Nurse Anesthesia (DNP) Program Details

The Nurse Anesthesia program is available to both bachelor’s and master’s-prepared nurses wishing to attain a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

This full-time program is 36 months long.  Many students choose to take core coursework as a student-at-large prior to beginning the program to lighten the course load. 

We use the RUSH University simulation lab and its resources across the nurse anesthesia curriculum to help you build valuable preclinical and crisis management skills, as well as hands on practice of advanced anesthesia skills. 

Study Format

Classes in graduate nursing, advanced practice nursing and DNP core content areas are offered primarily online. DNP specialty practicum content entails 756 clock hours while the DNP specialty immersion residency involves over 2300 hours.

Since the specialty curriculum content courses, specialty practica and specialty immersion residency occur in a lockstep sequence, the time required to complete the program is 36 months for both BSN to DNP and MSN to DNP programs of study. The initial academic terms for students in the MSN to DNP program of study will have fewer credits per term compared to what is required for the BSN to DNP program of study.

Sample Plan of Study

Clinical Experiences

Students obtain their clinical experiences at public and private tertiary medical centers and community hospitals for a comprehensive anesthesia clinical experience. Initial clinical practicum experiences occur at Rush University Medical Center and Rush satellite locations. An individualized specialty rotation schedule is developed for the clinical immersion residency.In collaboration with the clinical coordinator, self-scheduling of allotted vacation time is utilized for the third year where students are immersed in clinical full-time to promote school-life balance. We work directly with students to provide a variety of experiences tailored to student interest and experience need, ensuring that students meet or exceed the general and specialty case requirements required by accreditation and certification standards.

The clinical sites for the Nurse Anesthesia Program include*:

• Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
• The Rush SurgiCenter, Chicago, IL
• Rush-Oak Park Hospital, Oak, Park, IL
• Rush Oakbrook Surgery Center, Oakbrook, IL
• Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
• Ann & Robert H.Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• MacNeal Memorial Hospital, Berwyn, IL
• Skokie Hospital, Skokie, IL
• Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
• Northwestern Medicine- Kishwaukee Hospital, DeKalb, IL
• University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
• Community First Medical Center, Chicago, IL
• St. Mary & Elizabeth Medical Center, Chicago, IL
• Silver Cross Hospital, New Lennox, IL
• Good Samaritan Hospital, Downer’s Grove, IL

*subject to change

Reasonable Time Commitment Policy

The student’s clinical time commitment should not exceed 64 hours per week averaged over four weeks, per Council on Accreditation guidelines. More information on this policy is available in the SRNA Handbook.

Certification

Following completion of program requirements, graduates are eligible to take the National Certification Examination offered by the National Board for Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists.