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The really sad part about running this website to help potential CRNA students learn more about how to be a nurse anesthetist and how to choose the Best CRNA School is that I get negative criticism and even close to threatening lawsuits.  As an example, I’ve included a letter here from the Rush CRNA program in sharing the real truth behind the Rush CRNA program.  This is the exact letter sent to me as well as my response.  Can you believe it? This is actually from the University itself. I want to make it clear that I don’t charge any money to readers and the ads on the website barely even cover my hosting.  This doesn’t even include the thousands of hours I spend researching, writing and reaching out to real CRNAs in my free time.   

My mission on everythingCRNA.com is to provide practical, insightful and easy-to-understand advice to help aspiring, student and practicing CRNAs achieve success.  I value authenticity and hope someday we can have a community of nurse anesthetists here helping to guide the next generation of CRNAs. 

Based on many requests, I’ve decided to open up the comments section on some my articles (Sept 2021).  I want to make it clear that all feedback within the articles on each and every CRNA school is ACTUAL real feedback from a REAL CRNA registered on AANA who either went to the school itself or worked with graduates of that school.  I have verified each and every single feedback and whether positive or negative, insightful or not, they are real.

Thanks again for your support.  I wish you success on your CRNA journey.

Nelson
info@everythingcrna.com

Letter from Rush CRNA

From

[Redacted], PhD, RN, FAAN
John L. and Helen Kellogg
[Position Redacted]
Professor, Women, Children and
Family Nursing
College of Nursing

Dear Mr. Lee,

I am the [position redacted] at Rush University (Nov 2020). It has been brought to my attention by students, faculty and graduates of our Nurse Anesthetists program that your rating website, based on a small sample size, is publicly publishing antidotal remarks, from a single individual, which have not been verified.

First, the historical comments are outdated given changes in the program. Additionally, the third and rather lengthy comment comes close to libel and we ask that you take it down.

We hope that since your stated rationale for setting up this website is to encourage potential nurses to become SRNA and be informed about CRNA program that you consider ethically as a fellow nursing professional the harm this does to the prospective students to make career judgements based on hearsay and a sample of one. We are happy to encourage alumni to send more balanced and reliable feedback for your site in the future, but they have noted that the link to feedback is disabled on the blog/website. Sincerely,

[Redacted], PhD, RN, FAAN
John & Helen Kellogg Dean
College of Nursing
[Position Redacted]
Rush University Medical Center
Cc: [Redacted]
[Position Redacted] General Counsel

EverythingCRNA Response to Rush CRNA

Dear [Redacted at Rush CRNA program],

I appreciate your feedback and letter.

To begin, my mission on www.everythingCRNA.com is to provide practical, insightful and easy-to-understand advice to help aspiring, student and practicing CRNAs achieve success.

This website is not a profit-generating business – in fact, servers, web designers and technical assistance costs all come out of my pocket.  The website has also taken thousands of hours of my time – as you can imagine not easy as a CRNA!  To me, www.everythingCRNA.com is simply my effort to give something back to the CRNA community. There’s still a lot of work and improvement to be done, and I hope over time the website can be better.

EverythingCRNA Response to Rush CRNA (Feedback Welcome}

With that said, I created pages on all the CRNA programs and openly welcomed feedback through a survey I conducted by reaching out to real members from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).  My role in this survey is not to regulate and edit commentary.  Rather, my role is unique in the sense that it is to make sure that all feedback is from real authentic people who are AANA members. 

To that extent, I have personally verified each and every CRNA school feedback to make sure all comes from actual registered AANA members.  To date, I have not opened the commentary box on the individual CRNA school pages because I do not want spam and fake reviews as that would mislead others and defeat the purpose of my website.  I would like to share that I have received many personal emails from students and actual nurse anesthetists who have found the Best CRNA schools to be helpful.

If it’s OK with you, please let me know which part of the feedback on Rush University you consider libel.  I will reach out to the person who commented and ask the person if he/she is open to revise or delete those parts.  In addition, if you have feedback from yourself personally on the past/current/future of the Rush CRNA program or from other AANA members, please have them reach out to me (info@everythingcrna.com).

Best CRNA Schools

I’ll be preparing another survey to update the Best CRNA Schools for 2022. Ping me on AANA if you would like to participate in the survey!

There are 51 CRNA schools that offer a CRNA Post Masters Certificate (PMC) or DNP Completion Program.  What does a Nurse Anesthetist PMC mean?  PMC and DNP Completion mean exactly the same thing.  Essentially, if you already have a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) in another specialty, depending on the school, you can be eligible to enroll in the PMC to receive a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, otherwise known as a DNP.  If you are currently a professional CRNA with an MSN, you can reach enroll in the Post Masters Certificate to reach your Doctorate degree.  The PMC is relatively new with more and more CRNA schools offering these certification routes as most CRNAs today are MS (Master of Science), MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) or MSNA (Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia) degree holders.

The reasoning behind calling it a DNP Completion program is because once you finish the degree, you have completed the path of becoming a CRNA, as there’s no additional degrees to attain following the DNP.

Is the CRNA Post Certificate and DNP Completion Program Important?

Well, as we all know by now, for various reasons the CRNA career path is moving towards the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree as an industry standard.  As mentioned in my writing on How Many Years Does it Take to Be a Nurse Anesthetist,

Back in 2007, the AANA (the official Nurse Anesthesia Association in the US) voted to require all CRNAs to get Doctors (DNP) degrees rather than Master of Science in Nursing Degrees (MSN).  Due to this law, all CRNA schools need to abide by the DNP 3 CRNA schooling years requirement by 2025.  Previously, over 70% of CRNA schools were Masters programs while 30% were Doctors programs.  Today, for the 2020 and 2021 school years, those figures are reversed.  Now, we see only 20% of CRNA schools offering master’s 2-year CRNA programs, while 80% of CRNA schools offer the DNP with 3 CRNA Schooling years.  The good thing is that all current CRNAs with master’s degrees prior to 2025 will be grand fathered in and will not have to get doctorate degrees to continue practicing.

Nelson, everythingCRNA.com

Why I think MSN to DNP CRNA Programs Aren’t Worth It

Although it’s a low possibility, there is a chance that more hospitals will require DNP or DNAP degrees from CRNAs for positions or list it as a requirement for job postings.  However, personally, I think this is extremely unlikely given that there’s already a shortage of CRNAs in the market today.  Some academia advisors recommend getting the DNP now.  However, my view is the complete opposite for the following reasons.

• Money: First, why spend the additional money on the tuition if it isn’t necessary at all for your career. 
• Opportunity Cost: Second, there’s the opportunity cost.  The time you spend studying could be spent doing other things.  Personally, I feel I’ve already invested enough money and time into my education since university and for my MSN that I feel it’s time I see a return on my time and money. 

I can improve my skillsets through real life learnings and on the job.  Although many of the courses are done online or can be spread out over many years, my view is why bother when it isn’t required. 

• Not Mandatory. Third, a DNP isn’t required.  All CRNA students and professionals who receive an MSN CRNA degree will not be required to obtain the DNP degree.  Unless this guideline specifically changes, I don’t recommend Post Masters CRNA degrees to anyone unless you enjoy academia or want to go back to school. 

Please note that this is my personal opinion and it’s quite controversial compared to others. Everyone’s opinion is different and I recommend you speak with more people.  As you can tell, I’m a realist and believe in sharing the truth with all my friends and readers.  😊

Post Masters CRNA

Some CRNA schools have very strict MSN to DNP requirements.  For example, Mayo Clinic, specifically states

This CRNA postgraduate degree program is designed for certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNAs) with a master’s degree. Applicants must have graduated from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences Master of Nurse Anesthesia Program or be currently employed as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist by Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

List of all MSN to DNP Anesthesia Programs

Below is the list of all 51 CRNA Schools that offer a Post Masters CRNA Certificate program.  This list is updated for the 2022 academic year. These are all CRNA to DNP programs.

