Nurse Anesthesia

The Nurse Anesthesia program prepares graduates to manage the anesthesia needs of patients of all ages. Students will develop expertise in the areas of pre-anesthetic assessment and evaluation, anesthesia planning, anesthesia administration and monitoring, and postanesthetic care. The program prepares graduates to administer all types of anesthesia, including general, regional and neuraxial anesthesia. The BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia program is designed to equip future nurse anesthetists with the knowledge and skills to translate and implement best evidence into practice.  Additional doctoral education and experiences, in such areas as quality improvement and systems leadership, provide the nurse anesthesia student with foundational elements to improve the quality of nurse anesthesia practice, enhance the safety of patient care, and provide cost-effective care to all patient populations. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Certification Examination (NCE) for Nurse Anesthetists offered by the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). 

Cizik School of Nursing is the first and only public university in the State of Texas to offer the BSN-DNP in Nurse Anesthesia. The curriculum, approved by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, consists of 112 credits and is nine semesters (36 months) in length.

Pass rates on the National Certifying Examination (NCE) - administered by the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) - for nurse anesthetists graduating from the nurse anesthesia program at UTHealth School of Nursing are high, while programmatic attrition rates remain low.

• 100 percent of 2021 BSN-DNP nurse anesthesia program graduates passed the NCE on the first attempt.
• Nine of the past 10 graduating classes have achieved 100-percent pass rates on the first attempt of the NCE (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021)
• The NCE first-time test-taker pass rate (initial examination) for the most recent five-year composite (2017-2020) was 99.12 percent.
• For the most recent graduating cohort, 100 percent of UTHealth nurse anesthesia graduates were employed as nurse anesthetists within six months of program completion.

Sample Curriculum Plan

Course #Course TitleHours

Semester 1 - Summer
N6401	Advanced Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry for Nurse Anesthesia	6
N6810W	Physical Exam & Differential Diagnosis	2
N6810B	Physical Exam & Differential Diagnosis Lab	1
Semester 2 - Fall
N6404	Advanced Anatomy, Physiology & Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthesia	6
N6402	Advanced Pharmacology and Chemistry for Nurse Anesthesia	4
N6802	Health Policy, Politics, and Ethics	3
Semester 3 - Spring
N6407	Essentials of Nursing Anesthesia Practice	2
N6403	Advanced Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics for Nurse Anesthesia	4
N6406	Leadership, Organizations, Finance & Practice Management in Nurse Anesthesia	4
N6418W	Foundations of Scholarly Nurse Anesthesia	3
Semester 4 - Summer
N6806W	Nursing Research and Epidemiology for EBP	3
N6414	DNP Inquiry in Nurse Anesthesia	1
N6405	Basic Principles of Nurse Anesthesia Practice	6
N6405B	Principles of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Lab	1
Semester 5 - Fall
N6408	Advanced Principles of Nurse Anesthesia Practice	6
N6408B	Advanced Principles of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Lab	1
N6807	Evidence-Based Practice Principles	3
N6858	Information Systems/Technology for the Improvement of Health Care	3
Semester 6 - Spring
N6409	Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practicum I (5 days/week)	10
N6410	Seminars in Nurse Anesthesia I	2
N6420W	Translational Approaches in Clinical Practice	3
Semester 7 - Summer
N6411	Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practicum II (5 days/week)	10
N6430	Clinical Scholarship Portfolio in Nurse Anesthesia	2
Semester 8 - Fall
N6412	Nurse Anesthesia Practicum III (5 days/week)	10
N6413	Seminars in Nurse Anesthesia I	2
N6430	Clinical Scholarship Portfolio in Nurse Anesthesia	1
Semester 9 - Spring
N6415	Nurse Anesthesia Practicum IV (5 days/week)	10
N6416	Seminars in Nurse Anesthesia III	2
N6430	Clinical Scholarship Portfolio in Nurse Anesthesia	1
Total		112

Nurse Anesthesia Student Profile

The nurse anesthesia program conducts a holistic review of applicants and considers a variety of factors when determining admission. The following information is based on past admission classes and it is important to note that the profile can change based on the pool of applicants.

• 3.6 GPA
• GRE (mean)
  • Quantitative 151
  • Verbal 154
• 43% were from diverse populations
• 2.5 years of ICU experience (average)

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post graduate APRN certificate programs at the Cizik School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

The UTHealth Nurse Anesthesia program (BSN-DNP nurse anesthesia program) is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

COA List of Accredited Educational Programs

List of UTHealth Nurse Anesthesia clinical sites