The UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing offers a top-tier Nurse Anesthesia program that can lead to a career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). This guide provides an overview of what you need to know about the program, including admissions requirements, curriculum, and career outlook.

Aspiring nurse anesthetists must first complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing and obtain a registered nurse (RN) license. They then must complete a master’s degree or doctorate in nurse anesthesia. The UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing offers both Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia (MSNA) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.

The MSNA program at UNC Chapel Hill is a 36-month, full-time program that includes didactic coursework, clinical rotations, and a research project. The DNP program is a 42-month, full-time program that includes didactic coursework, clinical rotations, and a doctoral capstone project.

Admission to the MSNA program at UNC Chapel Hill is competitive. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution, a minimum GPA of 3.0, and a current RN license. They must also submit GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement.

The curriculum for the MSNA program at UNC Chapel Hill is divided into didactic and clinical components. The didactic component includes coursework in pharmacology, physiology, pathophysiology, and anesthesia principles. The clinical component includes rotations in medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetrics, and critical care.

Upon completion of the MSNA program at UNC Chapel Hill, graduates are eligible to take the national certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Certified nurse anesthetists must renew their certification every four years.