New England University
School of Nurse Anesthesia

The University of New England is the only CRNA school in Maine.

New England University
University of New England
School of Nurse Anesthesia
716 Stevens Avenue
Portland, ME 04103

Contact Information
Maribeth L. Massie, CRNA, MS, Phd(c), Program Director
ph: (207) 221-4519
fax: (207) 523-1900
email: mmassie@une.edu

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia

Program Length
27 months, full time

Credit Hours
54 semester hours

Starting Month
September

Application Deadline
November 1st is the early application deadline and January 15 is the regular deadline. Applications submitted and/or completed after November 1st will be reviewed on a space available basis only.

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at New England University.
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: $62,100
*Fees and expenses: $5,545
Grand Total: $67,645

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

New England University Tuition Link

When did this CRNA Program begin?
In 1984

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CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that the New England University 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.

Since New England University’s nurse anesthetist program is front loaded, you’ll spend the first eight months (two semesters) at UNE's historic Portland Campus, situated in the picturesque coastal city of Portland. The majority of the basic science didactic courses are offered during this time.

The remaining 19 months of the program are hospital-based, with an emphasis on advanced coursework, clinical training, human patient simulator lab experiences, and completion of a capstone project. All students are required to complete the entire curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or better.

Each student will participate in at least 550 anesthesia cases. All of the surgical specialties are available, including hands-on training in regional anesthesia techniques. Specialty experiences (i.e. neuro-surgery, open-heart surgery, high-risk obstetrics) when not available at primary hospital affiliation sites will be obtained from short-term rotations at other medical facilities.

All types of anesthesia techniques and the latest agents are available for student participation. You’ll be able to gain experience in:

General anesthetics
Intravenous agents
Regional anesthesia to include: spinal, epidural, axillary block, and Bier blocks

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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 New England University compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements
BSN
Bachelor of Science in Nursing or an Associate in Nursing combined with a Bachelor degree in another field.

RN:
Current RN license needed for application. Upon acceptance into the program, licensure in the state where clinical experience is obtained will be required.

Critical Care:
Applicants are required to have a minimum of one year's experience as a registered nurse in a critical care area.

Acceptable critical care experience includes:

Intensive Care Unit
Critical Care Unit
Surgical ICU
Medical ICU
Neuro ICU
Pediatric ICU

Note: The following will be considered on a case by case basis and is generally not sufficient as the sole critical care experience.

Emergency Room
Recovery Room
Post-Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU)

GPA:
Grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better preferred, especially in the sciences and professional courses.

Minimum GRE scores:
Successful completion of the Graduate Record Exam. No minimum score required. It is highly recommended that all scores be above the 30th percentile.

Certifications:

ACLS Advanced Cardiac Life Support
PALS Pediatric Advanced Life Support
CCRN, highly recommended

It is strongly recommended, though not required, that you shadow a CRNA for a day

Course Prerequisites

Organic chemistry or biochemistry course within the last five years with a grade B or better.
*Anatomy, Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Physics

*not required but recommended

New England University’s CRNA program website

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CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
2.7 out of 5.0. Ranked 48 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.
New England University Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 05/2011. It was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 05/2021. This shows that the program is fairly stable.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at New England University
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:100% of their students have passed the certifying examination in their first year post-graduation.
National average (2008): 89.9%

Attrition Rate
6% (five year average)

CRNA Employment Rate of program graduates
100%

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CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Maine
Maine CRNA salaries are about the same as the national average and range from $145k-165k.

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