This DNP track prepares graduates to become one of the primary anesthesia providers in the country, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). All nurse anesthesia programs must be accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs (COA) for graduates to be eligible to take the National Certification Examination (NCE). According to the COA, Practice Doctorate Programs are designed to prepare graduates with competencies for entry into anesthesia practice. Entry-into-practice competencies for the nurse anesthesia professional prepared at the practice doctoral level are those required at the time of graduation to provide safe, competent, and ethical anesthesia and anesthesia-related care to patients across the lifespan for diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical procedures.
Entry-into-practice competencies should be viewed as the structure upon which nurse anesthetists continue to acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities along the practice continuum that starts at graduation (proficient) and continues throughout their entire professional careers (expert). See https://www.coacrna.org/.
The development of the curriculum is based on the COA Standards for Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs, Practice Doctorate, revised October, 26, 2018 and the Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual, revised May, 2019.
CERTIFICATION
After successful completion of the 36-month curriculum, students will be eligible to apply for the National Certification Examination (NCE) through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Certification to be a CRNA requires a passing score on the national certification exam administered by the NBCRNA. The NBCRNA administers the NCE to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for entry-level nurse anesthesia practitioners. The NCE is a variable-length computerized adaptive test for entry into nurse anesthesia practice. See https://www.nbcrna.com/