Doctor of Nursing Practice - Nurse Anesthesia
Adrienne Hartgerink, Program Director, ahartger@odu.edu
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a concentration in nurse anesthesia prepares the graduate to provide a variety of anesthetics to patients across the lifespan and wellness continuum. Graduates are groomed to translate research and evidence into clinical practice, to care for underserved and diverse populations, incorporate emerging care technologies, develop leadership skills and measure patient outcomes in an effort to improve safety and quality of patient care.
The Old Dominion University DNP program with a concentration in nurse anesthesia is a 36 month full time program that begins in May each year. The program is a hybrid of on-campus and on-line classes. The curriculum is an assimilation of nurse anesthesia specialty and DNP courses. Each student is required to complete a scholarly project that addresses patient care, quality improvement, process improvement, or practice improvement. The Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. For admission requirements, please see the website for the School of Nursing (www.odu.edu/nursing) or contact the program director.
Admission Requirements for the Nurse Anesthesia Program
In addition to meeting University requirements, applicants must meet the admission criteria below..
- Current, unencumbered multi-state compact license as a registered nurse (RN).
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average.
- Three letters of recommendation, with at least one from a direct supervisor.
- A 500-700 word essay that should speak specifically to the concentration area to which you are applying.
- Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification including score
- Current American Heart Association certifications in BLS, ACLS, and PALS
- A minimum of 16 hours of clinical shadowing experience
- Current Resume with a minimum of two years of full-time nursing experience in a critical care unit at the time of application. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States.
- If English is not your native language, TOEFL scores (100 or above)
- GRE Required: Preferred >300 total score (150 on Verbal and 150 on Quantitative Reasoning and 4 or higher on Analytical Writing)
- Earned grade of B or better in the following courses:
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Organic or biochemistry (200 level or above)
- Statistics
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
- *Please note chemistry and statistics classes must be completed within the last 10 years
