University of South Carolina Columbia & Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital USC/PRMH Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesia 15 Medical Park, Suite 221 Columbia, SC 29203
Contact Information Kristi H Williams, CRNA, MN, Program Director/Associate Professor USC Graduate School , Columbia ph: (803) 434-6344 fax: (803) 434-4099 email: kristi.williams@uscmed.sc.edu
Quick Facts
CRNA Degree (s) offered Masters of Nurse Anesthesia
Program Length 27 months, full time
Credit Hours 64 semester hours
Starting Month(s) January
Application Deadline May 1st. Interviews with selected students are held in July of the year prior to the January admission. Letters of acceptance will be sent to applicants in August or September.
Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at University of South Carolina Columbia.
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: $28,220 *Fees and expenses: $10,870 Grand Total: $39,090
Cost of Out of State Tuition: $57,700 *Fees and expenses: $10,870 Grand Total: $68,570
*This includes the cost of health insurance, books and supplies, test fees and miscellaneous school expenses.
As a student, PRMH will provide you with a basic hospitalization and dental insurance policy as well as malpractice insurance and provide housing at rotational sites that are located beyond a reasonable daily commute.
Are you concerned that University of South Carolina Columbia’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 27-month Masters of Nurse Anesthesia program comprises didactic courses and clinical experience-integration of clinical training with coursework is a key feature of the program. Students begin a supervised clinical experience in the first semester.”
“Clinical experience includes a minimum of 550 anesthesia cases covering a variety of general and regional anesthetics for pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics, cardiovascular-thoracic, neurological, plastic otolaryngology, ophthalmology, urology, orthopedics, and radiological procedures.”
University of South Carolina Columbia also provides you with a human-patient-simulator, allowing you to gain experience in managing rare but clinically significant problems.
There are two primary clinical training sites: Palmetto Health Richland (where you’ll gain 50% of your clinical experience) and Greenville Memorial Hospital. In addition to these primary clinical sites, you’ll have access to 10 affiliate sites. You may be expected to rotate to any or all clinical affiliated sites during the course of the program.
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 South Carolina Columbia compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.
CRNA Program Requirements
Required Bachelor Degree A Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in a related science. Degree must be from an NLN-accredited program.
RN: Current licensure as a registered nurse in one of the 50 states; South Carolina licensure is required for matriculation
Critical Care: A minimum of one year full-time critical care nursing experience prior to the application deadline of June 15.
Clinical experience within the past three years is preferred and must be direct hands-on patient care in one of the following units:
ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
CCU (Coronary Care Unit)
Alternate clinical experiences to substitute shall be evaluated upon request
”Priority is given to applicants who have the most recent work in high acuity, large hospital ICU or CCU settings where a broad base of invasive hemodynamic monitoring experience, management of ventilated patients, and administration of vasoactive drugs in the care of adult patients. Clinical experience within the past year is preferred.”
GPA: A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher is required, (including a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in basic science areas); the average cumulative GPA for admitted students was 3.57 for the Class of 2012.
Please note: the website states that a GPA of 3.0 or better is preferred, while the handbook states it is required.
Minimum GRE scores: A satisfactory score on the GRE, taken within five years of applying; the average GRE for admitted students was 518 verbal with a range of 360-660 and 613 quantitative with a range of 390-710 for the Class of 2013.
Certifications:
BLS (Basic Life Support)
ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
CRNA Educational Requirements A minimum of a 3-credit hour course covering biochemistry and organic chemistry is required, but a General Chemistry course (3 credit hours) may be accepted.
Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly. University of South Carolina Columbia Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 10/2009. It was given the maximum of 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 10/2019. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.
Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at the University of South Carolina Columbia 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: 92%
National average (2008): 89.9%
Attrition Rate 3% (97% of those who matriculate into the program graduate with a Masters in Nurse Anesthesia)
An average nurse anesthetist salary in South Carolina South Carolina CRNA salaries are about the same as the national average and range from $140k-160k.
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.
Time off During your first year as a nurse anesthesia student, your vacation days will coincide with USC School of Medicine’s holiday schedule. You’ll also have up to two weeks vacation during your summer practicum.
You’ll be given a total of 30 days of personal leave to be used during the remaining 15 months of the program.
How many hours should I expect to be engaged in the program each week? “Time commitment to study, class and practice may consume an average of 63 – 65 clock hours per week. The student should devote full-time to this demanding specialty. Time commitment to the program runs Sunday – Saturday.”
Can I work as an RN while I’m in the program? Part-time work as a registered nurse or any other time consuming job, especially during the first year, is not encouraged. Outside employment should be discussed with the Program Director. Students who are not performing well either clinically or didactically are advised to devote full time to the graduate program.