Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia Concentration
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Concentration for BSN or MSN prepared registered nurses interested in pursuing a career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
The program, in affiliation with Washington University School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, is a full-time, 36-month course of study. The curriculum includes academic courses that incorporate high-fidelity human simulation, and an anatomy course with a cadaver lab.
Students gain extensive clinical experience at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the adult and pediatric teaching hospitals for Washington University School of Medicine, along with clinical experience Shriner’s Hospital in St. Louis, The Children’s Specialty Care Center and Progress West Hospital.
The high acuity and wide variety of patients seen at these institutions will provide students with clinical experiences unlike any other in the region.
Graduates of the Nurse Anesthesia program will be prepared to take the National Certification Examination given by the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) to become certified in the field. They will also be prepared to work as an independent nurse anesthesia provider.
The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration was also awarded the status of IFNA Accreditation in October 2014, having completed all requirements of the Anesthesia Program Approval Process established by the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists. The accreditation was renewed in May 2019 through May 2024. The program is also ranked number 18 of 130 programs in the country by US News & World Report.
| PROGRAM LENGTH: |
36 months, full-time |
| ADMISSION DEADLINE: |
March 1 |
| TERM START: |
The following January |
Admission Requirements
Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or a Master of Science in Nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in all undergraduate and graduate course work
Active, unencumbered- RN license in good standing
A minimum of one year of full-time critical care experience as an RN. Highest priority is given to applicants with the most recent experience in high acuity environments and a broad base of adult invasive hemodynamic monitoring and ventilator management.
CCRN certification (not required but highly recommended)
Two letters of reference
Personal statement
CV or resume
Successful completion of the following undergraduate course prerequisites (minimum of 3 credit hours each):
Physics, Algebra-based
Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry
Statistics
An email with additional information regarding compliance requirements will be sent three months prior to start date.
NOTE: All course grades will be included in the cumulative GPA calculation. The Admissions Department may provide 10-year forgiveness for cumulative GPA calculation. The student must submit a petition for forgiveness of prior grades to the Admissions Department. This letter will be placed in the student’s file. The GPA will then be appropriately calculated.
Sample Course Sequence
Spring, Term 1
| NURS 6200 | Biostatistics and Epidemiology | 3 |
| NURS 6420 | Health Promotion Theory and Population Health | 3 |
| NURS 6523 | Foundations of Scholarly Writing and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 5109 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
Summer, Term 2
| NURS 6450 | Chemistry and Physics Applied to Anesthesia | 4 |
| NURS 6327 | Health Systems Policy | 3 |
| NURS 6500 | Leadership and Collaboration for Quality and Safety | 3 |
| NURS 6325 | Healthcare Informatics, Economics, and Financial Principles | 3 |
Fall, Term 3
Spring, Term 4
| NURS 6004 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 4 |
| NURS 6516 | DNP Basic Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| NURS 6512 | DNP Advanced Pharmacology and Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 6240 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I | 3 |
Summer, Term 5
| NURS 6513 | DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I | 3 |
| NURS 6506 | DNP Clinical Experience I | 3 |
| NURS 6245 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project II | 3 |
Fall, Term 6
| NURS 6514 | DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| NURS 6507 | DNP Clinical Experience II | 3 |
| NURS 6250 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project III | 3 |
Spring, Term 7
**NURS6250X DNP Project (optional if project not completed, total credit hours 93.5 if taken)
| NURS 6215 | DNP Clinical Correlation Seminar | 1.5 |
| NURS 6517 | DNP Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 6508 | DNP Clinical Experience III | 4 |
| NURS 6250x | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project III Extension | 1 |
Summer, Term 8
Fall, Term 9 (6.5)
Total Credit Hours: 92.5