College Catalog 2023-2024

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 6200Biostatistics and Epidemiology

3

NURS 6420Health Promotion Theory and Population Health

3

NURS 6523Foundations of Scholarly Writing and Evidence-Based Practice

3

NURS 5109Advanced Pharmacology

3

Summer, Term 2

NURS 6450Chemistry and Physics Applied to Anesthesia

4

NURS 6327Health Systems Policy

3

NURS 6500Leadership and Collaboration for Quality and Safety

3

NURS 6325Healthcare Informatics, Economics, and Financial Principles

3

Fall, Term 3

NURS 5010Graduate Anatomy

6

NURS 6003Graduate Physiology

4

NURS 6515DNP Basic Principles of Anesthesia I

2

NURS 6511DNP Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Anesthesia

3

Spring, Term 4

NURS 6004Advanced Pathophysiology

4

NURS 6516DNP Basic Principles of Anesthesia II

3

NURS 6512DNP Advanced Pharmacology and Anesthesia

3

NURS 6240Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I

3

Summer, Term 5

NURS 6513DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I

3

NURS 6506DNP Clinical Experience I

3

NURS 6245Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project II

3

Fall, Term 6

NURS 6514DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II

3

NURS 6507DNP Clinical Experience II

3

NURS 6250Systems-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 6215DNP Clinical Correlation Seminar

1.5

NURS 6517DNP Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia

3

NURS 6508DNP Clinical Experience III

4

NURS 6250xSystems-Based Practice and DNP Project III Extension

1

Summer, Term 8

NURS 6225DNP Clinical Correlation Conference

1.5

NURS 6509DNP Clinical Experience IV

5

Fall, Term 9 (6.5)

NURS 6235DNP Clinical Correlation Conference

1.5

NURS 6510DNP Clinical Experience V

5

Total Credit Hours: 92.5