University North Dakota's Nurse Anesthetist Program
The University of North Dakota is the only CRNA school in North Dakota.
University North Dakota Nurse Anesthesia School
University of North Dakota Nurse Anesthesia Specialization College of Nursing 430 Oxford St-stop 9025 Grand Forks, ND 58202
Contact Information Darla J Adams, CRNA, PhD, Program Director ph: (701) 777-4509 fax: (701) 777-4096 email: darlaadams@mail.und.edu
Quick Facts
CRNA Degree (s) offered Master of Science with Major in Nursing, Post-Masters Certificate also available
Program Length 28 months, full time.
Once you have been admitted to the program, you may take any of the College of Nursing (non-anesthesia) core courses listed for the first academic year. The program has a 28-month duration regardless of the number of courses taken early, but taking any of these early will lighten your workload during the academic phase.
Credit Hours 78 credit hours
Starting Month(s) August
Application Deadline October 1st. Interviews are held in early November
Please note that tuition is calculated at the current 2010 rate. Tuition at most schools increases slightly 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: $24,474 *Fees and expenses: $2000 Grand Total: $26,474
**Cost of Out of State Tuition: $58,298 *Fees and expenses: $2000 Grand Total: $60,298
*Fees and expenses are an estimation based on similar programs.
*This estimate does not include the cost of mandatory health insurance.
**A lower tuition rate is available for residents of Minnesota, Montana, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Are you concerned that University North Dakota’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.
During your first year at University North Dakota, you’ll spend most of your time on campus at the College of Nursing.
You’ll begin using the full-body patient simulator during your first semester. This will teach you airway management skills, positioning, patient safety, medication administration and sequence development, among other skills.
During Spring semester of your first year, you’ll begin to develop your clinical skills, become more familiar with the operating room environment, and to begin to apply theory to practice.
At the end of your fifth semester, you’ll be completely finished with class work and will switch to a full time clinical schedule. During this time, you’ll be on call one day per week.
You will rotate to three or four clinical sites located in North Dakota and western Minnesota. In the past, students have greatly exceeded the minimum number of clinical hours and surgical cases required of the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists.
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 University North Dakota compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.
CRNA Program Requirements
Required Bachelor Degree A baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an NLN or CCNE accredited nursing program. Graduates from non-accredited or foreign schools are evaluated individually.
RN: Current RN license
Critical Care: A minimum of one year full-time experience (two or more years preferred) as a registered nurse in a critical care setting.
Desired settings would include:
Medical ICU
Surgical ICU
Cardiovascular ICU/ Cardiac Care Unit
Neurologic ICU
Trauma ICU
*They prefer primary experience to be with the adult population
Experience that does NOT meet the minimum 1 year critical care requirement
Emergency Room (ER)
Emergency Room experience is not considered "critical care" due to the relatively short duration of individual patient care, although it is considered helpful in forming a well-rounded practitioner.
GPA: A minimum GPA of 3.00 is based on all years of study at the undergraduate level and includes a GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate science coursework.
GRE: Not required
Certifications are not required for admission but are to be maintained throughout the program:
ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
CRNA Educational Requirements
A statistics course (graduate or undergraduate level)
Undergraduate course in College Algebra (UND math placement testing may be used to waive this requirement).
*Upper division Biochemistry (in addition to chemistry courses taken as part of a BSN program)
Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly. University North Dakota Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 05/2001. It was given the maximum of 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 05/2011. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.
Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at University North Dakota 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: 90.2% over the last 5 years
What is the difference between the thesis option and the independent study option? Students may opt to complete either a thesis or develop a non-thesis independent project.
For students completing the thesis option, the final thesis defense serves as the comprehensive examination.
The independent project may take the form of a clinical study, presentation of a paper suitable for publication, or development of materials related to the students specialization.
How many hours should I expect to be engaged in the program each week? This commitment averages 50-60 hours a week, year round, assuming that two hours of study are required for each class hour. This commitment figure includes time spent in the classroom, in clinical, and in study.
