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Nurse Anesthesia Specialist - Doctor of Nursing Practice

Become a Nurse Anesthetist

Advance your nursing education and professional career by earning your terminal degree and becoming a CRNA. 

Blended distance learning format.

The blended distance learning format reduces your time on campus. The first three semesters of the program are 100% online, with the exception of an on-campus airway workshop in the spring semester. This combination curriculum of online and distance study allows you to learn from where you live and work during the first year of the program. The remainder of the program is taught in a hybrid format with core courses taught online and specialty courses delivered in a traditional face-to-face format and using Zoom for classroom access. Clinical education during the second year is provided in Western Kentucky or Lexington, Kentucky. Students must relocate to one of those assigned communities. Enrichment experiences during the third year are in a variety of settings across Kentucky, carefully selected to enhance anesthesia education.

View the curriculum

Affordable tuition.

• Regardless of your state of residence, you will pay in-state Kentucky tuition rates.
• Students complete the degree in 36 months (May to May).
• Doctoral tuition rates

Quality faculty who are expert nurses, educators, and nurse anesthetists.

We are a small program, which means you will get to know your faculty. We are committed to ensuring your education will prepare you to achieve your professional goals in a supportive environment. Our values of compassion, professionalism, excellence, and integrity are encapsulated in the education provided in the DNP program. The Nurse Anesthesia faculty are experienced as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). The Non-CRNA faculty are experienced nurses and educators with a wide variety of clinical expertise that will help you integrate the required competencies and prepare you for a career as an advanced practice nurse.

CRNA Clinical sites

We are committed to serving rural communities by providing increased access to care in hospitals throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. These rotations allow you to see the full scope of practice of a CRNA and gain confidence with the variety of skills and procedures available at those locations. These rotations prepare you to practice independently upon graduating.

Over 25 Clinical Sites including both rural and urban rotations. Rural communities and CRNA-only clinical sites prepare students to practice independently and see the full scope of CRNA practice. Large, metropolitan practices provide opportunities to care for high acuity and specialty populations in a team-approach setting.

The average number of cases for Class of 2026 was 1,113 which is above the minimum number required by accreditation standards. Students express high levels of satisfaction with the quality of clinical learning and diversity of opportunities. 

View the Clinical Sites map

 

ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä for Admission

Applications for the DNP Program are submitted through NursingCas. The deadline for submission of all materials is October 1.

Steps to applying

1. ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä for Graduate School at ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä State University and pay all associated fees.
2. Submit an application to the DNP program through , create an account follow all of the directions for submission. The fee charged by NursingCAS will apply. NursingCAS will open in May.
3. Follow the and send your official official transcripts from all schools you have attended to NursingCAS. Please note, transcripts will be sent to MSU only after you are accepted into the program.
4. Complete a formal interview.
5. Check your email. Applicants will be notified about acceptance by mid-February. Wait to hear from the program via email regarding the status of your application.
6. After you are invited to accept admission to the program, send your transcripts to ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä State.

Admission Requirements

• Undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited program
• Three professional references submitted via NursingCAS
• One (1) year critical care experience as a registered nurse (excluding orientation to the critical care unit) within the past 5 years and completed by the October 1 application deadline **
• Prerequisite Courses: Undergraduate Statistics
• Unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse
• Eligible for RN licensure in Kentucky
• Current BLS, PALS and ACLS certification
• Completion of CCRN or NIC certification exams recommended
• If selected, interview with the Nursing Graduate Admissions Selection Committee will be required
• TOEFL score required if English is second language
• If an applicant has been dismissed from or withdrawn from a graduate nursing program, he or she must provide a letter of good standing from all previously attended graduate programs.

** CRITICAL CARE EXPERIENCE

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 Standards for Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs - Practice Doctorate Page 37 Revised May 21, 2025 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; however, programs are responsible for determining whether the applicants’ experiences are equivalent to those specified in the above examples.