Post-BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS 2023
98% FIRST-TIME PASS RATE!
Contact: Susan Bradford
Phone: 330-972-7555
E-mail: sb14@uakron.edu
Program Overview
- Brian Radesic, DNP, MSN, CRNA- Director Nurse Anesthesia Track
- Sean Moore, DNP, MSN, CRNA- Assistant Director, Associate Professor of Instruction
- Kaitlin Vazquez, DNP, MSN, CRNA- Assistant Director, Assistant Professor of Instruction
- Ashley Jasinsky, DNAP, MSN, CRNA- Assistant Professor of Instruction
- Howie Brown, DNP, MSN, CRNA-Assistant Professor of Instruction
About the university and the School of Nursing
We offer a Nurse Anesthesia Program that prepares Registered Nurses to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). Successful completion of the program leads to the Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree. The program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, and graduates are eligible to take the certification examination. The nurse anesthesia curriculum comprises 93 credit hours, including the core graduate nursing courses, advanced physiology and pathophysiology, chemistry, physics, basic and advanced pharmacology and principles of anesthesiology.
In addition, this 36-month program includes a 33-month residency which allows graduate RN students to gain the clinical practice required by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs and needed to provide quality anesthesia care. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination, allowing the individual to use Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) upon successful passage of the exam.
The synchronous online curriculum and in-person simulation and lab are designed to prepare nurses to provide anesthetic care for patients undergoing surgical and obstetrical procedures and provide pain relief in various health care settings. The graduate nurse anesthesia student works with Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Anesthesiologists to provide assessment preoperatively and develop an anesthetic plan appropriate to the patient's physical and emotional status and the procedure that is anticipated. All current anesthetic modalities are taught and practiced by a student registered nurse anesthetist including neuraxial, peripheral nerve blockade, general, intravenous, and monitored anesthetic care under the supervision of both certified registered nurse anesthetists and physicians.
The program accepts registered nurses that can demonstrate a solid and current critical care experience and past academic success. Doctoral preparation and completion of the DNP project educate the practitioner to incorporate evidence-based practices into their daily anesthetic care. Graduates are prepared to implement research findings into their professional practice as nurse anesthesia caregivers, educators, and healthcare leaders.
Academic Calendar
Admission Policies for the University
Financial Aid
We are now accepting applications for 2024 Teaching Assistants:
- Akron Campus - Health Assessment and Nursing Foundations I and II
- Akron Campus - Pathophysiology and Complex & Critical Situations
- Wayne Campus - All nursing courses
How to apply
The Graduate Application must be completed online. Please feel free to call the graduate school at 330-972-7663 with any questions about the application process. Application materials, including official transcripts, letters of recommendation, CCRN certification, and all supplemental documents, must be submitted electronically via the application portal.
All application materials must be received by the August 1. Once accepted into the School of Nursing Graduate Program, candidates may begin taking core classes and will be eligible to interview for the nurse anesthesia program in October. Students admitted into the nurse anesthesia program will begin anesthesia course work in June of the following year.
About the Nurse Anesthesia Program
Accrediting Agency
Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia are accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
Address: 10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906
PH: 224-275-9130
Website: www.coacrna.org
Accreditation status for the Post-BSN-DNP Anesthesia Program:
Date of last review 2024. Date of next review 2034.
The program has received a perfect 10-year accreditation from The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. 
The Program's selection committee will interview for admission into the Post-BSN-DNP in September and October 2024 and the cohort will begin in June 2025. Further information regarding the Program may be obtained by contacting (Susan Bradford, Student Services Counselor) at 330-972-7555 or emailing sb14@uakron.edu . Applications for this cohort of entry-level DNP students will be received anytime until August 1, 2024, with subsequent applicant interviews in September and October of 2024.
Mission & Philosophy
Statistics
Admission Requirements for the Nurse Anesthesia Program
- Admission requirements
- Please read before applying
- Observation form
- Required resume format (Must use this template or will not be accepted)
- Reference form
Tuition
Curriculum
The synchronous online curriculum follows a predominantly integrated didactic format. The majority of the first year focuses on didactic work with approximately 16 hours/week in clinical experiences. The curriculum consists of 14 core credits, 37 graduate DNP nursing courses and 42 credits of graduate anesthesia course work.
The curriculum affords the student the opportunity to gain experience in all types and techniques of anesthesia care including regional anesthesia administration and invasive line placement. Students function as a member of a multi-disciplinary health care team to provide anesthesia nursing care to a variety of patient populations. The curriculum includes the following courses: