Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Doctor of (D.N.A.P.)

Program accreditation
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
Phone: (224) 275-9130
accreditation@coacrna.org

Program goal

The mission of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia is to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to work as part of an interprofessional team to serve the public through the delivery of safe, cost-efficient, quality anesthesia services and to develop leaders and scholars who will advance the specialty of nurse anesthesia through research, scholarship and public service. The department achieves this mission by establishing an environment that promotes excellence, values diversity, stimulates creativity and recognizes achievement.

Student learning outcomes

The overall objective of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program is to prepare graduates who have acquired knowledge, skills and competencies in patient safety, perianesthetic management, critical thinking and communication to fulfill their professional responsibility as certified nurse anesthetists.

Upon completion of the program, the graduate will:

1. Apply physiological, safety and organizational theories to promote patient safety, enhance quality care and improve nurse anesthesia practice

2. Analyze and synthesize relevant scientific literature and apply results to improve nurse anesthesia practice and patient care outcomes in a culturally sensitive manner

3. Communicate effectively with patients, families, the public and other health professionals

4. Demonstrate leadership skills to meet the challenges of increasingly complex health care and educational environments impacting nurse anesthetists

5. Develop effective strategies for managing ethical dilemmas inherent in anesthesia patient care and the workplace

6. Employ teaching and learning principles for the nurse anesthetist in educating and counseling individuals, families, students-in-training and groups

7. Demonstrate nurse anesthesia scholarship through presentations, publications, leadership activities and collaboration with other disciplines

8. Utilize technology and information systems to analyze, manage and present data

VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs

The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.

Degree candidacy requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on degree candidacy requirements.

Graduation requirements

As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on graduation requirements.

Other information

A student handbook will be made available to all admitted students in their cohort organizations in Canvas.