Nurse Anesthesia Department
Picture yourself in Drexel’s Nurse Anesthesia Department that offers an advanced-practice nursing specialty track providing challenging learning experiences. You’ll be engaged to think critically and make evidence based decisions to expand your nursing knowledge and enhance patient outcomes.
Equally important is the ability to provide safe, compassionate, culturally competent anesthesia care in rapidly changing practice environments. This educational experience will facilitate your professional growth and development into a competent, knowledgeable and vigilant nurse anesthesia practitioner.
A specialty track program with a mission geared to successful outcomes offering:
- Premiere clinical sites providing comprehensive anesthesia case experience
- Basic and advanced simulation experiences to enhance clinical performance
- Smart classroom technology with archived lectures online to use for examination preparation
- Personalized plan of part-time study to complete MSN core courses online prior to full-time enrollment
- Ten week quarter system with 4 vacation weeks per year!
A quick look at program details.
Consider Drexel's Nurse Anesthesia Department for advanced-practice nursing.
The Nurse Anesthesia Department mission statement is in accord with the mission of the university and the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Graduate education in nurse anesthesia at the master's level builds on the education of the professional registered nurse with a baccalaureate degree in nursing.
The Nurse Anesthesia program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). In 2010, the program received the maximum accreditation status of ten years from the COA. The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) in nurse anesthesia is a 28-month, 89-quarter credit, full-time integrated program that begins each January. The M.S.N. core and research courses are provided in an on-line format with some blended virtual class requirements. All anesthesia core and science coursework is offered at Drexel University’s Center City campus in Philadelphia or via video conferencing for students enrolled in the distance program located in central Pennsylvania.
The program currently offers:
- 18 theoretical nursing and research quarter credits.
- 15 quarter credit science component.
- 31 quarter credit didactic anesthesia component integrated with a 25-credit clinical practicum.
Those applicants who already have an M.S. in nursing follow the same curriculum as M.S.N. students but only complete 68 quarter credits in the post masters certificate (PMC) program.
As of January 2014, a proposed curricular revision will be implemented to include a 4 credit Health Assessment Across the Lifespan course which will increase the program to 90-quarter credits and the PMC program to 72 quarter credits. This revision is being implemented to meet the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and National Council of State Board of Nursing (NCSBN) consensus model for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) education which is targeted for implementation by 2015.
Upon successful completion of the program's outcomes and successful completion of a comprehensive examination, you will be awarded an M.S.N. or post-master's certificate in nurse anesthesia.
Certification: Graduates are eligible to take the Certification Examination for Nurse Anesthetists offered by the Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Drexel University’s Nurse Anesthesia Department's 5 year pass rate on the NBCRNA National Certification Exam is 92%.
Accreditation: The Nurse Anesthesia program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). In 2010, the program received the maximum accreditation status of ten years from the COA.
Attrition: The current attrition rate for the class of 2013 and 2014 is 8%.