Missouri State University Springfield

Now that Missouri State University Springfield is providing full funding for this CRNA Program, it is now called "Missouri State School of Anesthesia.

Missouri State University Springfield
"Missouri State School of Anesthesia", previously known as "Saint John's School of Nurse Anesthesia"

1235 E. Cherokee
Springfield, MO 65804

Contact Information
Monika Feeney, DNAP, CRNA, MS, Program Director
ph: (417) 820-6893
fax: (417) 820-6895
email: MonikaFeeney@MissouriState.edu

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia

Program Length
30 months

Credit Hours
66 semester hours

Starting Month
January and August of each year

Application Deadline
The deadlines are July 1 for the January class and November 1 for the August class. Applications are accepted year round.

Interview Process
Interviews are awarded after a review of all completed applications. Interviews are conducted on the St. John’s campus on a Saturday morning. A selection panel questions each candidate and makes recommendations for admission to the anesthesia program. Interview results are given in writing.

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at Missouri State University Springfield.
Please note that 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 slightly higher than what is shown here.

Cost of In State Tuition: $32,000
Fees and expenses: $5,800
Grand Total: $37,800

Cost of Out of State Tuition: $29,898
Fees and expenses: $5,800
Grand Total: $35,698

In addition to the low price, there is a strong financial assistance program available, and health care benefits are provided for students and families throughout the entire program (health care is the student’s expense at most schools).

Class Size
7

When did this CRNA Program begin?
The program was founded in 1952 as an integral part of the Department of Anesthesiology.

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CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that Missouri State University Springfield’s 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.

CRNA Program Description
Students receive approximately 1400 hours of clinical anesthesia experience and, by completion of their training, have administered 1000-1200 anesthetics in diverse surgical settings.

The program is comprised of an integrated clinical and didactic schedule.

A variety of clinical sites enrich the student’s clinical experience Students travel to at least 4 different clinical sites located in Missouri, Arkansas, and Idaho.

St. John's Health Center Campus serves as one of the clinical sites at Missouri State University Springfield. This state-of-the-art facility contains 29 operating suites in the main hospital and 8 operating suites at the Ambulatory Surgery Center.

The site has a very busy Labor and Delivery Department that serves as a regional referral center. There are also opportunities for the delivery of anesthesia outside the operating room in areas such as MRI, endoscopy and radiology.

St. John's Health Center employs all types of surgical specialties with the exception of pediatric open hearts and transplants.

The Missouri State School of Anesthesia offers a $2000 traineeship to Mercy co-workers to assist with financial needs.

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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 Missouri State University Springfield compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

Required Bachelor Degree
Bachelor's Degree in an area of the life sciences, nursing or chemistry from an accredited institution in the US or equivalent training in a foreign university.

RN
Current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the US, its territories or protectorates.

Critical Care
At least one year of experience as a registered nurse in an acute care setting. Two years of experience or more is preferred.

Recommended acute care experience includes:

Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Surgical ICU
Medical ICU
Neurotrauma ICU

GPA
A minimum GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.

GRE Scores
GRE is required. A minimum total score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections and 3.5 on the writing section is preferred.

Certifications

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

Course Prerequisites

Inorganic (General) Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Microbiology
Human Anatomy
Human Physiology

Missouri State University Springfield’s CRNA program website

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CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
2.3 out of 5.0. Ranked 85 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.
Missouri State University Springfield’s Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 10/2006. It was given the maximum of 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 10/2016. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at Missouri State University Springfield
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: 98.6% (averaged over 15 years)
National average (2008): 89.9%

Attrition Rate
“Of the 216 students admitted to the MS in Nurse Anesthesia program since 1996, 208 (96%) have graduated or are still in the program. Eight students have been released or did not complete the program due to health reasons, poor academic performance, or poor clinical performance. [Their] yearly attrition rate since 1996 is 0.4%.”

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CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Missouri
Missouri CRNA salaries are consistent with the national average and range from $150k-170k.

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 Question

Research Requirement
Each student will be assigned to a clinical research project. The candidate must complete one seminar by enrolling in BMS797 Non-thesis Project (2 hrs) and a research involvement by enrolling in BMS 798 Research (2 hrs). A formal presentation of the project is required.

See CRNA School Reviews

All information given on this site about Missouri State University Springfield’s Nurse Anesthetist Program was taken directly from their website.

*This page was updated February 15th, 2013.*