Students enrolling in the DNP Nurse Anesthetist program can expect a rigorous, challenging curriculum, heavily based in sciences including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, chemistry and physics. This full-time program will require students to take 88 credits over three years or nine continuous semesters. The minimum amount of clinical time is 2,000 hours, but graduating WVU DNP nurse anesthetists will likely exceed that minimum.
The graduate will earn a DNP degree and be eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam (NCE), a board exam administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Candidate graduates who pass the Certification Exam become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or CRNAs. Please click here for answers to commonly asked questions about the program.
Additional student information can also be found in our Student Handbook.
At the WVU Health Sciences Center, students have access to invaluable resources, including the WV STEPS Center, a state-of-the-art center for experiential learning with simulation.
To learn more, view a tour of the Health Sciences campus or see the video above to learn how our nurse anesthetist students get to practice in a surgical simulation setting prior to practicing in the field.
The WVU School of Nursing DNP Nurse Anesthetist Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) until 2024. Contact the COA by phone at 224-275-9130, on the web at coacrna.org, or at 10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
“I’ve always wanted to expand what I have to offer a patient. As an EMT, I wasn’t certified to place an IV. I could do life-saving interventions, but I was limited in the skills I had to offer. With my BSN, I expanded my skillset, and I expanded it again as a flight nurse. Everything has led me to see how I can grow with advanced practice.”