1. La Roche CRNA
2. Augusta CRNA Program
3. Murray State CRNA
4. Barry University Nurse Anesthesia Program
5. Baylor College of Medicine CRNA
6. Boston College CRNA
7. UNC CRNA Program
8. Cleveland Clinic CRNA program
9. Columbia University CRNA
10. Drexel CRNA
11. ECU CRNA
12. Excela Health School of Anesthesia
13. Florida Gulf Coast University CRNA
14. Case Western CRNA
15. La Salle CRNA program
16. Integrated Anesthesia Associates
17. Keiser University CRNA
18. Lincoln Memorial University CRNA Program
19. LSU CRNA Program
20. Lourdes University CRNA
21. Mayo Clinic CRNA
22. MUSC CRNA Program
23. Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia
24. Midwestern University CRNA
25. Missouri State University CRNA
26. Mount Marty CRNA
27. Newman CRNA
28. Northeastern CRNA
29. Northwestern CRNA Program
30. Oakland University CRNA Program
31. Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes
32. Quinnipiac CRNA Program
33. Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia
34. Rosalind Franklin CRNA
35. Samuel Merritt CRNA
36. TCU CRNA
37. Texas Wesleyan University CRNA
38. University of Akron CRNA
39. U of M CRNA Program
40. UPenn CRNA
41. University of Pittsburgh CRNA
42. University of Scranton CRNA
43. UTC CRNA
44. Union University CRNA
45. UPMC Hamot
46. Villanova CRNA program
47. VCU CRNA Program
48. Wake Forest CRNA
49. Webster University Nurse Anesthesia Program
50. Yale CRNA
51. York College CRNA

Top CRNA Schools

We spent hundreds of hours studying all CRNA schools and interviewing over 125 nurse anesthetists to create our exclusive list of Best CRNA Schools.  With the list of Best CRNA programs, you’ll know which CRNA schools are the best fit and which programs you should apply to.

Nurse Anesthetist Salary

How much can you make in the first year coming out of CRNA School? Here’s my real life experience on starting salary for CRNAs. Check it out and let me know what you think!

There are a lot of requirements to be a CRNA.  I had a post going all over the wide list of requirements like education degree, GPA, ICU experience and nursing license.  This article will go over the CRNA prerequisites which are the courses that you need to have completed in order get into CRNA School in the first place.  When you think about it, the CRNA pre reqs are the easiest to meet.  For example, if you’re missing the credit, try to see if you can substitute the credit by taking the course at a local university. It’s really important that you meet the requirements for each school that you’re applying for, so pay attention to this.

What Classes Should I Take Before CRNA School?

It is really important that you focus on the nurse anesthetist prerequisites because all the CRNA schools are completely different pre reqs.  However, 60% of CRNA Schools require you to take a Statistics Course, 44% require you to have taken General Chemistry, and 36% require you to have taken a Physiology Course.  If you think about what classes to take before CRNA school you should definitely take those 3 courses. The specific breakdowns of courses and the percentage of schools that require the course are broken out below from highest to lowest:

• Statistics – Prerequisite for 60% of CRNA Programs
• General Chemistry – Prerequisite for 44% of CRNA Schools
• Physiology – Prerequisite for 36% of Nurse Anesthetist Programs
• Anatomy – Prerequisite for 34% of CRNA Programs
• Organic Chemistry – Prerequisite for 31% of Nurse Anesthesia Programs
• Biochemistry – Prerequisite for 29% of CRNA Schools
• Microbiology – Prerequisite for 16% of Nurse Anesthetist Programs
• Pharmacy – Prerequisite for 11% of CRNA Programs
• Physics – Prerequisite for 9% of CRNA Schools

CRNA Schools with the Highest Perquisites

The CRNA schools with the strictest and most number of pre reqs are as follows:

• University of South California – 8 pre reqs
• Quinnipiac – 7 pre reqs
• Yale – 7 pre reqs
• University of Kansas – 7 pre reqs
• North Kentucky University – 7 pre reqs
• University of Michigan – 7 pre reqs

There were a lot of CRNA programs that did not have any pre reqs as shown in the table below.

