3 |
| NSG 724 | Health Research Statistics 1 | 3 |
| NSG 739 | Scientific Underpinnings of the DNP Role | 3 |
| NSG 740A | Standards of Practice, Professionalism, and Overview of the Nurse Anesthesia Role | 2 |
| NSG 740B | Professional Issues in Nurse Anesthesia | 2 |
| NSG 741 | Genetics, Chemistry, and Physics of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NSG 742A | Foundations of Anesthesia 1: Basic Principles of Safe Anesthesia Care | 3 |
| NSG 742B | Foundations of Anesthesia 2: Regional Anesthesia and Considerations for Common Procedures | 2 |
| NSG 743 | Foundations of Anesthesia Lab | 1 |
| NSG 744A | Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology 1: Cardiac, Pulmonary, and CNS | 3 |
| NSG 744B | Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology 2: Hepatic, Renal, and Related Systems | 2 |
| NSG 746 | Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthetists | 3 |
| NSG 747 | Perioperative Assessment and Care | 1 |
| NSG 748A | Advanced Principles of Anesthesia 1: Cardiothoracic, Vascular, and Neuroanesthesia | 3 |
| NSG 748B | Advanced Principles of Anesthesia 2: Management Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NSG 748C | Advanced Principles of Anesthesia 3: Management of Special Populations | 2 |
| NSG 749 | Business, Management, and Finance in Nurse Anesthesia Practice | 3 |
| NSG 751 | Evidence-Based Anesthesia Review | 3 |
| NSG 752A | Foundations Clinical Practicum 1 | 1 |
| NSG 752B | Foundations Clinical Practicum 2 | 2 |
| NSG 753A | Advanced Clinical Practicum 1 | 2 |
| NSG 753B | Advanced Clinical Practicum 2 | 2 |
| NSG 753C | Advanced Clinical Practicum 3 | 3 |
| NSG 754 | Transforming Health Care Through Information Technology | 3 |
| NSG 810 | Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Immersion 1 | 3 |
| NSG 812 | Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Immersion 2 | 2 |
| NSG 830 | Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Development | 2 |
| Project Implementation | 3 | |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Implementation | ||
| NSG 832 | Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Presentation | 2 |
| Total Hours | 88 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Semester | Hours | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| NSG 706 | 3 | ||
| NSG 724 | 3 | ||
| NSG 739 | 3 | ||
| NSG 740A | 2 | ||
| 11 | |||
| Second Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 701 | 3 | ||
| NSG 705 | 3 | ||
| NSG 707 | 3 | ||
| NSG 741 | 3 | ||
| 12 | |||
| Third Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 702 | 3 | ||
| NSG 742A | 3 | ||
| NSG 743 | 1 | ||
| NSG 752A | 1 | ||
| NSG 830 | 2 | ||
| 10 | |||
| Fourth Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 742B | 2 | ||
| NSG 744A | 3 | ||
| NSG 746 | 3 | ||
| NSG 752B | 2 | ||
| NSG 831 | 1 | ||
| 11 | |||
| Fifth Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 744B | 2 | ||
| NSG 747 | 1 | ||
| NSG 748A | 3 | ||
| NSG 753A | 2 | ||
| NSG 754 | 3 | ||
| NSG 831 | 1 | ||
| 12 | |||
| Sixth Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 748B | 3 | ||
| NSG 753B | 2 | ||
| NSG 831 | 1 | ||
| 6 | |||
| Seventh Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 704 | 3 | ||
| NSG 740B | 2 | ||
| NSG 748C | 2 | ||
| NSG 753C | 3 | ||
| 10 | |||
| Eighth Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 710 | 3 | ||
| NSG 749 | 3 | ||
| NSG 810 | 3 | ||
| 9 | |||
| Ninth Semester | Hours | ||
| NSG 751 | 3 | ||
| NSG 812 | 2 | ||
| NSG 832 | 2 | ||
| 7 | |||
| Total credit hours: 88 | |||
Progression and Performance Standards
To progress in the graduate curriculum, a Nurse Anesthetist Program student must meet the following performance standards. Failure to meet the criteria below will result in dismissal from the program.
