Nurse Anesthesia

ADMISSION CRITERIA

The following list is the application criteria to apply for an interview and criteria for those applicants who have been accepted into the program.  Click on the tab above to start your interview application and its requirements.  

1. Successful admission to the Arkansas State University Graduate School
1. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program of nursing from a regionally accredited college or university. 
2. Current unrestricted/unencumbered (clear/active) license as a registered nurse in one of the states/compact states or one of the protectorates of the United States, with eligibility for Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri R. N. license.
3. Proof of Liability Insurance and Health Insurance
4. An application demonstrating a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on undergraduate course work or 3.0 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work on a 4.0 scale will be reviewed, but not guaranteed for an interview.  No transfer credits will be accepted.
5. All official transcripts
6. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) on application within 5 years of application demonstrating:
1. A combined verbal and quantitative score of 300 preferred.
2. An analytical writing section score.
7. A minimum of one (1) year full-time work experience, or its part-time equivalent, as a registered nurse in a critical care setting at the time of admission. Critical care experience must be within two (2) years of application. Critical care setting examples include but are not limited to: Surgical Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care, Neuro Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic or Cardiovascular Intensive Care, Burn/Trauma Intensive Care, Neonatal or Pediatric Intensive Care. A-State Nurse Anesthesia Option does not accept Emergency Room, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Operating Room or Obstetrical – Labor & Delivery Unit experience.
8. Completion of an approved 3-credit hour graduate level descriptive and inferential statistics course with a grade of “B” or higher.  ELFN 6773 is an A-State online course that is accepted but students may call for a list of other approved courses.
9. Three references, which should be written by current and/or former supervisors and/or faculty and completed on the program’s recommendation forms.
10. Current BLS, ACLS and PALS certifications on application.
11. Current TB Test, Flu Vaccine, Tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis B Vaccine
12. A satisfactory Physical Exam report (See: Important Files on website for form)
13. CCRN or Cardiac Surgery Certification on application
14. Successful completion of a Background Check, Drug Test, and Interview Process. 
15. Interview is by invitation only and is not guaranteed on application.

*Admission decisions are not grievable.*

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

The School of Nursing requires a high level of proficiency in English so that all students will be able to fully meet academic and clinical objectives as well as meet criteria for professional licensure. All foreign born students and nurses must take one of the following tests: 

1. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 83 on the preferred internet- based test (iBT), 570 on the paper-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test. 
2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a score of at least 6.5 and a spoken band score of 7. 
3. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a score of 56.

The TOEFL is available at the ASU Testing Center.  When taking the exam off campus, the report code for ASU is 6011.   

Who does this apply to?

The term foreign born refers to people residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. In contrast, the term native born refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: 1) born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; 2) born in United States Insular areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; 3) born abroad to at least one U. S. citizen parent. 

Exemption

You may be exempt for the English proficiency testing if you are foreign born but attended school in the United States since kindergarten.  For the exemption you must provide official school records showing continuous enrollment in U. S. schools since kindergarten.  

English as a Second Language

Students who do not meet the required English language proficiency may enroll in ASU’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program in the International Center for English. Potential nursing students enrolled in the ESL program must maintain an average of 85 or higher in levels 0 through 4. In the final or 5th level of the ESL program an average of 90 or higher must be maintained. On completion of the ESL program, the potential nursing student must take the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Upon successfully meeting the proficiency requirement, potential students are eligible to apply to the School of Nursing. 

For questions or equivalencies with other tests of English language proficiency please contact the School of Nursing at 870-972-3074.

Abilities and Skills for the Graduate Nurse Anesthetist Student

The School of Nursing affirms that all students enrolled in the graduate, Nurse Anesthesia program must possess those intellectual, ethical, physical, and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty for safe professional practice.

The Advanced Practice Nurse Anesthetist must possess the knowledge and ability to effectively assess his or her client's biophysical, psychological, social, cultural, and intellectual domains. Further, the advanced practice nurse must competently analyze the assessment data through intellectual processing to arrive at a definition of the client's status or problem, plan independently or collaboratively for full range of therapeutic anesthesia interventions, execute all or part of the anesthesia care plan through advanced practice nursing acts, and evaluate the care delivered and the client's responses to it.

Candidates for advanced practice nursing must have the abilities and skills necessary for use of the nursing process. These skills and abilities include observations; communication; motor ability; conceptualization; integration and quantification; and behavioral/social acceptability. Technological compensation can be made for some handicaps in certain of these areas, but candidates must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary is not possible.

The following abilities and skills are necessary to meet the requirements of the curriculum:

Observations

The candidate must be able to observe patients and monitors accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of vision and tactile sensation. It is enhanced by the functional sense of smell.

Communication

The candidate must be able to speak, hear, and observe patients in order to elicit information; describe changes in mood, activity, posture, mentation, and consciousness; and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team.

Motor

Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other assessment maneuvers. A candidate must have sufficient motor skills to gain access to clients in a variety of care settings and to manipulate the equipment central to the treatment of patients receiving anesthesia care. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. Examples of required fine motor skills would include, but are not limited to, preparation and administration of medications, assessment of vital signs, administration of general, regional, and monitored anesthesia care anesthetics, and insertion invasive monitoring lines. Examples of required gross motor skills would include, but are not limited to, positioning clients, transferring clients and maneuvering in confined spaces. In addition, the candidate should be able to lift and carry a minimum of 35% of his or her own body weight. Also, the candidate should be able to sit, bend, reach and/or walk and stand for most of the day.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of nurse anesthetists, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, the candidate should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and all members of the healthcare team. Candidates must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, and appropriate interpersonal skills, interests, and motivations are all personal qualities necessary for professional nursing.