Again, please make sure you properly research and make sure you meet all the prerequisites so you do not automatically disqualify yourself later.  I cannot emphasize this further.  Without further ado, here is the list

List of CRNA Prerequisites By Nurse Anesthetist School

All CRNA Schools	Statistics	Basic Chemistry	Physiology	Anatomy	Organic Chemistry	Biochemistry	Microbiology	Pharmacy	Physics
AdventHealth CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Albany Medical College CRNA Program	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
La Roche CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
Antillean Adventist University	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Army CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
ASU CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Augusta CRNA Program	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Murray State CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Barry University Nurse Anesthesia Program	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Recommended	Recommended	Not Needed	Required	Required
Baylor College of Medicine CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Boston College CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Bryan College CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Kaiser CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
Charleston Area Medical Center	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UNC CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Recommended
Cedar Crest CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Clarkson College CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed
Cleveland Clinic CRNA program	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
Columbia University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Millikin CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Drexel CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Duke CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
ECU CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Emory CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Excela Health School of Anesthesia	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Fairfield CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Recommended
Florida Gulf Coast University CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
FIU CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
FSU CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Recommended	Recommended	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Case Western CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
FranU CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Required
Mayo Clinic Health System	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
La Salle CRNA program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Bloomsburg CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Georgetown CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Goldfarb CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
Gonzaga CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed
Hofstra CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Integrated Anesthesia Associates	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Inter American University	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Johns Hopkins CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Keiser University CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Lincoln Memorial University CRNA Program	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Loma Linda CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
LSU CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Lourdes University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Marian University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Marquette CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Mayo Clinic CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Recommended	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
MUSC CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Recommended	Not Needed	Recommended	Required	Not Needed
Michigan State University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Midwestern University CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required
Minneapolis School of Anesthesia	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Missouri State University CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
Mount Marty CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
National University CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Newman CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Northeastern CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
NKU CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
Northshore CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Northwestern CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Oakland University CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
Old Dominion University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
OHSU Nursing	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
Otterbein CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Quinnipiac CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed
Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Rosalind Franklin CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Rush University CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Rutgers CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
SIUE CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
Saint Marys CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Samford CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Samuel Merritt CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
Saint Joseph Hospital	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Buffalo CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
TCU CRNA	Not Needed	Recommended	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Texas Wesleyan University CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Jefferson CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Truman CRNA Program	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UAB CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Akron CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Arizona CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
UAMS CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Cincinnati CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Detroit Mercy CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Evansville CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Iowa CRNA	Required	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended
KU CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
U of M CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Maryland CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
UM CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Minnesota CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Mobile University CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
UNF CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UNE CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UND CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UPenn CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Pittsburgh CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Puerto Rico	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
USF CRNA Program	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
University of Scranton CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of South Carolina CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
USC CRNA School	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required
USM CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UT Houston CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UTC CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UTK CRNA Program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
University of Tennessee Health Science Center	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
University of Tulsa Nursing	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed
Union University CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
UPMC Hamot	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Military CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Villanova CRNA program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
VCU CRNA Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Wake Forest CRNA	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Wayne State CRNA	Not Needed	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
Webster University Nurse Anesthesia Program	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required
WVU CRNA program	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Western Carolina University CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed
Westminster CRNA	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed
Yale CRNA	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not Needed	Required	Not Needed
York College CRNA	Required	Not Needed	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Not Needed	Recommended	Recommended
St Elizabeth Health Center	Required	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed	Not Needed

Top CRNA Schools

We spent hundreds of hours studying all CRNA schools and interviewing over 125 nurse anesthetists to create our exclusive list of Best CRNA Schools.  So now you know the CRNA School pre reqs, your next research is to compare the Best CRNA programs with the Nurse Anesthetist School Requirements in order to see which CRNA schools are the best fit and which programs you should apply to.