- Maintain an overall academic Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 in all work attempted in the DNP Nurse Anesthetist Program. A student who falls below 3.0 after nine or more credit hours are completed in the program will be placed on academic probation and has only one semester to bring up the GPA to the 3.0 requirement. Failure to raise the cumulative GPA to 3.0 in one semester will result in dismissal from the program.
- Earn a letter grade (A, B, C, or Pass) on all required courses. A grade of F or Fail in any course results in dismissal from the program.
- Carry forward only one C grade in a core DNP nursing course. A second C in a core DNP nursing course will result in dismissal from the program.
- A student earning below a B- grade in any anesthesia specialty course must repeat the course. This means the student will fall out of progression with the current cohort and must wait until the course is offered in the next academic year.
- Repeat only one course in the DNP Nurse Anesthetist progression plan and only one time.
- Students can only carry forward two course withdrawals (resulting in a "W" on the academic transcript). The withdrawals cannot occur in the same course more than one time.
- Course age requirements: Students are permitted to continue in a graduate nursing program for a maximum of 7 years following their term of admission to the programs or 5 years following PhD candidacy. A course completed more than 7 years prior to the term of degree or certificate completion will be reviewed by program administrators and the Associate Dean of Curriculum. The student may be required to validate current knowledge in the subject area, repeat the course(s), or complete competency evaluation. The University’s time limit requirements must also be met. http://catalog.wvu.edu/graduate/advisingcoursesdegrees/degree_regulations/#timelimitstext
If a student needs to withdraw from all courses in a semester, the student must meet with his or her faculty advisor. See program handbook for Leave of Absence and Withdrawal policies at https://nursing.wvu.edu/students/resources/student-handbooks/.
Graduate Readmission Policy
Any student who has been dismissed from the West Virginia University School of Nursing or any other nursing program may be considered for readmission if the dismissal was academic and was followed by successful completion of an additional degree. Any student who has withdrawn from the WVU School of Nursing program may be considered for readmission. Students may apply for readmission in accordance with the following guidelines and criteria but must follow the standard admission procedures. Students must meet all original admission requirements.
- Students previously enrolled in a WVU nursing program must complete all exit procedures and forms during the semester of withdrawal to be eligible for readmission.
- Readmission to a WVU graduate nursing program will be considered one time only.
- Students unable to complete the program within 7 years of the original admission date (all graduate programs) and within 5 years of entry into candidacy (PhD program) will be required to restart the program if readmitted.
- Readmission is not guaranteed and is dependent upon space available, applicant qualifications, and academic discretion.
- Students may be required to repeat courses, revise the original progression plan, and/or validate clinical skills/knowledge obtained from previous courses.
Grading Scale
The grading scale for nursing as posted in each course syllabus is:
A = 93-100, B = 85-92, C = 77-84, F = 76 and below.
Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Nurse Anesthetist Program, the graduate will be prepared to:
- Implement advanced knowledge in nurse anesthesia science, theory, and practice.
- Evaluate, develop, implement, and lead organizational change to improve care delivery and quality.
- Develop evidence-based interventions and implement solutions to address clinical problems.
- Examine and evaluate technology and the utility of information systems and data to improve patient care.
- Influence and participate in health policy development in the institution and region of practice.
- Collaborate with the healthcare community, working with nursing, medical, surgical and anesthesia team members to promote patient advocacy and safety.
- Demonstrate technical, professional, and cultural competence in nurse anesthesia practice by safely caring for patients across the lifespan and at all levels of acuity.
- Formulate physiologically sound plans for anesthesia care.
- Participate in the clinical, administrative, and educational advancement of fellow CRNAs and other advanced practice practitioners.