A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or CRNA is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) recognized by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and all of the boards of nursing in every state, territory and the District of Columbia that regulate nursing practice. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), CRNAs are anesthesia professionals who safely administer more than 50 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States. CRNAs provide anesthesia in collaboration with surgeons, dentists, podiatrists, physician anesthesiologists, and other qualified healthcare professionals. As advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs practice with a high degree of autonomy and professional respect. CRNAs are qualified to make independent judgments regarding all aspects of anesthesia care based on their education, licensure, and certification. More information about state laws that regulate CRNA practice can be found on the AANA website.

The NMSU Nurse Anesthesiology Program is currently undergoing the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) accreditation process. The onsite accreditation review is scheduled for April 11-13, 2023 and we expect an accreditation decision on October 2023. Students accepted into the program for Fall semester 2023 will be admitted into NMSU’s generic DNP program pending final accreditation by the COA.  Although we will receive a preliminary accreditation report in May 2023, we will not know the official outcome of the accreditation review until October 2023.  Students accepted to the program will be notified of the outcomes of the site visit in May 2023 and would have the opportunity to withdraw their acceptance.  Updated information about the program and applications can be found on the  NMSU DNP-NA website. 

The NMSU School of Nursing DNP program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and NMSU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) requires at least one year of current, full time critical care experience. Best qualified candidates have at between 2-5 years of critical care experience to ensure applicants have a strong nursing foundation for success in nurse anesthesiology.

The applicant must have independent decision-making capability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques based on knowledge of physiological and pharmacological principles.

We prefer trauma ICU, CVICU and/or surgical ICU experience. Other intensive care areas that are acceptable include: neuro ICU, burn ICU, PICU, NICU, MICU, and CCU. We do not consider Emergency Room, Cardiac Catheterization, and Post-anesthesia care nursing as crucial care areas. Some rural ICU’s may not meet the critical care requirement depending on their patient acuity and workload.

CRNAs are the only anesthesia professionals with critical care experience prior to beginning formal anesthesia education. The COA website has an explanation of how the organization determines this minimum clinical practice requirement. 

A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.

Nurse practitioner experience may not qualify as critical care experience.  Applicants need routine hands-on experience with invasive monitors, ventilators, and vasoactive medications.

According to the COA, nurses must obtain critical care experience within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse must develop critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques.

Since nurse anesthesia education offered at schools or colleges of nursing require the completion of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing is required at time of application. Applicants must also hold an unencumbered license as a registered nurse.

Yes. CCRN certification demonstrate that the nurse has the motivation and knowledge foundation for anesthesia practice (this is a change from 2023 requirements).

The NMSU Nurse Anesthesiology program is based at the NMSU-Las Cruces campus in southern New Mexico, however we are planning for a virtual campus in Albuquerque.  DNP core courses are delivered in an online, asynchronous format and nurse anesthesiology didactic courses will be delivered in a synchronous format. Students located in the Las Cruces area will be required to attend class on campus and student located in the Albuquerque may be required to attend the didactic courses in a distance education classroom.  There will be orientations and laboratory experienced held on the Las Cruces campus that students based in Albuquerque will need to attend. The majority of clinical experience are located in Las Cruces or Albuquerque/Santa Fe regions; however, all students will be required to complete a rural health rotation in New Mexico.  Students attending from out-of-state should plan to relocate to Las Cruces, NM or the Albuquerque, NM regions at the start of the program.

No. Due to the intensity, rigor, and demand of the program all employment is forbidden while enrolled in the program. There are several financial aid opportunities to help finance tuition and other expenses.

Although there is no maximum number of graduate-level semester credit hours that can be transferred and applied to the program, the DNP-NA specialty track director will make the final determination regarding transfer of credit. Students wishing to transfer any course must have earned a minimum grade of B in the course and the course must have been completed within the past five years of starting the program. DNP core courses must have been completed at the doctoral level to be considered for transfer or waiver. Requests for transfer credit based on graduate course work at other institutions at NMSU must have prior approval from the department head and the dean of the Graduate School before credit will be applied at NMSU.  The request to transfer credit must be concluded prior to the second semester registration period. For more information on policies governing transfer of credit, please refer to the NMSU ARP 4.61.

Three letters of recommendation are required. One must be from a current supervisor/manager who completes your performance evaluation and is knowledgeable about your work performance and experience. One must be from an academic educator who can attest to your academic ability and your potential to complete the program. The third reference must be from an anesthesia provider (preferably from a CRNA) who can convey your potential to become a CRNA. References should be recent, written for the purpose of your application to this program and from professors who know you as a student, current supervisors/managers and anesthesia providers who know you as a professional in a job setting. Personal references from colleagues, friends, or family members do not meet the requirement.

It is highly recommended that you observe a CRNA prior to applying to the program. If possible, you should spend an entire shift observing the CRNA to get an idea of what a typical day may be like. NMSU has created a CRNA Shadow Log where you can record your shadowing. This log may be submitted with your program application.

The NMSU Nurse Anesthesiology program is planning to accept 24 students each year, however the class size will be determined by the Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA).

A proposal for the DNP-NA program tuition has been submitted to the NMSU administration and will need to be approved by the NMSU Board of Regents. The tuition is based on the program’s 101-credit degree plan (attached). In addition to NMSU’s base graduate tuition and student fees, DNP-NA students would also pay a $525 per credit hour tuition differential.  The differential will be applied to all courses in the DNP-NA degree plan. DNP-NA student fees are set at $450/semester x 9 semesters, and do not include textbooks. 

NM Resident	Cost per Credit	Total Cost
Base Graduate Tuition + Req. Fees	$343.80	$34,724
DNP-NA Tuition Differential	$525.00	$53,025
DNP-NA Student Fees		$4,050
TOTAL (101 credit DNP program)		$91,799
EL Paso Resident 1.1 times NM Resident Tuition	Cost per Credit	Total Cost
Base Graduate Tuition + Req. Fees	$372.58	$37,631
DNP-NA Tuition Differential	$525.00	$53,025
DNP-NA Student Fees		$4,050
TOTAL (101 credit DNP program)		$94,706
Non-Resident	Cost per Credit	Total Cost
Base Graduate Tuition + Req. Fees	$1057.30	$106,787
DNP-NA Tuition Differential	$525.00	$53,025
DNP-NA Student Fees		$4,050
TOTAL (101 credit DNP program)		$163,862

 

These program costs are subject to change. Updated base tuition and student fee information can be found at: https://uar.nmsu.edu/tuition_fees/index.html