Map of CRNA Schools by State

As you think about CRNA program requirements, we provide all the CRNA Schools by State in the map for your reference below.

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

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:

• CRNA Schools in Alabama
• CRNA Schools in Tennessee
• TX: CRNA Schools in Texas
• CRNA Schools in Florida

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.

As mentioned in previous posts, part of the trend these days is new CRNA schools being established in recent years.  One new school to talk about today is the University of Mobile CRNA Program. 

About the University of Mobile CRNA School

The University of Mobile is a private school in the town of Mobile, Alabama offering a DNAP degree.  Speaking of the location, Mobile is a port city near the coast of Alabama.  The city itself is quite gorgeous with historical town squares and a vibrant cultural hub.  However, the disadvantage is that the poverty rate is quite high, being 22.4%, compared to the average poverty rate of Alabama of 18%, and the overall US poverty rate of 9.2%. The advantage of studying here as a CRNA student is that the cost of living is very affordable in the United States and being close to the water is quite a nice quality of life to take a break from the long hours studying and being at clinicals.  

UMobile CRNA School Class Size & Admissions

As mentioned, the University of Mobile CRNA program is brand new with the first cohort coming in 2021.  It’s a Front Loaded DNP program, which is 36 months.  The school received approximately 50 qualified applicants and as mentioned that the class size would be 12 CRNAs, thus making the acceptance rate 35%.  On average, CRNA programs admit 24 students per class, so the nurse anesthetist school class size at UMobile is quite small.  In addition, this is more or less the same as the average CRNA school acceptance rate of 31% in the State of Alabama.  Alabama CRNA schools tend to be easier to get admitted as the national average is 26%. 

University of Mobile CRNA Program Requirements

When I look at the overall requirements for the Mobile CRNA School, they seem less competitive than other schools.  This is probably because it’s the first year of running.  These include

• BSN degree from accredited university
• Minimum GPA of 3.0
• GRE
• 11 months experience in ICU
• 3 references – one from a clinical supervisor, one from someone in academia, and the last from a practicing nursing professional. 
• Course Prerequisites of General Chemistry with Lab, Anatomy, Physiology and Microbiology.

The University of Mobile CRNA Program offers 5 clinical sites with simulation labs.  The CRNA school embraces Didactic methods, including distance learning and online courses.

University of Mobile CRNA School Tuition

The Tuition of the University of Mobile program for In-State and Out-of State students is the same at approximately US$88,000.  UMobile has stated that each Nurse Anesthesia Practice credit hour is US$1,000 and you need 88 credits.  In addition, there is an application fee of US$50 when applying.  The average CRNA school tuition across the country is US$100,305, so the cost of attending the UMobile CRNA school is slightly more affordable. 

University of Mobile CRNA Summary

It’s really exciting for me to see more nurse anesthesia schools being established to open the opportunity for more students.  Recently in June 2021, the University of Mobile announced the joining of the new director for the school of Anesthesia as well as a new associate program director.  As the program is brand new, I think it’s a wait and see and I hope to get more feedback in the coming months and years on current students and practicing CRNAs.

Other information

Official School Site

Best CRNA Schools in Alabama

As you’ve shown interest in the University of Mobile CRNA Program, you might enjoy the list of best CRNA schools in Alabama.

Best CRNA School Ranking	All CRNA Schools	City	Degree Offered
74	Samford CRNA	Birmingham	DNP
88	UAB CRNA	Birmingham	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.

Further Alabama CRNA Information

For your CRNA career, you might find it helpful to learn more about the CRNA Salary in Alabama and Alabama Board of Nursing.

Map of CRNA Schools by State

With two CRNA schools in Alabama (now three!), you may also be interested in applying to CRNA programs nearby in other States.  The States close by to Alabama that have nurse anesthetist schools include:

• CRNA Schools in North Carolina
• CRNA Schools in Tennessee
• GA: CRNA Schools in Georgia
• CRNA Schools in Florida

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 Salary in Alabama

Since you’re reading about CRNA Schools in Alabama, we thought you might be interested in learning about the CRNA Salary in Alabama 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.

