BryanLGH Medical Center
Nurse Anesthetist Program

BryanLGH Medical Center is one of only two CRNA schools in Nebraska.

BryanLGH Medical Center
School of Nurse Anesthesia
1600 South 48th Street
Lincoln, NE 68506

Contact Information
Sharon Hadenfeldt, CRNA, PhD, Program Administrator
ph: (402) 481-3194
tf: (800) 742-7844
fax: (402) 481-8404
email: sharon.hadenfeldt@bryanlgh.org

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
Master of Science, Nurse Anesthesia

Program Length
33 months

Credit Hours
71 hours for the project tract, 73 for the thesis tract.

Starting Month
August

Application Deadline
August 31

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at BryanLGH Medical Center. Tuition is calculated at the 2012-2013 rate. Tuition at most schools increases each academic year. Over the duration of the program, expect to pay a tuition that is 5% to 15% higher than what is shown here.

Cost of Tuition: $56,502– for Project track, $58,050 for Thesis track

*Fees and expenses: $3,500
Grand Total: $61,550

*This includes the cost of health insurance, books and supplies, test fees and miscellaneous school expenses.

BryanLGH Medical Center Tuition Link

Class Size
16

Number of Applicants
Approximately 70-80

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CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that the BryanLGH Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program won’t give you the specific experiences or training you need to be a successful CRNA? Learn what standards CRNA Programs must meetin order to be accredited by the Council onAccreditation of Nurse Anesthesia (COA).

This CRNA program (as well as all others that are accredited by the COA) prepares you to take the CCNA certification exam at the conclusion of the program, allowing you to become a CRNA.

Didactic and Clinical Experience
Phase I is primarily coursework (you’ll actually get to choose whether you do a project or a thesis), and phase II is mostly clinical.

During the clinical portion, you’ll be assigned a “home hospital” clinical site. You’ll have clinical rotations in several additional affiliate clinical sites. This will allow you to get clinical cases in a broad range of categories.

The program has a long history of rural Nurse Anesthesia experience and graduates consistently rate the diversity of clinical experience obtained as an important strength of the program.

You will get experience in several common regional anesthetic techniques. The 2009 graduates administered 74-122 spinal, 44-130 epidural and 47-95 peripheral nerve block anesthetics during the program. The choice of affiliate clinical experiences can influence the amount of regional experience you have.

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Program Requirements

Looking for something specific? Find CRNA schools categorized by their unique requirements.

Some CRNA schools require much more out of their applicants than others. See how the requirements at BryanLGH Medical Center compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

Required Bachelor Degree
BSN or a BS/BA in an appropriate and related discipline

RN:
You need to have an RN license in Nebraska or be eligible NE licensure.

Critical Care:
2 years preferred. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the US, its territories or a US military hospital outside of the US.

The critical care areas include the following:

Surgical ICU
Cardiothoracic ICU
Coronary ICU
Medical ICU
Pediatric or Neonatal ICU

Experience in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.

GPA:
3.0 GPA in all college coursework. 3.0 preferred for major science classes. An average of 3.2 is preferred for the basic science courses.

Minimum GRE scores:
They do not require the GRE.

TOEFL:
If English is your second language, you may be required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. If so, you need a score of 550 or above before being considered for admission.

Certifications:

BLS (Basic Life Support)
ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)

Course Prerequisites

Chemistry: Two semesters of chemistry with lab (equivalent of 8 semester hours)
Microbiology: 3 semester hours
Anatomy (human or mammalian): 3 semester hours
Physiology: 3 semester hours of physiology must be completed no more than 10 before admission, with a 3.0 “B” or better. Pathophysiology is not a valid substitute.
Anatomy/Physiology: (in lieu of separate courses). The combined course is acceptable if offered over two semesters and taken sequentially. One semester must have been completed within 10 years prior to admission to the program. **Minimum grade of 3.0 or “B” is required in both semesters (equivalent of 6 semester hours).
Statistics: 3 semester hours
Humanities/fine arts courses
Social studies courses: (history, child development, anthropology,sociology, political science, psychology or religion)

**There is a test out option available for those not meeting these requirements. Please contact the admissions department for further information**

BryanLGH Medical Center’s CRNA program website

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CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
2.6 on a 4.0 scale. Ranked 55 out of 107 CRNA programs.

*Please note: CRNA rankings are bias and subjective. Read disclaimer about how CRNA rankings are created.*

Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly.
BryanLGH Medical Center Florida Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 10/2010. It was given was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 10/2020. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at BryanLGH Medical Center
Please note: It is extremely rare for a student at any CRNA school to noteventually pass the exam. Most students who don’t pass the first time pass the second. Very rarely does a person ever take it a third time. This statistic only measures how well the program prepares students to pass the test the first time around.

First-time test takers: 93%
National average (2008): 89.9%

Attrition Rate
2%

CRNA Employment Rate of program graduates
100%

Graduation Rate
100%

CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Nebraska

Nebraska CRNA salaries tend to be above the national average and range from $160k-$190k.

An average annual nurse anesthetist salary in the US is $163,467 (according to a 2008 study)

Rural average: $174,214
Metropolitan average: $164,148
Suburban average: $156,630
Average starting CRNA salaries range from: $110,000-$130,000.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours should I expect to be engaged in the program each week?
You’ll be expected to spend 50-60 hours per week on didactic, clinical or on-call responsibilities. In addition, you should allow for travel time to affiliate clinical sites, most within a 150-mile radius of Lincoln, Nebraska.

What are my “on call” obligations?
You’ll be on in-house call the last 12 months of the program while assigned to BryanLGH Medical Center. Call responsibilities at BryanLGH Medical Center are no more than once a week. Call is from 15:00 to 07:00 with the following day off. An obstetrical call experience is arranged during the final six months of the program.

Each affiliated site arranges its own call schedule. When you’re assigned to the required trauma rotation at The Nebraska Medical Center, you will have two days of call each week with the following day off.

Can I work while I’m in the program?
You may work as an RN as long as it does not interfere with your academic and/or clinical responsibilities.

Do they require a research project?
Yes. You can choose between a research project or a thesis paper.

How many vacation days am I given?
During fall and spring semester of Phase I, you will follow the calendar for the Bryan LGH College of Health Sciences.

During Phase II, you will have 20 days of personal discretionary leavefor vacation, sick and personal time. This personal leave may be taken at your discretion and with the approval of the Program Director. However, no vacation time will be given during the first eight weeks of Phase II.

You’ll get all observed holidays at BryanLGH Medical Center and/or your affiliate site as well as five bonus days tied to those holidays.

You will be given 19 Thesis Days or 15 Research Project Days during Phase II for time spent researching, writing and presenting your thesis/research project.

See CRNA School Reviews

All information given on this site about BryanLGH Medical Center’s Nurse Anesthetist Program was taken directly from their website.

*This page was updated January 12th, 2013.*