Nurse Anesthesia Program
Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What do you consider "Critical Care" experience?
One year of full time acute care experience is a requirement for admission to any Nurse Anesthesia Program set forth by the Council on Accreditation of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.  Each program may create additional expectations for what types of experience they feel are essential to their specific needs.  At Penn Nursing, we evaluate each applicant on an individual basis to determine the quality as well as quantity of Critical Care skills they have acquired while working in Critical Care.  We will not accept the following types of experience as the sole component of the critical care experience requirements:  Telemetry, Cardiac Cath Lab, Operating Room, Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU or RR), or Emergency Room.  Exceptions can be considered if the PACU is also ICU overflow on a regular basis or has the patient acuity of an ICU, or if the ER is part of an integrated level one shock/trauma OR and ICU system.  We feel strongly that successful candidates will have gained essential critical care skills including assessment of the critically ill and unstable patient, managing invasive hemodynamic monitoring, basic EKG interpretation, management of vasoactive infusions, and care of the complex patient requiring ventilator support.  This critical care experience must be current.  We do not consider the orientation phase as part of the one year minimum requirement. 

2.  Do I need to have a full year of Critical Care experience before I submit my application?
You can apply to the program if you are currently employed in critical care and will have the necessary one year of full time experience (not including orientation or probation period) before the start of the full time anesthesia component.  Admission to the program is contingent upon fulfilling the critical care experience requirement.

3.  Can I take any other Admission Test besides the GRE? How do I apply for the GRE waiver?
No.  Penn Nursing only accepts the GRE general exam. A competitive applicant generally has a minimum GPA of 3.4 in their BSN.  

5.  What statistics course should I take? 
You can take any undergraduate or graduate level statistics course that includes inferential and descriptive statistics. 

6.  Do all applicants get an interview?
No.  The admission process is highly competitive.  Each qualified, completed application is reviewed by the Program Director and interviews are granted to those candidates with a competitive profile.   We look at all aspects of the application materials: Grade Point Average (GPA) with particular interest in undergraduate science grades, Test Scores (GRE),  professional experiences, references, employer evaluation, and the ability to communicate in writing. 

7.  I don't think my undergraduate Grade Point Average is reflective of my potential.  Since I can't change my past grades, is there anything I can do to improve my chances of admission?
Yes.  We recognize that undergraduate study sometimes occurred when maturity was not fully developed or unforeseen life events occurred, and may not exemplify an applicant's current motivation and professional abilities.  Therefore, we recommend enrolling in one or more graduate level science courses.  This would provide you an avenue to demonstrate your ability to be successful at the graduate level.  Select courses with a strong science component, such as anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology that will provide a better assessment of scholastic aptitude.  However, we cannot guarantee the transfer of these courses if you are admitted in the program.  A competitive GRE score will also help us evaluate your academic potential.

8.  Will I be required to buy a computer?
At this time there is no requirement to own a personal computer, but realistically, it is a necessity to have consistent access to a computer and printer.  All of our courses at Penn Nursing are web-supported; clinical assignments are available on-line; the program’s major communication method is Electronic Mail; and presentations and papers throughout the curriculum require the use of a computer.  There is a dedicated computer lab in Claire M. Fagin Hall (School of Nursing) and this may suffice if you live in close proximity to the school and can plan your work to coincide with the Computer Lab hours.  Most students find it invaluable to have a home computer.  Broadband or DSL Internet access is also recommended.  The most useful skills for incoming students are:  web navigation, downloading files, use of electronic mail, and basic word processing and PowerPoint Slideshow navigation.  Students with limited computer skills have learned quickly, but having some basic familiarity with computers allows you to concentrate your effort on anesthesia studies.  Our Biomedical Library periodically conducts 1-2 hour classes to help students develop more advanced computer skills.

9.  What prerequisite courses do I need to have in order to apply for the program?
We require all applicants to have earned a BSN and have a college level statistic course prior to entering the Nurse Anesthesia program. We do not have a prerequisite requirement for chemistry or physics because we cover these topics in our core anesthesia classes. We will look closely at undergraduate science courses that each applicant has completed in their nursing coursework.

10.  How many applicants do you have each year?
The School of Nursing’s Nurse Anesthesia Program averages 150+ applicants each year.

11.  How many students do you accept each year?
We accept 25 full time students each year. We monitor the national employment market, clinical site availability to meet AANA accreditation educational requirements, and several other factors to determine our class size each year.

12.  If I am admitted to the full time program for the Summer term, can I take classes in the preceding Fall or Spring term?
Yes.  If you are admitted to the program and reside locally or move to the area the term before the full time curriculum begins, you may start taking some of the non-clinical core classes.  Other core classes and electives are available and those options will be discussed with you by a faculty member after admission into the program.

13.  How can I make an informed decision that this is the best career choice for me?
We encourage all nurse anesthesia applicants to shadow a CRNA in your local area and visit the Operating Rooms where they practice to gain a first hand experience of the professional activities of a Nurse Anesthetist. Ask the CRNA if they enjoy their work and what types of collaboration they have with other healthcare professionals.  We also encourage applicants to visit the AANA website and fully explore the role of a Nurse Anesthetists at the national level. 

14.  When is the deadline for applying to Nurse Anesthesia program?
Nurse Anesthesia is a full-time only program. There are two application deadlines. Applications submitted by January 15 will receive priority consideration. The final date to submit an application is June 1.  (In general, we recommend that applicants apply at lease one year prior to the start of the program) MSN/PHD option: The deadline for this option is November 1st.

15.  I am a RN and have been working in critical care, but have a BS in another field   Do you require applicants to have a BSN degree?
Yes, we can only consider applicants who have earned a BSN degree. We encourage RN applicants to go through an accelerated RN-BSN completion program and then apply to our program.

16.  Do I have to have a PA license to apply?
We do require applicants to have a PA license by the start of the program. When applying to the program, applicants should be eligible for PA license.

17.  Do you require applicants to have CCRN certification?
We do not require applicants to have CCRN certification to apply but it is strongly encouraged that applicants are CCRN certified.

18.  Since this is a full-time program and I will not be able to work during the program is there financial aid available?
Yes, almost all of our current nurse anesthesia students receive some form of financial assistance from Penn Nursing.  We provide financial assistance in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. We strongly recommend applicants to seek outside funding or contact potential employers for additional financial support.

19.  Will I be able to work on a part-time basis?
No! It will not be possible for students going through this program to work on a part-time basis. Given that it is one of the shortest nurse anesthesia programs in the nation, we take every opportunity during the school year to provide our students with clinical opportunities. The full-time schedule requires students to either be in class or clinical everyday, leaving students with very limited free time. 

20.  I am interested in the MSN/PhD option of studies. Do you offer this option to Nurse Anesthesia applicants?
Yes, we offer the MSN/PhD study option for interested nurse anesthesia applicants. The deadline for this option is November 1st because the applicant must be evaluated by the master’s program first then go through a PhD Admission Committee review. We recommend applicants have an understanding of our doctoral program and have a specific research focus prior to applying to the program. For the MSN/PhD option, applicants must fill out the doctoral application and complete all the questions on the doctoral and master’s applications.

For more information about the program, please contact the Enrollment Management Office at 215.898.4271.