D.N.P. in Nurse Anesthesia

As a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), you will be at the heart of important moments in medicine. You will provide anesthesia care before, during, and after surgery, helping to ensure the best possible outcomes. You will perform complete patient assessments, develop and implement anesthesia care plans, and closely monitor patients.

This program prepares registered nurses who have a baccalaureate degree in nursing and a minimum of one year of critical care experience for the advanced practice role of nurse anesthetist. 

Application Deadline

June 30 
 

Filling a Crucial Need in Medicine

CRNAs are advanced practice registered nurses who provide care in any setting where anesthesia is delivered, including surgical suites, delivery rooms, and outpatient clinics.

In rural U.S. counties, 80 percent of anesthesia providers are CRNAs, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. 

At a Glance

How many courses?


The curriculum requires 30 courses
for a total of 100 credits. 

How long will it take?


The program requires 36 months of
full-time study to complete.

When can I start?


The program begins in May.

 

Curriculum

In this 36-month, full-time program, you will take advantage of the core courses common to all DNP nursing specialties, learn advanced physiologic and pharmacologic principles, and gain hands-on clinical experience. 

SUMMER—Year 1

FALL—Year 1

SPRING—Year 1

Epidemiology (3 cr.)

Nursing Leadership in Complex Health Care Settings (3 cr.)

Health Information Technology for Nursing Professionals (3 cr.)

Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology across the Lifespan (3 cr.)

Nursing Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Advanced Practice (3 cr.)

Examining Diversity in Nursing and Health Care (3 cr.)

Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice Nursing (3 cr.)

Population Health Principles, Program Planning and Evaluation (3 cr.)

Advanced Health/Physical Assessment across the Lifespan (3 cr.)

Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics for Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 cr.)

Foundations of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 cr.)

Nurse Anesthesia Care for Patients with Coexisting Diseases (3 cr.)

Respiratory Physiology and Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 cr.)

Pharmacotherapeutics in Nurse Anesthesia Practice
(3 cr.)

Cardiovascular Physiology & Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 cr.)

   15 credits

15 credits

15 credits

SUMMER—Year 2

FALL—Year 2

SPRING—Year 2

Health Care Quality Management (3 cr.)Foundations of Evidence Based Advanced Nursing Practice (3 cr.)Health Care Policy for Nursing Leaders (3 cr.)
Advanced Practice Nursing Role (3 cr.)Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice II (5 cr.)

Methods of Advanced Scholarly Inquiry (3 cr.)

Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice I (5 cr.)

Advanced Practice Principles for the Nurse Anesthetist II (3 cr.)

Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice III (5 cr.)

Advanced Practice Principles for the Nurse Anesthetist I (3 cr.)

 

 

14 credits

11 credits

11 credits

SUMMER—Year 3

FALL—Year 3

SPRING—Year 3

Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice IV (5 cr.)

Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice V (5 cr.)

Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice VI (5 cr.)

D.N.P. Project Seminar 1 (2 cr.)

D.N.P. Project Seminar 2 (2 cr.)

 

7 credits

7 credits

5 credits

Accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, this program is a collaborative effort with the Associated Physicians of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians.

Contact information:
10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906
Rosemont, IL  60018-5603
224-275-9130


The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) requires that all students matriculating into a nurse anesthesia educational program on January 1, 2022 or thereafter be enrolled in a program approved by the COA to award a practice doctoral degree — i.e. Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree. The Boston College Nurse Anesthesia Program is only provided within the framework of the D.N.P. degree as per COA requirements. Furthermore, as of December 31, 2024, Boston College will no longer award an MS degree in association with the CRNA program

Clinical Placements

Students experience a variety of practice settings by rotating among 3-6 clinical sites, including:

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth
  • Boston Children's Hospital 
  • Boston Medical Center 
  • Brigham Women's Hospital 
  • Cambridge Hospital 
  • Dartmouth Hitchcock 
  • Elliot Hospital 
  • Holy Family Hospital 
  • Lahey Clinic
  • Massachusetts Eye and Ear
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Milford Regional Medical Center
  • Mt. Auburn Hospital
  • New England Baptist Hospital
  • New London Hospital
  • North Shore Hospital
  • South Shore Hospital
  • University of MA Memorial Medical Center
  • The VA Boston Healthcare System

Benchmark Data

Year of Graduation
Students Matriculated
Graduates
Attrition
NCE Pass Rate
NCE 1st Attempt
Employment at 6 months
202418175.5%100%100%100%
2023181611%100%93.75%100%
202218180%100%88.9%100%
202118180%100%100%100%
202016160%100%100%100%

