Program Overview

Nurse Anesthesia (D.N.P.) Program

The Old Dominion University offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a Concentration in Nurse Anesthesia. This program is designed to prepare advanced practice registered nurses with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide high-quality patient care in a variety of settings.

Program Overview

The DNP program with specialization in nurse anesthesia is a 100 credit, 36 month, full-time program that begins in May each year. The program is a hybrid of on-campus and online classes, and 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.

Program Highlights

• 100% National Certification Exam pass rate in 2024
• 100% Graduate Employment Rate in 2024
• 0% Program Attrition Rate in 2024
• Students have clinical experiences in hospitals throughout Hampton Roads, as well as in secondary sites within and outside the region
• Long-standing partnerships with local primary clinical sites assure that students work with highly experienced anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists to develop their skills and competence in the professional role
• Primary clinical sites include:
  • Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
  • Sentara Leigh Hospital
  • Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital
  • Sentara Careplex Hospital
  • Sentara Princess Anne Hospital
• Accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)

Featured Courses

• NURA 750: Applied Principles of Anesthesia Practice I
  • This course integrates scientific concepts with basic principles of anesthesia practice and prepares the student for their new role in the safe and effective delivery of anesthesia.
• NURS 761: Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nursing
  • This course will develop and enhance the advanced practice nurse's knowledge of pharmacological management of the patient.
• NURS 809: Advocacy for Healthcare Public Policy for Advanced Practice
  • This course will prepare the DNP to assume a leadership role in developing, implementing, and advocating for health care policy that results in quality, accessible, comprehensive health care for vulnerable populations.

Careers

• Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary: $77,360 Median Salary
• Nurse Anesthetists: $189,190 Median Salary
• Alumni have gone on to work at:
  • Sentara
  • Chesapeake Medical Center
  • Bon Secours
  • Riverside Health System

Requirements

To apply for the Nurse Anesthesia program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Baccalaureate Degree in a related science (nursing preferred)
• Current Licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse
• GPA Requirements:
  • Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
  • Grades in each required science and nursing course in the undergraduate nursing program of 3.0 or higher
• Undergraduate courses:
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Organic chemistry (preferred) or biochemistry courses
  • Chemistry and Statistics, successfully completed within 10 years of applying to the program
• GRE Required: Preferred >300 total score (150 on Verbal and 150 on Quantitative Reasoning and 4 or higher on Analytical Writing)
• Personal Interview: A personal interview with the interview committee (by invitation)
• Experience: A minimum of two years of full-time nursing experience in a critical care unit at the time of application
• Certifications:
  • Current American Heart Association Certification in BLS, ACLS, and PALS
  • CCRN certification is mandatory
• References: Three professional references, one must be from immediate supervisor with contact number included
• English Competency: Score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for a student whose native language is not English; a minimum score of 100 (iBT test) is required

Cost of Attendance

The estimated tuition rates for the academic year are as follows:

• Virginia Resident: $486 per credit
• Technology Delivered Courses Outside Virginia and/or the United States: $649 per credit
• Non-Resident: $1,334.50 per credit

Ways to Fund Your Degree

There are several ways to fund your degree, including:

• Scholarships
• Assistantships
• Student loans
• HRSA Traineeship Funds: Each year the program applies for traineeship funds from HRSA to support student education. Funding from scholarships is limited and restricted to those students who meet need requirements.