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. They also rotate to the CSCCs, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, and Barnes West County.
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 2024.
| PROGRAM LENGTH: |
36 months, full-time |
| ADMISSION DEADLINE: |
March 1 |
| TERM START: |
The following January |
The following items are required when applying to the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration:
• Baccalaureate or Master’s Degree in Nursing from a regionally accredited college or university (NLNAC or CCNE)
• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all undergraduate and graduate coursework
• Official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework
• Two letters of reference from individuals who can address the applicant’s academic and clinical potential
• Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
• Current unencumbered, unrestricted Missouri licensure as a Registered Nurse or a multi-state compact license and in good standing.
• Prerequisites (undergraduate or graduate, 3 credit hours each and satisfactory grade)
1. Physics (algebra-based)
2. Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry
3. Undergraduate or Graduate Statistics
4. Anatomy and Physiology (most likely taken in undergraduate nursing)
• A personal statement addressing why you want to become a CRNA
• A minimum of one year of recent critical care nursing experience as a Registered Nurse in a critical care setting in the United States, its territories, or a U.S. military hospital outside of the U.S
o Highest priority is given to those who have the most recent work history in a high acuity ICU setting where the applicant is likely to have a broad base of invasive hemodynamic monitoring experience, vasoactive drug administration, and experience monitoring patients on ventilators and adjusting settings. Applicants who work in post-anesthesia care units or emergency rooms will be considered only if the candidate can demonstrate that he/she routinely cares for patients with ventilators, invasive monitors, and vasoactive infusions.
• Current ACLS and BLS certification throughout enrollment; PALS before beginning clinical activities and throughout enrollment.
• If selected, an on-site interview by the Nurse Anesthesia Admissions Committee
• If an applicant has previously been enrolled in a nurse anesthesia program, he/she can apply; however, no anesthesia-specific courses will be transferrable
• Advanced Standing/Transfer Credit: Doctoral-level courses may be accepted for transfer only if approved by the Program Director and Faculty member. A maximum of (9) credits may be accepted for transfer and only those with an A or B may be transferred.
• International applicants should check with the Admissions Department for further instructions on admission requirements
If accepted, there will be a $1000 non-refundable enrollment deposit for the CRNA program. This deposit amount is only for our CRNA program and is due to the competitive nature of this program.
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 5109 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
| 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 |
Summer, Term 2
| NURS 6325 | Healthcare Informatics, Economics, and Financial Principles | 3 |
| NURS 6327 | Health Systems Policy | 3 |
| NURS 6450 | Chemistry and Physics Applied to Anesthesia | 4 |
| NURS 6500 | Leadership and Collaboration for Quality and Safety | 3 |
Fall, Term 3
Spring, Term 4
| NURS 6004 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 4 |
| NURS 6240 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I | 3 |
| NURS 6512 | DNP Advanced Pharmacology and Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 6516 | DNP Basic Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
Summer, Term 5
| NURS 6245 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project II | 3 |
| NURS 6506 | DNP Clinical Experience I | 3 |
| NURS 6513 | DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I | 3 |
Fall, Term 6
| NURS 6250 | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project III | 3 |
| NURS 6507 | DNP Clinical Experience II | 3 |
| NURS 6514 | DNP Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
Spring, Term 7
| NURS 6215 | DNP Clinical Correlation Seminar | 1.5 |
| NURS 6250x | Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project III Extension | 1 |
| NURS 6508 | DNP Clinical Experience III | 4 |
| NURS 6517 | DNP Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia | 3 |
Summer, Term 8
Fall, Term 9 (6.5)
Total Credit Hours: 92.5
For program specific accreditation information follow the link below.
Accreditation