* One graduate did not retake the NCE

Nurse Anesthesia Five Year Benchmarks

93.67%

First Attempt NCE Pass Rate

2.2%

Attrition

98.58%

Employment

Careers

Our graduates have been hired as CRNAs at local and national institutions, including:

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Boston Medical Center
  • Cape Cod Hospital
  • Catholic Medical Center (Manchester, NH)
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, NH)
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine-Sibley Memorial Hospital (Washington, DC)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Mission Hospital (Asheville, NC)
  • Mount Auburn Hospital
  • Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • New England Baptist Hospital
  • St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Ypsilanti, MI)
  • Tufts Medical Center
  • UMass Memorial Medical Center
  • U.S. Anesthesia Partners (Greenwood Village, CO)
  • UVM Health Network-Porter Medical Center (Middlebury, VT)

Skills in Demand

$214,200

Median annual wage for nurse anesthetists

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Featured Faculty

Susan Emery

Susan Emery, Ph.D., CRNA

We actively engage CRNA students in the classroom and simulation laboratory to make sure they are prepared for any event they may encounter in the operating room.
Susan Emery, Clinical Associate Professor and Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program

Financial Aid

The Connell School and Boston College offer multiple opportunities to fund a graduate education. CSON graduate students receive financial assistance through internal and external sources—including scholarships, fellowships, grants, teaching and research assistantships, and tuition remission.

Opportunities at the Connell School

Graduate Nurses’ Association

The GNA facilitates professional development opportunities and sponsors social events, connecting students to each other while serving as a voice for the graduate community at CSON.

Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing

The KILN program assists students to maximize their leadership potential, prepares them for the challenges of providing nursing care in our increasingly multicultural society, and nurtures their ability to create positive social change.

Global Trips

Participation in CSON's international programs can count toward nurse practitioner (NP) supervised hours for graduate students.

Apply

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Program Eligibility
  • A bachelor’s degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
  • An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
  • A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
  • A current U.S. RN license
    • An unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or an APRN in the United States or its territories or protectorates (see Glossary, “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse”)    
  • Official GRE Scores
    •     The average percentile scores on the Graduate Recod Exam tend to be at or above the 50th percent.
  • A minimum of one year of critical care experience as an RN in the U.S., its territories, or a U.S. military hospital outside of the U.S. Acceptable critical care experience includes ICU, SICU, CCU, MICU, PICU, or NICU. High acuity surgical ICU in a tertiary medical center is strongly preferred.
  • ACLS and PALS certification
  • CCRN certification

Application & Deadlines

Apply Now

Application Deadline

  •  6/30

Résumé or CV

To be uploaded to your online Application Form.

Goal Statement

Please submit a goal statement which will be used as a source of information about your educational objectives and as a sample of your writing ability. The goal statement should be typewritten (double-spaced) and no more than four pages in length.

Goal Statement Prompt & Guidelines

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation:

  • A reference from an immediate supervisor
  • An academic reference
  • An academic or professional reference
  • Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically. When you register your reference writers through the application system, they will immediately receive an email with the link to the electronic reference form. For this reason, we suggest that you contact your references prior to registering them through the online application.
  • References will have the option to upload a supporting letter in Word or PDF format.
  • If you would like your references to receive the electronic form before you have completed the online application, you may go directly to the “Recommendations” link on the application and register your references before filling out the rest of the form.
  • You can log back into your application to check which letters have been received, as well as to send reminder emails to your references.

Transcripts

Offiicial transcripts are required for application. 

If available, please have official digital transcripts sent to csongrad@dos5.net

All hard copy transcripts may be sent to the following mailing address:

Boston College
Graduate Nursing Office
Maloney Hall - 2nd Floor
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

*If the last name on your transcript does not match the application name, please contact csongrad@dos5.net after submitting the application. 