What are CRNA LEAP Programs?

The CRNA Leap program is a one-year nurse anesthesia certificate study for applicants who got rejected from DNP CRNA programs or don’t meet the exact requirements to apply directly for DNP programs. LEAP stands for Leadership Excel and Achievement Program. Essentially, if you can’t make it to a CRNA program through the normal application path, by participating in the LEAP program and adding another 12 months to your study, you are guaranteed admissions to the CRNA School to reach your dream of becoming a CRNA.

Is the CRNA LEAP School for you?

If you meet one or more criteria below, the CRNA LEAP program might be for you

• You were previously rejected from an accredited CRNA doctoral degree
• Your current skills and qualifications do not meet the program standards. (For example, you are missing course loads, degree certifications or experience.)
• You are a minority, disabled or require special needs.

Requirements for the LEAP Program

In general, the requirements vary slightly school by school, but there are general CRNA Leap requirements which include the following:

• At least 3 recommendation letters
• Written essay which usually requires you to answer why you are applying to the LEAP program. In addition, anything that prevented you from applying to the traditional CRNA path helps.
• Resume with employment history and academic backgrounds.

What Schools have CRNA Leap Programs?

This is generally a new pilot program for the 2022 CRNA School Year. There are five CRNA schools participating in the LEAP Certificate Pathway.

These five nurse anesthetist leap programs in 2022 include:

1. Columbia University CRNA Leap Program
2. University of Alabama at Birmingham CRNA Leap Program
3. Case Western CRNA Leap Program
4. University of Arizona
5. MUSC CRNA Leap Program

I expect in future years, more CRNA LEAP programs will be offered by nurse anesthetist schools. This is really just the beginning.

What is in the CRNA Leap Curriculums?

As the purpose of the Nurse Anesthetist LEAP program is to prepare you for the DNP CRNA program, LEAP course load will include:

• GRE preparation courses
• Introduction to CRNA courses
• Chemistry and Physics
• Physiology
• Writing workshops
• Clinicals
• Mentoring sessions and simulations

How many CRNA LEAP students are there?

As this is a pilot program, it’s still a work in progress. Admissions will see how the students fare and the response is from all the schools. There are 5 CRNA schools and each school is required to enroll at least two students. Therefore, there will be at least 10 students in the CRNA LEAP program who make it to the DNP level program next. This might seem small, but it’s good to note that it’s a minimum number of students, not a fixed amount.

Be aware that if you attend the LEAP program at one specific school, you are required to attend that school for the CRNA program. That means you aren’t allowed to change schools.

Finally, and most importantly, if you attend the CRNA Leap program, you are not guaranteed admissions to a CRNA Program. Think of it as a stepping stone to get your foot in the door.

CRNA LEAP Program Conclusion

As said by the program director of Case CRNA School,

“LEAP is a way for nurses who want to become a nurse anesthetist, have a strong work ethic and passion for nursing, but who may benefit from a focused preparatory program,” she said. “The field of CRNAs is still fairly narrow. Through this initiative, we hope to bring a broader student audience to nurse anesthesia. Awareness and knowledge will drive the profession forward.”

Personally, I believe the CRNA LEAP program is a great way forward to get students interested in becoming a CRNA. It’s perfect for those who fail to meet the narrow traditional application process. I hope more schools continue to embrace this process as I believe there’s little downside. The other disadvantage is for the school to put more resources to develop CRNA talent.

Best CRNA Schools

If you’re applying to CRNA Schools this year or thinking about applying in the future, I highly recommend you check out the Best CRNA Schools. Over 100 real nurse anesthetists from the AANA ranked all the CRNA schools to come up with the rankings of the Best CRNA Schools, the Worst CRNA Schools, the easiest nurse anesthetist schools to get into and the ones that have the lowest tuition. Make sure you don’t make a mistake. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with the consequences for the next 24 to 36 months of your life.

