Nurse Anesthesia FAQs

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Nurse Anesthesia Faculty and Students at TANA 2022

Pre-Admission Qualifications

1. Do I need to have two years of Critical Care experience before I submit my application?: No. However, you must have at least two years of critical care experience within the last five years before the start of the program.
2. What is considered "Critical Care Experience"?: As defined by the COA, critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to: surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.
3. Do emergency room, operating room, or post-anesthesia care unit experiences meet the critical care experience requirement?: No.
4. How recent should my Critical Care/ICU experience be?: Two years of full-time clinical experience in an intensive care or critical care unit within the last five years are required for the DNP Nurse Anesthesia concentration.
5. Do I need to possess and maintain Basic Life Support, (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) throughout the Program?: Yes. Students entering the program need to be able to document current certifications in BLS, ACLS and PALS on the first day of classes. Current status in all three certifications must be maintained throughout the program.
6. Do you require applicants to have CCRN certification?: We do not require applicants to have CCRN certification to apply but it is strongly encouraged that applicants are CCRN certified.
7. Should I observe the role of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) before I apply to your program?: Yes. We encourage all applicants to become familiar with the role of the CRNA through "shadowing." Spending time with a CRNA is one of the best ways to learn more about the profession and to determine if it will be a good fit for you.

Admissions and Application Process

1. When are applications accepted for admission to the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program?: Access to the DNP Nurse Anesthesia application is available in mid-January each year. The deadline for completed applications is the second Friday in April. No late submissions will be considered.
2. What if I haven’t completed my BSN or achieved my 2 years of critical care by the deadline?: The BSN must be completed by May or August of the application year. Two years of critical care experience must be achieved before start of program.
3. Can I apply to both the Chattanooga and Tupelo locations at the same time?: No. At the time of application, you must choose one or the other.
4. What steps do I have to take to re-apply to the program?: You must complete a new Graduate and nursing program application for the cohort year.
5. How competitive is the application selection process?: We receive over 120 applications each year. We invite 60-65 Chattanooga applicants and 12 to 20 Tupelo applicants for interviews. We traditionally accept approximately 24-30 students for each class. However, when making our admission decisions, we focus on selecting the most qualified applicants and do not need to meet a class size quota. Applicants must answer personal statement essay questions and may also submit a formatted personal statement as part of their resume.
6. Do all applicants get an interview?: No. Admission into our program is very competitive. All complete applications are reviewed by the admissions committee. Each application is thoroughly reviewed by the committee regarding the cumulative, BSN, and science GPAs, clinical experiences, recommendation letters, evidence of leadership, and personal statements. Invitations to interview are extended to those applicants who the committee believes are most qualified to meet the rigors of the program.
7. How soon after I apply to the program will I hear if I've been accepted?: Applicants for admission will be contacted within two weeks following completion of the interview process. Individuals selected for admission accept their seat through the acceptance email within five days of notification. If a candidate accepts the offered slot in the program, a $1,000 non-refundable matriculation fee (a seat fee) will be required to secure the candidate's position in the program.
8. Is the matriculation fee refundable once I have been accepted into the program?: No, the $1,000 matriculation fee will be applied to your first semester expenses upon acceptance into the program. Further, we will only accept a cashier's check or money order. Personal checks will not be accepted.
9. Is there a waiting list for admission?: The UTC DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program holds a short alternate list from the interviewed applicants. Applicants on the alternate list do not roll to the next cohort. Applicants will have to reapply.
10. I have my bachelor's degree in an area other than nursing. Can I apply for admission into the program?: No. We can only consider applicants who have earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
11. Do I need to take the GRE exam for admission? Is there a minimum grade point average (GPA) required?: The GRE is NOT required. An overall undergraduate GPA and a science GPA of 3.0 is required. Our goal is to admit students who will have the best chance at success in the program.
12. Are there any prerequisite courses that I need before I apply for admission?: We do not require any pre-requisite undergraduate classes. Bachelor’s or post-bachelor’s course work, however, must be satisfactory (GPA 3.0 or higher). Given the strong science-based curriculum of anesthesia. it is important that you demonstrate undergraduate success in all science-related course work (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, biology, chemistry, etc.) If you make a "C" or lower in any of your science courses, we strongly recommended that you re-take those course(s) to better improve your academic profile.
13. I have taken a course which I think is the same as one of your courses. Do I have to retake the course at UTC?: Per the Graduate School Academic policies, the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program can determine the extent of transfer credits acceptable in our program. It is possible to transfer up to six credits of doctoral course work earned elsewhere. Only courses in which a student has obtained a grade of “B” or better, and which have not been applied to another degree, will be accepted. All nurse anesthesia courses must be completed at UTC. Before acceptance into the program, you need to provide the Director of the Nurse Anesthesia program with copies of course syllabi as well as other documentation so that they can compare your course to that at UTC.
14. What if I already have a graduate degree in nursing?: We do not offer a post-DNP certificate option currently.

