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Does Northwestern have a CRNA program?
The answer is definitely a yes. The Northwestern CRNA Program is a new CRNA school offered by Northwestern State University in 2021. It is one of three new CRNA programs in the year 2021 and is in partnership with the Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology.
The Northwestern Nurse Anesthetist School is located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Natchitoches is a small town with a population less than 20,000 people located about 3 hours from Baton Rouge. As this is Louisiana, there really isn’t any public transport that will take you to Natchitoches from the capital so you’ll definitely need your own transport. If proximity to the city is important to you, you might consider another school in Louisiana. If you look at other CRNA Schools in Louisiana, there are two others – FranU CRNA Program and the LSU CRNA Program. The former is located in Baton Rouge, while the latter in New Orleans.
Northwestern CRNA Program Overview
The Northwestern CRNA School offers a 36-month DNP degree, with the first Cohort in 2022. There is no MSN degree available. It’s an integrated program, meaning that clinical experience is early on in the beginning of the program. You can apply to the program through NursingCas, which makes it convenient. Northwestern has said that there are 60 qualified CRNA students applying and that they expect the class to be a maximum of 20 SRNAs, which brings that to a 33% acceptance rate. This is exactly the same as the average CRNA acceptance rate in Louisiana of 33%.
As this is a brand new CRNA program in 2021, Northwestern has not announced any statistics yet for the Class of 2022. The CRNA school has 11 clinical sites, which is commendable, especially given the remoteness of the area. The didactic teaching method is mixed, through distance learning, face to face and online as well, which is positive for students.
Northwestern CRNA School Requirements
Like most CRNA program, Northwestern requires a BSN degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In the event that you don’t meet the GPA requirement in the last 60 units, a GRE score of 290 is also an alternative. If you’re a foreign exchange student applying from abroad, the TOEFL score requirement is 500 for ESL applicants. In general, the admission requirements are not super strict, as the Northwestern CRNA program does not require shadow experience and the CCRN. Furthermore, only 1 year of critical care experience is required. Lastly, you’ll be asked to provide 3 recommendation letters, which almost all CRNA schools ask for these days.
Interestingly, as this is a brand-new program, Northwestern has not yet provided course pre-requisites (i.e., Statistics, Anatomy, Pharmacy, etc). I do believe this information will be updated later.
Northwestern CRNA Tuition
The tuition for Northwestern CRNA is US$75,000 for both In-State and Out-of-State students. This is considered very affordable for Nurse Anesthetist Programs in the US. In-State CRNA tuition is $89,490 on average while out-of-state is $105,291 on average.
As said by the Northwestern State University president,
Throughout its history, Northwestern State’s nursing program has played a leadership role on the state and national level. Our nursing faculty have always sought ways to better serve the health care needs of north and central Louisiana. This innovative BSN to DNP-NA program will provide new opportunities for our students and allow us to meet the needs of our partners throughout the region.
Personally, I think it’s great that new CRNA programs are being established to open more opportunities for more students. I look forward to following the news and hearing updates on this program.
Best Nurse Anesthetist Schools in Louisiana
Check out the list below for the best CRNA schools in LA.
| Best CRNA School Ranking | All CRNA Schools | City | Degree Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | FranU CRNA | Baton Rouge | DNP |
| 87 | LSU CRNA Program | New Orleans | DNP |
Be sure to check out our exclusive best nurse anesthetist schools list. Through interviewing over 125 real CRNAs, we ranked all CRNA schools to come up with the best CRNA schools in America.
Other Louisiana CRNA Information
Whether you’re looking to apply to CRNA programs in Louisiana or already a CRNA, check out CRNA Salary in Louisiana and Louisiana Board of Nursing to learn more about nurse anesthesia in the State.
Map of Nurse Anesthetist Schools by State
With two CRNA schools in Louisiana, you may also be interested in applying to CRNA programs nearby in other States. The States close by to Louisiana that have nurse anesthetist schools include:
Notes:
The darker the blue color equivocates to more CRNA Schools in the State.
Tier 1 = 6 or more CRNA Schools
2nd Tier = 3 to 5 CRNA Schools
Tier 3 = 1 or 2 CRNA Schools
White means no CRNA schools in the State.
Data source: everythingCRNA
CRNA Money in LA
Since you’re reading about CRNA Schools in Louisiana, we thought you might be interested in learning about the CRNA Salary in Louisiana if you’re going to work in the State. Be sure to also check out our CRNA Salary Guide and CRNA Starting Salary if you’re still a student or if you’re wondering how much a fresh CRNA can make right out of nurse anesthesia school. Different States have different demand and supply economics of nurse anesthetists, so my advice is to be sure to read up on different states to see which ones fit you best.
Nelson is currently a CRNA in New York City. Previously, he worked as an ICU Travel RN and Critical Care RN in Philadelphia, Miami, Washington DC, and Boston. He earned his BSN from Penn State and his MSN from Bloomsburg. He is also a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).
In his free time, he enjoys working out, exploring the outdoors, and helping future CRNAs.
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