University of Pitt (Pittsburgh)
Nurse Anesthetist Program

University of Pittsburgh's Nurse Anesthesia Program offers all of the assets and services of a large urban campus with the personal attention of a small program.

University of Pittsburgh
School of Nursing
Nurse Anesthesia Program
3500 Victoria Street
336 Victoria Building
Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Contact Information
John M O'Donnell, CRNA, MSN, DrPH, Program Director
Joseph S Goode, Jr., CRNA, MSN, Admissions Coordinator
ph: (412) 624-4860
fax: (412) 383-7227
email: napcrna@pitt.edu

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
Master of Science in Nursing, Post-master's DNP in Anesthesia

Program Length
28 months full time.

The part time option allows you to take the non-anesthesia focused courses (maximum of 20 credits) prior to entering the full-time program.

Credit Hours
52 billable, didactic credits

Starting Month
January and August

Application Deadline
January 5th for both admission cycles. Full time admits for Fall and January interview simultaneously.

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at University of Pitt.
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 In State Tuition: $48,100
*Fees and expenses: $4,220
Grand Total: $52,320

Cost of Out of State Tuition:$55,558
*Fees and expenses: $4,220
Grand Total: $59,778

*This includes the cost of books and supplies, student activity and health fee and miscellaneous school expenses.

University of Pitt Tuition Link

Class Size
Class size is determined by the national employment market, clinical site availability and several other factors. University of Pittsburgh’s CRNA program has graduated anywhere from 20-40 students each year over the last 10 years (most often they have graduated 30-40).

Number of Applicants
The large number of applicants is reflective of the current job market for CRNAs. Early application is highly recommended.

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CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that the University of Pitt'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.

The curriculum design integrates the classroom and clinical courses and consists of 20 core credits and 32 anesthesia specialty credits. Minors are also available in Nursing Education, Research and Administration.

All anesthesia classes are during daylight hours and student are not scheduled for clinical experiences on anesthesia class days. Core courses may be scheduled during evening hours and students' clinical schedules are adjusted accordingly.

Clinical practice begins as two days/week in the first term and increases in both intensity and frequency throughout the course of study. Clinical in the last term is 5 days/week and is interspersed with clinical conferences and preparation sessions for the Certification Examination.

Specialty cases in cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, dental, organ transplantation, pediatrics, obstetrics, neonatal, burns and electroconvulsive therapy enrich the program.

A Skills Lab is available in the School of Nursing for workshops for specific procedures such as intubation, IV and arterial catheter insertion, and regional anesthesia.

The School of Nursing has a human simulator center that can be designed as a Mock OR for the use of the students in the Nurse Anesthesia Program. Simulation is used to teach basic and advanced anesthesia skills, problem based management, Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management (ACRM), and team training.

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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 University of Pitt compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

BSN
Bachelor of Science in Nursing is required.

RN:
Current registered nursing license. You’ll need a Pennsylvania license upon admission to the program.

Critical Care:
One year of full time critical care experience within the past 5 years. You can apply to the program if you are currently employed in critical care and will have the necessary one year of full time experience before the start of the full time anesthesia component. Admission to the program is contingent upon fulfilling the critical care experience requirement.

Critical care experience should involve the following:

Assessment of the critically ill and unstable patients
Invasive hemodynamic monitoring
Basic EKG interpretation
Management of vasoactive infusions
Care of ventilator dependent patients

They do not accept as primary experience:

Telemetry
Neonatal ICU
Operating Room
*Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU or RR)
*Emergency Room

*Exceptions can be considered if the PACU unit is also ICU overflow on a regular basis or has the patient acuity of an ICU, or if the ER is part of an integrated level one shock/trauma OR and ICU system.

GPA:
No minimum GPA is required, however it is a factor in determining admission to the program. If your GPA is not competitive, they recommend that you enroll in one or more graduate level course and demonstrate your ability to achieve.

Choose a course (or courses) with a strong science component such as anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology that will provide a better assessment of scholastic aptitude. If you are admitted, these courses will be an asset to your anesthesia education. GRE scores will also help to evaluate your academic potential.

Minimum GRE scores:
GRE scores must be within the last 10 years (5 years preferred).

Certifications:

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

CRNA Educational Requirements

Statistics, including inferential and descriptive statistics components

University of Pittsburgh’s CRNA program website

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School’s Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
3.9 out of 5.0. Ranked #3 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.
University of Pittsburgh Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed in May, 2010. It was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again in May, 2020. This shows that the program is very stable.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at University of Pittsburgh

First-time test takers:95.2%
National average (2008): 89.9%

This statistic averaged over the last 6 years.

CRNA Employment Rate of program graduates
100%

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CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania CRNA salaries are slightly lower than the national average and range from $130k-150k.

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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FAQs

What can I expect in the interview?

“[Their] interview process is designed to allow the applicant to become familiar with faculty, our program and philosophies, and for us to evaluate the applicant. Depending on the number of applicants in each session, you can expect to spend about 5 hours at the program offices.

[They] present a detailed overview of the clinical and academic curriculum, expectations, and associated professional and educational issues. Applicants are taken on a tour of the academic facilities and the WISER center.

Each applicant interviews with 3 or more of the Program Faculty for 10-15 minutes each in a one to one setting. They do not conduct panel interviews. Current students are also invited to provide information from their perspective during an informal session. Refreshments are provided.”

This is taken directly from the program website’s FAQ’s

What makes the University of Pittsburgh’s CRNA school unique?

It offers all of the assets and services of a large urban campus with the personal attention of a small program.

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See CRNA School Reviews

*This page was updated December 15th, 2012*