Standardized Tests

Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores* (current within five years of application deadline). Institutional code 3062


Please allow 2-4 weeks for test scores to be received in order to meet application deadline

Supplemental Forms

Based on the answers you provide in your application, you may need one or more of the following forms to complete your application:

International Students

  • Official transcript(s) evaluation (by the Commission on Graduate Foreign Nursing Schools or World Education Services) from all post-secondary institutions at which you have studied
  • TOEFL - Evidence of English Proficiency (TOEFL). Official TOEFL scores are required for students whose native language is other than English. The following scores indicate minimum score requirements: 100 on the TOEFL iBT (internet-based test); 7.5 on the IELTS Band (academic); 600 or greater on the paper-based test; or 250 on the CBT test (computer-based test). Please request that your scores be sent to the William F. Connell Graduate School of Nursing by using our institutional code 3062 in the designated areas. Student copies or photocopies of TOEFL are not accepted.
    • You can get application forms and information about testing dates for the TOEFL from many U.S. consolates, USIA centers, and TOELF centers overseas by writing to: TOEFL Registration, CN 6152, Princeton, New Jersey 08541 USA, or www.toefl.org.
    • The TOEFL score is not required if you meet both of the following criteria:  You are a citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean AND your native language is English.

RN License & Certifications

  1. A copy  of your RN license
  2. Evidence of all required licensure and certification (RN, ACLS, CCRN, and PALS) *Note* ACLS and PALS should be from the American Heart Association 

 

FAQ

  1. I am an RN with an associate’s degree in nursing and a Bachelor of Science degree in another field. Can I apply to your program? 
    The Boston College nurse anesthesia program requires a BSN or an MSN degree for admission
  2. What is considered “critical care experience”?
    Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse is to have developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive drips. Acceptable critical care experience includes ICU, SICU, CCU, MICU, PICU, or NICU. High acuity surgical ICU in a tertiary medical center is strongly preferred.
  3. My application has been submitted prior to the deadline but I may not have completed the GRE exam or obtained all reference letters by that date. Will my application be considered?
    All application information including official GRE scores must be received prior to the deadline for consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to be sure that their application is complete.
  4. I will complete the one year of critical care experience during the first semester of the program. Is this acceptable?
    The year minimum of one year of critical care experience is an admission requirement and so must be completed prior to the deadline.
  5. I am an experienced ICU RN with an associate’s degree and will complete my BSN in December. Can I be considered for January admission?
    Verification of BSN completion must arrive prior to the application deadline.
  6. How can I obtain an academic reference since I have been out of my undergraduate program for 10 years?
    An academic reference is required and if you contact your school a reference will be written for you based on your academic record.
  7. Do you do rolling admissions? When are interviews scheduled?
    No, we do not have rolling admissions. Interviews will be schedule upon completion of applicant review.
  8. Are all applicants granted an interview?
    All qualified applicants are granted an interview.
  9. What are the average GPA and GRE scores for your accepted applicants?
    Accepted applicants tend to possess an average GPA of 3.6. The average percentile scores on the Graduate Record Exam tend to be at or above the 50th percent.
  10. Is a course in organic chemistry or physics required for admission to your program?
    A specific course is not required. It is assumed that in your undergraduate program you completed a course in health sciences chemistry, which will serve as a foundation for program coursework.
  11. Is it possible to work during the program?
    The decision to work during the program is an individual one but is not recommended. As the program is only offered in a full-time format, the number of credit hours each semester varies but is as high as 15 credits per semester. Once the clinical component begins in the third semester, students are in class one full day and in the operating room four full days with care plans and coursework that must be completed in the evenings and on weekends. The workload of the program makes it very difficult to work.
  12. Can I begin taking courses before being accepted into the program?
    You can apply to take 2 courses as a “special student” without being matriculated into the graduate program. The successful completion of these courses does not, however, give you an advantage over other applicants to the program.
  13. I have taken a course that I think is the same as one of your courses. Do I have to retake the course at BC?
    It is possible to transfer up to 6 credits of graduate work earned elsewhere. Only courses in which a student has obtained a grade of “B” or better, and which have not been applied to another degree, will be accepted. Following acceptance into the program you would need to provide the graduate office with copies of course syllabi as well as other documentation so that the associate dean for graduate programs can compare your course to that at BC. All nurse anesthesia courses must be completed at BC.
  14. I am currently working at a hospital that will allow me to go there for my clinical anesthesia experience. Is this allowed?
    No. Clinical sites are determined by the program.
  15. Will I obtain experience in regional anesthesia?
    The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs requires a certain number of regional anesthesia experiences and therefore you will obtain this experience.
  16. Does the program offer a stipend?
    The program does not offer a stipend.
  17. Is financial aid available?
    Most financial aid is in the form of student loans.
  18. What are the tuition costs?
    Tuition for students in the nurse anesthesia program is the same as for other graduate nursing students.
  19. I do not have a current Massachusetts nursing license; can I still apply?
    A current Massachusetts nursing license is required upon beginning the program, though is not needed for consideration to the program.

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