Nursing Practice, Specialization in Nurse Anesthesia (DNP)
A holistic review process is used when considering applications for admission to the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program. The holistic review considers multiple criteria for admission, including the applicant’s professional career goals, academic capabilities, GPA, work experience, leadership, and community engagement.
- Official Transcripts representing all college course work with a recommended overall cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution and a NLN, CCNE or ACEN accredited nursing program.
- Applicants who have attended a college or university outside the United States are also required to submit a course-by-course evaluation of their transcript through World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Prerequisite courses at the undergraduate level with preference given to those who earned a B or better in all required courses.
- Human Anatomy
- Physiology
- Microbiology
- Chemistry
- Unencumbered Registered Nursing License
- Acute/Critical Care Nursing Certification (CCRN) or equivalent nursing specialty certification.
- Current certifications in BLS and either ACLS or PALS.
- Minimum one year of recent (within 2-years preferred) full-time critical care experience or the part-time equivalent with Employment Verification.
- Preference is given to applicants who have high acuity critical care experience where hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive drug administration is routinely managed.
- Preference is given to applicants with experience in shared governance leadership.
- Completion of Graduate Record Examination (GRE), official scores must be within 5 years prior to application.
- Minimum of 24 hours of shadow experience with a CRNA.
- Meet the Program Technical Standards.
- English Proficiency exam as applicable: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Degree Requirements
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Core Courses Required - See below for additional required coursework for Nurse Anesthesia Speciality
Program Requirements
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Core Courses Required - See Below for Additional Required Coursework for Nurse Anesthesia Specialty
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 607 | Foundational Concepts of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 643 | Quality and Safety in Advanced Practice Nursing | 2 |
| NURS 657 | Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Culturally Diverse and Vulnerable Populations. | 3 |
| NURS 725 | Analysis of Leadership and Health Policy | 3 |
| NURS 740 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
| NURS 741 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 4 |
| NURS 742 | Advanced Physical Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 743 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| NURS 744 | Synthesis and Evaluation of Evidence in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 746 | Program Development & Evaluation | 3 |
| NURS 748 | Application of Leadership and Health Policy | 1 |
| NURS 750 | DNP Project I: Project Inception (84 Clinical Hours) 1 | 3 |
| NURS 751 | DNP Project II: Project Implementation (84 Clinical Hours) 1 | 3 |
| NURS 752 | DNP Project III: Project Evaluation, Analysis and Dissemination (84 Clinical Hours) 1 | 3 |
| NURS 791 | Applied Statistics for Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| Students who do not complete the DNP project within the DNP coursework will be required to enroll in the DOC 600 completion course until degree requirements are met. | ||
| A minimum of 2000 clinical hours is required for the DNP-NA degree. | ||
| Minimum Total Hours | 43 | |
Nurse Anesthesia Requirements
Academic Plan Code: NURSDNPNAN
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 809 | Advanced Anatomy and Physiology for Anesthesia I | 3 |
| NURS 810 | Advanced Anatomy & Physiology for Anesthesia II | 3 |
| NURS 811 | Chemistry and Physics for Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 812 | Advanced Pharmacology for Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 813 | Business & Leadership in the Nurse Anesthesia Role | 3 |
| NURS 814 | Intro to Anesthesia | 3 |
| NURS 815 | Foundational Principles of Anesthesia I | 3 |
| NURS 816 | Foundational Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| NURS 817 | Advanced Principles and Practice of Anesthesia I | 3 |
| NURS 818 | Advanced Principles and Practice of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| NURS 819 | Advanced Principles and Practice of Anesthesia III | 3 |
| NURS 821 | Clinical Practicum for NA I (180 Clinical Hours) 2 | 2 |
| NURS 822 | Clinical Practicum for NA II (360 Clinical Hours) 2 | 4 |
| NURS 823 | Clinical Practicum for NA III (450 Clinical Hours) 2 | 5 |
| NURS 824 | Clinical Practicum for NA IV (450 Clinical Hours) 2 | 5 |
| NURS 825 | Clinical Practicum for NA V (540 Clinical Hours) 2 | 6 |
| NURS 826 | Clinical Practicum for NA VI (450 Clinical Hours) 2 | 5 |
| NURS 827 | Clinical Practicum for NA VII (450 Clinical Hours) 2 | 5 |
| NURS 828 | Nurse Anesthesia Seminar I | 2 |
| NURS 829 | Nurse Anesthesia Seminar II | 1 |
| NURS 830 | Nurse Anesthesia Seminar III | 2 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 70 | |
- 1
This course contains clinical hours specific to the DNP project development. Clinical hours in this course should not be counted as direct patient care hours.
- 2
This course contains patient care focused clinical hours. Clinical hours in this course are counted as direct patient care hours. 1 credit hour = 84 clinical hours.
The Nurse Anesthesia program is a specialized track of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree offered by the School of Nursing at the University of Louisville. The program is committed to fostering expertise in the art and science of anesthesia, excellence in leadership, and a commitment to the future of the Nurse Anesthesia profession. Completion of the specialty curriculum prepares students to take the National Certification Examination (NCE) offered by the National Boards of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
