BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia (onsite)

The School of Nursing’s Nurse Anesthesia graduate program has an outstanding national reputation. Pitt’s Nurse Anesthesia Program is one of only a small group of programs that have been ranked in the top 10 of US Nurse Anesthesia programs since 1998 -- the first year that such programs were ranked.

About our Nurse Anesthesia Major

This DNP Nurse Anesthesia program prepares students through course work that develops knowledge and skill in anesthesia practice as well as in organizational and leadership skills.

Testimonials

View a selection of program reviews from MSN students who graduated within the last two years.

Program Outcomes

View the Nurse Anesthesia Program Outcomes Information.

DNP Projects & Curriculum

Students will complete a scholarly DNP project that reflects the synthesis and application of knowledge gained throughout the curriculum.

BSN to DNP Curriculum (onsite)
MSN to DNP Curriculum (online) The online option is only available to applicants with a master’s degree in same focus.

Clinical Experiences

Students will progress through a series of structured and scaffolded learning activities prior to embarking upon clinical learning experiences.

Simulation Activities

The Pitt Nurse Anesthesia Program is a national leader in simulation education, developing a course on Anesthesia Crisis Management for CRNAs as early as 1994.

Additional Information

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA): Accreditation, Certification, Licensure/Recognition

Program Accreditation: Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands require completion of an accredited nurse anesthetist program for practice. (This number includes those states that imply requiring completion of an accredited program by requiring nurse anesthetists to be certified. Michigan has no reference to completion of an accredited program in their regulations).

Certification: Graduates from accredited Nurse Anesthesia Programs are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination administered by the National Board for Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). National certification is conferred by the NBCRNA and this allows the graduate of an accredited program to use the title Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA). Forty-nine US states and the District of Columbia require certification for practice while Michigan and Puerto Rico do not (although the title nurse anesthetist cannot be used in Michigan without national certification).

Licensure and Recognition: In most states, Nurse Anesthetists hold licensure as registered nurses and/or as an ‘advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)”. There are several mechanisms for recognition of Nurse Anesthetists including through Statute, Nurse Practice Acts, State Board of Nursing Rules and Regulations and the Department of Health (New York State).
For the most up to date information, please to the AANA State-Government Affairs website.

You can learn more about our other Nurse Anesthesia Programs: MSN to DNP (online) degree program.

To all Nurse Anesthesia student applicants. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational programs requires that we inform all applicants and current students that as of January 1, 2022- all students matriculating into an accredited program must be enrolled in doctoral study. The University of Pittsburgh Nurse Anesthesia Program transitioned to the BSN to DNP entry program in January 2017 with our first cohort scheduled to graduate December 2019. The last University of Pittsburgh BSN to MSN cohort is scheduled to graduate in December 2018.