Nursing (D.N.P.) Doctor of Nursing Practice - Nurse Anesthesia Concentration

The Nurse Anesthesia Program will provide students with academic and clinical experiences that lead to a DNP degree. The 36 month program is full-time and requires a minimum of 86 course credits. New classes will be admitted in May of each year for the summer semester. The program will require travel to assigned clinical facilities in Western North Carolina and Louisville, Kentucky including weekend and call rotations. A written comprehensive exam will be required during the final semester. The research requirement is a six-hour project that is to be completed during the final five semesters of the program.

In addition to the academic requirements, students are expected to adhere to the technical and professional standards of the program. For the most up to date information regarding these standards, program suspension, and termination refer to the program’s website linked from the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Program Requirements

Students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA. A student who accumulates two grades of C, or any grade of F, or U will automatically be dismissed from the DNP Program. This standard supersedes the WCU Graduate School standard.

Major Requirements

DNP Core Courses (18 credits)

NSG 822 - Health Care Policy and Ethics Credits: 3
NSG 823 - Economic and Financial Aspects of Healthcare Systems Credits: 3
NSG 826 - Leadership and Health Care Systems Credits: 3
NSG 802 - Community Epidemiology Credits: 3
NSG 814 - Foundations and Applications of Evidence-Based Practice Credits: 3
NSG 817 - Applied Biostatistics Credits: 3

Nurse Anesthesia Track Core Courses (39 credits)

NSG 800 - Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Credits: 3
NSG 801 - Essentials of Academic Writing Credits: 1
NSG 808 - Foundational Science for Nurse Anesthesia Credits: 2
NSG 810 - Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnosis Credits: 3
NSG 830 - Advanced Physiology for Nurse Anesthetists Credits: 3
NSG 831 - Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthetists I Credits: 3
NSG 832 - Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthetists II Credits: 3
NSG 840 - Basic Principles of Anesthesia Credits: 3
NSG 841 - Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I Credits: 3
NSG 842 - Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II Credits: 3
NSG 843 - Advanced Principles of Anesthesia III Credits: 3
NSG 861 - Advanced Anesthesia Pharmacology I Credits: 4
NSG 862 - Advanced Anesthesia Pharmacology II Credits: 3
NSG 888 - Nurse Anesthesia Review Credits: 2

Clinical Anesthesia Practicum and Seminar Courses (23 credits)

NSG 901 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar I Credits: 2
NSG 902 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar II Credits: 2
NSG 903 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar III Credits: 3
NSG 904 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar IV Credits: 4
NSG 905 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar V Credits: 4
NSG 906 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum/Seminar VI Credits: 4
NSG 907 - Clinical Anesthesia Practicum Credits: 4

DNP Project (6 credits)

This course must be repeated five times over five sequential semesters for a minimum of six credits total. The course may be repeated as needed beyond six credits to complete the DNP Scholarly Project.

NSG 916 - DNP Scholarly Project Credits: 1-2

Graduation Requirements

Completion of required clinical hours, dissemination of DNP project results, and successful completion of a comprehensive exam.