Rush University CRNA

Rush University, located in the Prairie State of Chicago, Illinois offers one of the top CRNA programs in the United States. The Rush University CRNA program length is 36 months (89 credit hours) beginning in the calendar month of September each year.  This detailed summary will discuss the degree, course structure, class size, acceptance rates, admissions, tuition costs and other helpful information for the school.

#66 Best CRNA Schools – Rush CRNA

We spent hundreds of hours interviewing nurse anesthetists to come up with the list of Best CRNA schools where we include real feedback on all CRNA schools from nurse anesthesiologists all over the US.  In our Best CRNA School survey, the Rush CRNA has a CRNA School Ranking of #66 out of 124 CRNA Schools.  This is what real CRNAs had to say about the Rush CRNA program:

I attended Rush U many years ago. I got excellent training. I’d go there again in a heartbeat. You will work very hard there.

Rush CRNA has much turmoil. They have gone through 3 program directors in the past year. In and out of clinical sites. Not a good place for students now.

Rush University is in turmoil. Two program directors left in one year. Students having difficulty getting access to required cases for graduation.

Although Rush looks great on paper, the reality is it is not. Ranked by US News as the 4th program in the county was totally wrong. The program is in crisis and has been for many years. I work with many alumni who tell the truth about how they were used to staff the ORs for the private group of anesthesiologists at Rush University Medical Center. The department NEEDS ~ 15 3rd year students /day to run the facility. . During the 2nd year of the program, students are paired with a CRNA but are mostly in the GI lab or IR doing MAC cases. Come Labor Day the 3rd year they become anointed to now take on a room with a physician anesthesiologist who is working 1:2 with students. Students are not provided the ability to learn the pearls of wisdom that come with being apprenticed by a seasoned CRNA. In addition, if a CRNA or SRNA calls in sick, students are shuffled to satellite campuses to cover. This often causes the loss of a better case. The College of Nursing nor the University are willing to do what is needed and instead defer to the department of anesthesiology. The alumni who have stayed at Rush don’t know any better and don’t see any issues. The department of anesthesiology has only been able to recruit 1-3 SRNA/year to stay and work due to the poor treatment they received as students. The current program director is a Rush graduate, who works for the department of anesthesia and has been undoing the advances the previous program director was able to make.

For more information on all CRNA schools, check out Best CRNA Schools and CRNA School Rankings.

Rush University DNP

Upon graduation from the CRNA program, you will receive a Rush University DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree.  As a reminder, CRNA master’s degrees will no longer be offered by CRNA schools from 2022. Therefore, all degrees offered from CRNA schools will be Doctor degrees such as:

• DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice)
• DNP-A (Doctor of Nursing Practice – Anesthesia)
• DNP-NA (Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Anesthesia)
• DMPNA  (Doctor of Management Practice – Nurse Anesthesia)

For instance, many healthcare professions, like Pharmacy, are also moving towards the doctorate degree as the entry level to enter the profession.

Rush CRNA Program Course Load

The Rush DNP degree program is based on a front loaded course load.  In other words, an integrated CRNA degree is one where clinical experience begins in the first year with both clinical hours and classroom lectures throughout the program length.

On the other hand, this is different than a front loaded CRNA degree where the first year is considered mainly academic with classroom education while the remaining years are focused on clinical rotations.

In general, there is no right or wrong method of teaching – roughly 33% of schools have integrated course loads in the first year and 67% are front loaded.

Therefore, the trend of more clinical hours in the first year has been increasing in recent years as CRNA schools realize the importance of practical experience and knowledge sooner rather than later.

Rush University CRNA Program Class Size

The Rush University CRNA program class size is 24 students and considered average size.  To give a frame of reference, the average class size of CRNA programs across the nation is 24 CRNA students.

Rush CRNA Acceptance Rate & Admissions

The application deadline for the Rush CRNA program is on August 3.  The Rush CRNA program accepts applications via NursingCas.  The program charges an application fee of US$110, which is on par with the average CRNA application fee of US$61.

The Rush CRNA acceptance rate is 24% and is deemed competitive. As a comparison to other CRNA schools, the average CRNA school acceptance rate across the United States is 26%.

Rush CRNA Tuition

Rush CRNA In-State tuition is US$103,774, which is considered on the expensive side.  The average In-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$89,490 in the United States.

Rush CRNA Out-of-State Tuition is US$103,774 and is very similar to the average. The average Out-of-State tuition for CRNA schools is US$105,291 across the country.

Above all, for both In-State and Out-of-State tuition, these tuition figures include the total cost of the entire program excluding living expenses. 

Consequently, after one year of living in many States as a SRNA, you would be considered an ‘In State’ resident for tuition purposes.  In short, rules vary state by state.  Therefore, please do additional research on this if you are applying as an Out-of-State CRNA student.

To conclude, you might have to leave a tuition deposit to reserve your space in the upcoming class once you are accepted in the Rush University CRNA program.  This is usually a one-time deposit and off-set with your tuition bill.

Most CRNA schools charge this reservation fee and the average across the nation is US$1,358.  

Always remember that CRNA Scholarship programs do exist to help students with tuition.

Rush CRNA Program Additional Information

For your guidance, we have listed out additional information (GRE requirement, student attrition, first time test taker pass rate, etc.) that may be helpful to you on the nurse anesthesia program in the table below.

CRNA Salary in Illinois

Since you’ve shown interest in the CRNA Program at Rush, 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!

Other Information on Rush University CRNA

Website: Rush University

Click on the image gallery below for more information on CRNA schools in IL and CRNA salary in IL.

Note: We have updated all the information for the 2021 academic school year.

• About
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Nelson

Author Bio: Nelson started everythingCRNA to help aspiring, student and practicing CRNAs & CAAs.

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.

Latest posts by Nelson (see all)

• April 2023 EverythingCRNA Update - April 9, 2023
• The Real Truth Behind the Rush CRNA Program - September 8, 2021
• CRNA Post Masters - August 26, 2021