Financial Aid and Housing

1. What are the financial costs associated with the program?

Information regarding current tuition and fees can be found on at the Bursar's Office website or the fee estimator. Please use the Online and Distance Fee Schedule to determine your tuition costs. There is a 9-credit hour cap on tuition costs each semester. In addition to tuition and fees, Nursing courses require a $105/credit hour differential fee. There is NO cap on the differential fee credit hours. If you want additional information about the tuition costs, please feel free to contact the Nurse Anesthesia program coordinator, Dr. Linda Hill, [email protected], (423) 425-5693.

2. Are there additional expenses besides the cost of tuition?

There are several expenses, in addition to tuition, for which the student will be responsible. Many are listed below.

ESTIMATED Additional Expenses for Program

All costs are estimates, actual costs may vary. This is not intended to represent an all-inclusive list:

Textbooks- $4,040 (covers all semesters of the program)
Clinical Supplies (lab coat, stethoscope, nerve stimulator, Thyroid shield, Earpieces) - $780.00
Clinical Requirement testing- $85.00
Personal Computer- $2700 (one time cost)
Internet Access - $125/per month (Total estimate 3 years $4,400)
Cell phone with internet- $100/ per month (Total estimate 3 years $3,600)
Associate memberships—American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists (AANA) and Tennessee Association of Student Nurse Anesthetists -$225.00 (3-year membership)
TANA Annual Conference (transportation, room, meals). Attendance is required (approximate cost per trip is $550/per trip)
TN RN Licensure- $115.00
Malpractice Insurance- $20/per year x 3 years (Total estimate 3 years $60.00)
Health Insurance*- premium depends on insurance company and plan
SEE Examination (Required two times in Senior year)- $265.00/exam (total estimate $530)
Certification Examination (Required) - $1095.00 (one time cost before graduation)
Anesthesia Board Review Course- $1,250.00 (Optional)
BLS, ACLS & PALS Recertification Courses- $300.00
Typhon- $100 (One time cost)
Apex Anesthesia Review- $400.00 (One time cost); Prodigy Anesthesia—Approx. $350.00 for 3-year subscription
Travel between clinical sites- $2,300 (across all semesters)
Hotel for out-of-town clinical rotation- $80/per night x 10 nights = $800
Professional conferences (TANA or MANA), $350.00

Please see Estimated Expenses for more information.

3. What types of financial aid are available?

Financial aid is readily available for nurse anesthesia students. Awards include aid from Federal Stafford loans, Federal Nurse Anesthesia Traineeships, and potential employers. Accepted applicants should contact the UTC Financial Aid office (423-425-4667) when they are notified of acceptance. Begin the process early by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on-line at studentaid.gov.

4. I live in Mississippi; will I have to pay out-of-state costs?

Yes. See the fee schedule from the Bursars Office or the fee estimator. Please use the Online and Distance Free Schedule to determine your tuition costs. There is a 9-credit hour cap on tuition costs each semester. In addition to tuition and fees, Nursing courses require a $105/credit hour differential fee. There is NO cap on the differential fee credit hours.

5. What housing options are available on campus?

To those students who choose to live on campus, UTC provides an array of attractive housing options.

General Questions

1. When do classes begin?

The school year begins in January of each year.

2. Can I attend the program on a part-time basis?

No. The program is designed for full-time study.

3. Is UTC's Nurse Anesthesia program front-loaded or integrated?

First, an explanation on the differences between the two. Integrated nurse anesthesia programs typically arrange their curricula so that students participate in didactic and clinical education concurrently while front loaded program students complete all didactic courses before beginning their clinical experience. UTC's Nurse Anesthesia program is front loaded the first year and integrated years 2 and 3.

4. Does the program include simulation?

Yes, patient simulators are used to provide consistent and safe simulation of both routine and unusual anesthesia situations.

5. Can I work during the program?

Being enrolled in the nurse anesthesia program at UTC is a full-time endeavor and the curriculum is very demanding. The time commitment involved averages on a minimum of 40 to 50 hours per week in the clinical area and/or classroom. With that said, we strongly discourage students from working during their time in the program. Doing so could negatively impact your academic and clinical experience

6. Do I need my own computer?

The faculty expects beginning students to be academically prepared to undertake the graduate level study of nursing, clinical, and basic sciences. The curriculum incorporates the intensive use of informational technology for educational purposes. All students are required to have a laptop computer or tablet and must possess basic computer skills and equipment prior to enrollment. These skills and equipment include, but are not limited to the following:

Able to use MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Able to send and receive emails and attachments to emails
Online Internet service of choice must be maintained, at student cost, for duration of the program of study. It is strongly recommended that you have some type of high-speed Wi-Fi access.
Anti-virus software, Adobe Acrobat Reader

7. What is your accreditation status?