The Department of Anesthesiology

Nurse Anesthesia Concentration

Notice to Applicants: Transition to the Doctoral Degree

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. The UT Nurse Anesthesia Concentration received COA approval to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree to the inaugural cohort of DNP students admitted in August 2019. The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration is no longer offering admission to the MSN or post-master's certificate program.

*Please note the following changes:

Application deadline December 15

Program start date mid-August

2 prerequisite courses:

• N505 Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3 credit hours)
• N511 Statistical Methods for Healthcare Research (3 credit hours)

Equivalent courses from other institutions may be accepted - contact the program for approval prior to enrolling.

The Program

The DNP Nurse Anesthesia Concentration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Nursing is a 36-month program, culminating in the awarding of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a concentration in Nurse Anesthesia to successful candidates. The application deadline is December 15 each year, approximately 8 months prior to the beginning of the program of study. Eligible and competitive applicants are selected for personal interview in early spring following the December application deadline. Candidates selected for admission begin the program in mid-August.

Students who successfully meet the clinical and didactic requirements of the program officially complete the program in August, 36 months after they begin their studies and are then eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination (NCE). Typically graduates of the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration are employed less than 6 months after graduation.

Clinical Sites

The primary clinical site for the program is the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) in Knoxville, a 640-bed academic medical center, Magnet recognized and Level-I adult and pediatric trauma center. UTMC offers a wide range of clinical experiences to student registered nurse anesthetists. Additionally, the following clinical facilities are utilized for curricular enrichment and supplementation:

• Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (Knoxville, TN)
• LeBonheur Children’s Hospital (Memphis, TN)
• Parkwest Medical Center (Knoxville, TN)
• Sweetwater Hospital Association (Sweetwater, TN)
• Pending approval: Gadsden Regional Medical Center (Gadsden, AL)

Please note: the program continues to seek out new clinical sites which may involve travel and lodging outside of the Knoxville area. Students are responsible for all travel and other expenses related to clinical rotations.

Applicants

Applicants must have the following:

• A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited college/university
• Only applicants with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.3 must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and achieve a competitive score in the verbal and quantitative sections. A minimum combined score of 297 or greater on the two sections is suggested.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) from all degrees earned (including non-nursing degrees)
• Current ACLS & PALS certification
• A graduate-level course in statistics and a graduate-level advanced pharmacology course from a regionally accredited college/university with a grade of “C” or better.

NOTE: These criteria must be completed prior to the start of classes in August.

Please see the DNP Nurse Anesthesia Concentration Program Information document for further details.

ICU Experience

To be considered for admission, applicants must have completed at least one year of current, full-time adult critical care nursing experience prior to the start of the program.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills and feel comfortable working with ventilators, numerous vasoactive drugs, such as nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, dopamine and amiodarone. In addition, applicants must possess a thorough understanding of EKG interpretation and be able to apply hemodynamic values to patient care.

Some examples of adult critical care areas that meet this requirement include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Surgical ICU
• Trauma ICU
• Cardiovascular ICU
• Medical ICU
• Coronary Care Unit

Please note: Nursing experience in the ER, ICN, Pediatric ICU, or PAR does not fulfill this requirement.

Experience in other intensive care units

While experience in adult critical care is required, employment time in neonatal and/or pediatric ICU is considered to be very advantageous and may count toward the minimum one-year critical care criterion. Other work history may be considered on a case-by-case basis, but must include experience in units where nurses care for high acuity, critically ill patients on a 1:1 ratio who require invasive monitoring and the administration of vasoactive drugs. For example, while it cannot supersede the critical care (ICU) requirement, Flight Nursing is considered highly complementary experience for applicants to the UT Knoxville program.

CCRN Certification

The Program does not require applicants to have CCRN certification prior to application, however admission will be contingent upon obtaining the CCRN prior to the program start date. Please note that while other certifications, such as Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), or other specialty certification, are advantageous, they do not supersede the CCRN requirement.

Faculty and Staff

Program Director - Dr. Julie Bonom, CRNA, DNP, APN
Associate Program Director - Dr. Jim Alberding, CRNA, DNP, APN
Program Faculty & DNP Program Chair - Dr. Terrica Durbin, CRNA, DNP, APN
Clinical Education Coordinator - Ms. Candice Dingus, CRNA, MSN, APN
Administrative Support Specialist - Ms. Alisa Canupp, MBA, BA

Program Application

Program information and application instructions are available for downloading by clicking on the following links:

• DNP Nurse Anesthesia Concentration Program Information (.pdf)
• DNP Curriculum Schema (36 months) (.pdf)

For questions, or to schedule an appointment with one of the program faculty, interested applicants may feel free to contact the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration directly by calling (865) 305-7762 or email Ms. Alisa Canupp, NAC Administrative Support Specialist, at acanupp@utmck.edu.

Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid

Information on tuition, fees and estimated total cost of attendance is available online at https://onestop.utk.edu/tuition-detail/. The cost per credit hour is listed under Online Program for Graduate Students. In addition to the tuition charges and fees, there is a $575 fee for each nurse anesthesia didactic course and a $775 fee for each nurse anesthesia clinical course. For information about grants, scholarships, loans and to obtain a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), please visit https://onestop.utk.edu/financial-aid/.

Program Statistics and Accreditation

The following table indicates the NBCRNA Certification Pass Rates for graduates of the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration

The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration's student attrition rates are as follows:

Accreditation

In 2014, the UT Nurse Anesthesia Concentration received a maximum 10-year accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). The next accreditation onsite review is scheduled for fall 2024. The program received approval in June 2019 to award the DNP degree for entry into practice.

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
222 South Prospect Avenue, Suite 304
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4010
Telephone: (847) 692-7050
Fax: (847) 692-7137
http://www.coacrna.org

The UT College of Nursing MSN and DNP programs  are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: (202) 887-6791
Fax: (202) 887-8476
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/AboutCCNE.htm

Since 1897, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been continuously accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097
Telephone: (404) 679-4500
http://www.sacscoc.org/