The citations for these guidelines are as follows:

• Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Bower, D., Line, L., & Denega, D. (1988). Evaluation instruments in nursing (pp. 71). New York: National League for Nursing

How to Apply

1. Apply to the Graduate School

Complete and/or gather the following documents:

• Application to Graduate School Accompanied by Application Fee
• Official Transcript of all Undergraduate and Graduate Work
• Graduate Record Examination Score (must be within 5 years)
• Proof of MMR

2. Apply to the Nurse Anesthesia Program

Complete and/or gather the following documents:

1. Provide Graduate Admissions with Official Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work along with official GRE scores to:
   
   A-State Graduate Admissions
   P.O. Box 60
   State University, AR 72467.
   
   
2. Complete the following:

• DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program application
• Personal Resume            
• Professional Goal Statement consisting of 500-1,000 words with attention given to the applicant’s professional goals, past experiences and contributions the applicant expects to make in the field Nurse Anesthesia practice.
• Official GRE Test Results taken within 5 years of application.
• Three references, one of which must be a current supervisor/manager (a reference from a charge nurse will not suffice).  All references must be sealed and signed over the seal by the person who wrote the recommendation. This may then be sent to you or sent directly to the program by evaluator.  Specific criteria for references are listed on each reference form. 
• DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program Reference Forms.  
  • Recommendation form - Nursing Supervisor
  • Recommendation form - Healthcare Professional 

Nurse Anesthesia

This list is not exhaustive or all-inclusive for all fees and additional costs and may be subject to changes in items and/or costs.

Clinical Sites

The DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program offers a full scope of practice and educational experiences with clinical sites in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Students spend the first four semesters in didactic courses that are a combination of both face-to-face (on the A-State Jonesboro campus) and online. Students will enter into clinical practice in the fifth semester of the program.

The A-State Nurse Anesthesia Program is 36 months with 114 semester hours of academic credit. Class time for each 3-credit hour course equals 45 clock hours per semester. Clinical practicum course hours vary per semester. Total committed clock hours for both didactic courses and clinical courses averages to 64 hours per week arranged over a 4-week period.

Total Credit Hours: 114

If you have questions regarding the A-State DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program, you may email Mary Bouchard, Administrative Specialist II, at mbouchard@astate.edu.    You may also contact the School of Nursing at 870-972-3074 or the Nurse Anesthesia Department directly at 870-680-8187.

Expected Outcomes

Nurse Anesthesia graduates will demonstrate knowledge, skills and competencies in patient safety, perianesthetic management, critical thinking, communication, and competencies needed to enter nurse anesthesia practice in culturally diverse population, and to fulfill professional responsibilities.

The Educational Outcomes of the Program are as follows: 

Patient Safety

Graduates will demonstrate patient safety by their ability to: 

1. Be vigilant in the delivery of patient care in culturally diverse populations. 
2. Protect patients from iatrogenic complications. 
3. Participate in the positioning of patients to prevent injury. 
4. Conduct a comprehensive and appropriate equipment check. 
5. Utilize standard precautions and appropriate infection control measures. 

Perianesthetic Management

Graduates will demonstrate individualized perianesthetic management by their ability in:   

1. Providing care throughout the perianesthetic continuum. 
2. Using a variety of current anesthesia techniques, agents, adjunctive drugs, and equipment while providing anesthesia. 
3. Administering general anesthesia to patients of all ages and physical conditions for a variety of surgical and medically related procedures. 
4. Providing anesthesia services to all patients, including trauma and emergency cases. 
5. Administering and managing regional anesthesia including regional blocks for pain management. 
6. Functioning as a resource person for airway and ventilatory management of patients. 
7. Possessing current advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) recognition. 
8. Possessing current pediatric advanced life support (PALS) recognition. 
9. Delivering culturally competent perianesthetic care throughout the anesthesia experience 

Critical Thinking

Graduates will demonstrate critical thinking by:   

1. Applying knowledge to practice in decision-making and problem solving. 
2. Providing Nurse Anesthesia care based on evidence-based practice.   

Arkansas State University Nurse Anesthesia Option graduated its first class in 2005. Since then, the Option has graduated >600 students. The most recent cohort completed the program in May of 2024.  This Inaugural DNP Nurse Anesthesia Cohort’s attrition rate was 7%. The five-year attrition rate for the MSN Option (including the last MSN Nurse Anesthesia cohort) was 6.5% and 97% of the last MSN cohort received offers of employment within six months of graduation. The NCE pass rate for the 2024 Inaugural DNP Nurse Anesthesia cohort is 80.7%. The Second Time Pass Rate was 100%.

New Administration of the Nurse Anesthesia Program began in January of 2023.  The inaugural DNP Nurse Anesthesia cohort graduated on May 4, 2024.    

*2022 Sources of Employment Data: Sources include the following: personal contact with graduates, clinical site visits, state and national meetings, and 1-year post-graduate surveys.