It seems like more and more new CRNA programs have been offered each year, and one of the newest in 2021 is the Hofstra CRNA program, offered by the Hofstra University Northwell School of Nursing located in Hempstead, New York. For those unfamiliar, this is located to the east of Brooklyn and about 90 minutes from NYC by train.

I bring the program to your attention, as the Hofstra CRNA school is different from other CRNA programs mentioned on the website. This is because it’s actually the first and only (at the current time in 2021) CRNA program to offer a certificate in both CRNA and Acute Care & Gerontology Nurse Practitioners (AC-GNP). For those who are not aware, the purpose of adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners is to provide higher degree of nursing cares to adults, elderly and those with acute, chronic and critical conditions. The key word is ‘acute’ as the focus is on patients with critical conditions, chronic or episodic illnesses which may include clinics, physician offices, hospitals and even retirement homes. The program has received initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs as of May 2021 so it’s good to go.

Hofstra DNP

This is a full time DNP Doctoral program, meaning it’s 36 months across 97 credit hours starting in September of every year. The Hofstra CRNA program is Integrated Didactic Clinical by nature with face-to-face instruction. The school does not permit you to work or have any part time jobs during the program, so it’s important that you take that into account.

Hofstra CRNA Acceptance Rate & Admissions

As this is a new program, there are no known acceptance rates. The school has mentioned that they plan on taking 20 students. Compared to the national average CRNA acceptance rate of 26%, you might have a better shot of getting into the Hofstra nurse anesthesia program as it’s brand new if you show potential and can be a good role model for future students to come. Usually schools are easier to get into if they are brand new or are in farther remote locations, and Hofstra’s CRNA program falls into the former category. They have said that applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through NursingCas.

Hofstra CRNA Program Requirements

I found the general requirements of the Hofstra CRNA school to be pretty standard compared to other CRNA schools. These include:

• BSN in Nursing
• NY State RN license (either prior to applying or by the time you enter the program)
• 2 years in ICU or PICU
• CCRN Certification
• AHA Certification
• CV
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Interview
• CASPer
• Essay
• Shadow experience

As these requirements may change, please check with the official school website for any new updates.

Hofstra CRNA Program Tuition

New York is an expensive state to go to school, not even speaking of nurse anesthesia programs in NYC. The Hofstra CRNA tuition for In-State and Out-of-State is exactly the same of US$141,038, so there’s no discounts for being a New York resident. You can compare this with the average In-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$89,490 and average Out-of-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$105,291 across the country. This excludes minor fees like the AANA Associate member fee ($200) and SEE Exam Fee ($250) as well as lab attire and AANA wellness modules.

If you would like to compare the tuition with other CRNA schools in NY, they include, the Buffalo CRNA Program, Albany Medical College CRNA and Columbia University CRNA school. If cost is very important to you, then the Hofstra CRNA program might be difficult without financial aid. However, remember that a CRNA program is an investment in your future. That means your income after the first two to four years, depending where you work and how much time you put in, is sufficient to pay off all your school loans.

Final Thoughts on the Hofstra CRNA Program

Although too soon to list on our list of Best CRNA schools, I hope we’ll get more feedback from future students there to include them in our rankings and here. If you have any feedback on the program, please feel free to leave a comment or send email me directly.

The program is being run by Michael Greco, who is the Assistant VP of System Nurse Anesthesia Practice and Director of Nurse Anesthesia Services at Northwell Health.

Nurse Anesthetist Salary in NY

Since you’ve shown interest in the CRNA Program at Hofstra, you should definitely check out our CRNA Salary Guide and CRNA Starting Salary Guide. If you’re still a student or wondering how much a nurse anesthetist earns fresh out of school, this info is very useful.

After all, it’s important to know how long it will take to pay off student loans and your payback period on time spent studying and tuition. Hundreds of hours were spent analyzing CRNA salary information. We go over data from BLS, the yearly AANA survey from +5,000 actual CRNAs in addition to my own nurse anesthetist job offers I received after graduating. I strongly believe that you’ll find the information helpful in becoming a better and more informed nurse anesthetist!