LSU School of Nursing (Louisiana State University) CRNA Program

LSU School of Nursing Nurse Anesthetist Program

Contact Information
Laura S Bonanno, CRNA, DNP, Program Director
ph: (504) 568-4144
fax: (504) 568-5853
email: lbonan@lsuhsc.edu

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree (s) offered
Master of Nursing with a specialization in Nurse Anesthesia Option

Program Length
32 months Full Time

Credit Hours
115 Semester hours

Starting Month(s)
August

Application Deadline
December 1st. Interviews begin immediately after the application deadline and finish in March.

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at LSU School of Nursing.

Tuition is calculated at the 2011-2012 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 In State Tuition: $27,611
*Fees and expenses:$2,810
Grand Total:$30,421

Cost of Out of State Tuition: $36,795
*Fees and expenses: 2,810
Grand Total: $39,605

*This includes an estimate of $2,000 for textbooks.

LSU School of Nursing Tuition Link

Class Size
Approximately 50

CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that the LSU School Of Nursing 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 meet in order to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation 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.

The academic portion of the CRNA program is mostly classroom based, though some courses have online components. You’ll be attending the New Orleans campus intermittently throughout the 32 month program. The class load is heaviest in the beginning, allowing you to make a smooth transition into your clinical experience.

The clinical portion begins in the second semester and includes rotations through many clinical sites in order to provide you with a well rounded experience. An effort will be made, however, to place you within the geographic location of your choice.

During your clinical experience, you’ll benefit a great deal from LSU School of Nursing’s three human patient simulators. The lab has an adult and pediatric simulator which can both be anesthetized, and an emergency care simulator which can be intubated, resuscitated, and given emergency room care to include pharmaceuticals. The simulation lab also contains fully operational anesthesia machines, and a fiberoptic bronchoscopy simulator.

You will use the simulation lab to practice basic and advanced anesthetic techniques, and to study anesthesia critical incident management.

In addition to your practice on the patient simulators, you will administer an average of 944 anesthetics to real patients. The national average number of cases for nurse anesthesia programs in 2009 was 853. When you’ve finished the nurse anesthetist program at LSU School of Nursing, you’ll feel more than confident about your abilities as you begin your career as a CRNA.

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 Main Keyword compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

Required Bachelor Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing is required. You may even apply to the program if you are an RN enrolled in a BSN degree completion program. If accepted, your enrollment will depend on your successful completion of the BSN, prior to enrollment.

RN:
A current registered nurse license in any state with eligibility for licensure in Louisiana. You will be asked to obtain a Mississippi registered nursing license during the first semester of classes, since several program clinical sites are located in Mississippi.

Critical Care:
Minimum of one year critical care experience within the previous two (2) years at the time of the interview. Most applicants have 2-3 years critical care experience.

They are looking for experience that involves:

• Dynamic decision making
• Continuous ECG monitoring
• Invasive lines (such as pulmonary artery, central venous, and arterial catheters)
• Vasoactive infusions
• Ventilator support

• MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit)
• SICU (Surgical ICU)
• PICU (Pediatric ICU)
• TICU (Trauma ICU)
• Cardiothoracic surgery
• ER (Emergency Room) experience from a Level One Trauma Center

GPA:
3.0 GPA for all undergraduate and graduate course work reflected on your transcripts. Average GPA of accepted students is a 3.3.

Minimum GRE scores or MAT scores:
Minimum MAT score (Miller Analogy Test) of 400 (if before 2004, a raw score of 50 or above) or GRE scores (Graduate Record Exam) of 500 verbal, 500 quantitative and 3.5 analytical (if before October 2002, a combined score of 1500 on three subtests).

TOEFL:
A minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all applicants who have English as a second language or are not graduates of programs in the United States.

Certifications:

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

Course Prerequisites

• Graduate level Statistics course (3 units) with a “B” or better
• Courses in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry are suggested, but not required

Louisiana State University - LSU School of Nursing’s CRNA program website

CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
2.4 out of 5.0. Ranked 72 out of 107 CRNA programs.

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

Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly.
Louisiana State University - LSU School of Nursing Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 05/2003. It was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 05/2013. This shows that the program is very stable.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at Louisiana State University - LSU School of Nursing – 5 year average
Please note: It is extremely rare for a student at any CRNA school to not eventually 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: 96%
• National average (2008): 89.9%
• Second attempt test takers: 95.5%

Graduation Rate
88% of admitted students have graduated from the program over the last 5 years.

CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Louisiana
Louisiana CRNA salaries are about the same as the U.S. average and fluctuate around the $145k-170k range.

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.

FAQs

What does the average student registered nurse anesthetist look like?
Common characteristics of successful applicants include a clear understanding of the commitments required to complete a graduate program in nurse anesthesia, the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, the ability to function as both a team member and leader, the ability to use critical thinking skills and to function in stressful situations, and enthusiasm for the specialty practice of nurse anesthesia.

The majority of students accepted into the program are Louisiana residents.

Can I work as an RN while I’m in the program?
Outside employment is strongly discouraged because of the intense nature of the program.

Am I required to take call?
Call experiences include all “off” shifts, including 3p-11p, 11p-7a, and weekends. When a student is “on call” there must be a qualified nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist immediately available to supervise the student.

What does the research project entail?
Examples of capstone projects include a scholarly paper submitted for publication, a teaching project, original research, participation on a research team, etc. The project is not necessarily a solitary activity. You may work with faculty, clinical preceptors, or other students from the Nurse Anesthetist Program.

All information given on this site about LSU's School Of Nursing Nurse Anesthetist Program was taken directly from their website.

*If you have additional information or there are other questions you would like answered about Louisiana State University - LSU School of Nursing Nurse Anesthetist Program, email joy@all-crna-schools.com

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*This page was last updated 19th September, 2011*

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