Curriculum

The Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) is a 36-month, 87-credit program taken over nine semesters. Graduates are eligible to take the National Certification Examination (NCE) given by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). The nurse anesthesia program is offered full-time only. The curriculum is fully integrated, allowing students to begin clinical experiences in the second semester and continuing throughout the length of the program. Students begin their clinical experiences with observation, preparation, and implementation of a basic anesthetic for simple cases and gradually progress to more complex and challenging cases. At the onset of the program, students are closely connected with the use of simulation to demonstrate their ability to integrate the didactic preparation to clinical practice. Students are provided clinical case scenarios following their didactic coursework to develop a clinical plan in which they are expected to articulate their rationale for their course of action followed by a simulation demonstration of the activities associated with their selected plan.

View curriculum in Graduate Bulletin

The Human Patient Simulator Complex (HPS) is located on the second floor in close proximity to the Nurse Anesthesia classroom. The suite is equipped with adult simulators to facilitate all aspects of students learning. The simulation suite is also used to help students learn various approaches to advanced clinical techniques in anesthesia. These include workshops on Difficult Airway Management, Central Line Placements, and Regional Anesthesia.