WFUBMC Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center CRNA Program
After reviewing WFUBMC’s CRNA program page, I was impressed by their thorough quiz that shows you how you measure up as an applicant as well as their gateway program in June 2011 designed for incoming students.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Nurse Anesthesia Program Medical Center Boulevard Winston-Salem, NC 27157
Contact Information Michael Rieker, CRNA, DNP, Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program Joseph Tobin, MD, Medical Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program ph: (336) 716-1411 fax: (336) 716-1412 email: NAPinfo@wfubmc.edu
Quick Facts
CRNA Degree (s) offered Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Post-Master’s Certificate in Anesthesia Nursing
Program Length 24 months
Credit Hours 50 credit hours
Starting Month(s) August
Application Deadline October 1st. The most qualified applicants are invited to a personal interview with the selection committee in November or December with selections for the program made by January for admission the following August. Early application is encouraged.
Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at WFUBMC. Please note that tuition is calculated at the Spring 2011 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: $10,912 *Fees and expenses: $9,215 Grand Total: $20,127
In state calculation: $2,728 per semester with 12+ credits * 4 semesters (2 of the 6 semesters are summer terms where no credits are given and thus no tuition is charged)
Cost of Out of State Tuition: $33,872 *Fees and expenses: $9,215 Grand Total: $43,087
Out of state calculation: $8,468 per semester with 12+ credits * 4 semesters (see in-state calc)
*This includes a $6,000 clinical fee
Financial benefits: Residency Stipend provided by NCBH - $1800 per year Eligible for limited employee benefits of Baptist Hospital
Class Size 24
Number of Applicants They interview up to 75 applicants for 24 positions, but they receive far more applications than the number of potential interview slots. They will keep applications on file for one year to facilitate reapplication by those who are not initially selected.
When did this CRNA Program begin? The nurse anesthesia program at WFUBMC began in 1942
Are you concerned that WFUBMC’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).
The CRNA program at WFUBMC (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.
In this truly integrated program, you’ll begin your clinical experience in your first semester, which means you’ll have hands-on experience with all of the anesthesia-related concepts you learn.
Many students find that this integration suits their learning style, as they can immediately translate theory from the classroom into clinical application in the operating room.
During this early phase of clinical education, you’ll gain this hands-on experience through their Center for Applied Learning which includes an anesthesia skills lab, fresh cadaver lab, two human patient simulation labs, a standard patient assessment lab, and the opportunity to participate in state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary anesthesia crisis resource management training.
Once you’ve mastered the sim lab, your clinical experience will expand to include cases in pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics, open heart, neurological, plastic, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, urology, orthopedics, radiological and transplant procedures. Both elective and emergency anesthetics are given.
As a student at WFUBMC, you’ll obtain clinical experiences at a variety of affiliated clinical sites which provide a broad exposure to anesthetic practice. You’ll provide your own transportation to and from all sites, which are all within commuting distance (about an hour) from Winston-Salem.
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 WFUBMC compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.
CRNA Program Requirements
Do you feel confident as an applicant to WFUBMC? Don’t just go off of a feeling, find out if you have what they are looking for and take their applicant self-assessment quiz. It will give you tips on what you can do to improve your chances of getting accepted. It’s very well done and quite helpful.
Required Bachelor Degree Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited program (NLNAC, CCNE, or regional accreditation). If you are an experienced nurse, you may be granted an interview if you are in your last semester of your BSN program.
RN: Current licensure as a registered nurse - (NC licensure required for matriculation)
Critical Care: A minimum of one year (2,080 hours) of full-time experience within the 2 years prior to application in an intensive care (ICU) or coronary care unit (CCU). The average length of ICU experience for admitted students is a little over 3 years, with 5 years total RN experience.
Clinical experience must involve:
Direct patient care
Independent decision-making (experience in orientation or in managerial positions is not applicable)
Examples of experiences most applicable to nurse anesthesia study include:
Management of vasoactive infusions
Invasive monitors
Ventilator modalities
Sedative and paralytic drugs
Blood test interpretation
The broader range of experiences you have, the easier nurse anesthesia school will be for you.
Statistics demonstrate that graduates who came from a non-ICU background (as some programs allow) have a higher rate of failure to pass their board exam, which is required for certification. An ideal applicant, therefore, would have a broad base of experience, so a few years in PACU or ED followed by a year in ICU would reflect well on an applicant’s diversity of experience.
Though the following types of experience reflect well on an applicant’s diversity of experience, they will not be considered as meeting the minimum one year requirement.
Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
Emergency Department (ED)
Step-down
Surgery
Other non-ICU acute care
GPA: A minimum GPA of 3.0 in nursing and supporting courses. However, a GPA less than 3.5 without good academic indicators otherwise may be considered less competitive. A high GPA based upon a large number of transfer credits or non-nursing courses may not be considered adequate.
If your GPA is on the low end (3.0) you may consider taking some graduate courses. Performance in sciences such as pharmacology, pathophysiology, or chemistry are good ways to demonstrate your academic ability in technical graduate-level courses. For the class of 2013, the average undergraduate GPA of accepted students is 3.75.
They look at the cumulative GPA and in particular at performance in science and nursing courses. Many applicants take some of their core courses at UNCG or other graduate coursework before or while applying. Performance in relevant graduate coursework is weighed in their assessment, as well.
GRE or MAT: Satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (preferred) or the Miller Analogy Test within the past 5 years.
Individual area GRE scores should exceed approximately the 50th percentile (460 for verbal, and 600 for quantitative).The average GRE score for accepted students is 1100 for combined verbal and quantitative.
A MAT score over 400 is expected.
As these measures are meant to predict your ability in graduate study, consideration of significant graduate-level work completed may outweigh the impact of your standardized scores.
** A special note for those that have completed the GRE in August 2011 or after, you will receive your scores in November due to a change in the exam. This means that your application decision by the Graduate school will be delayed. As an alternative, you can take the MAT exam.
International Students: Foreign applicants or those with very low GRE verbal scores will be required to demonstrate a TOEFL score of at least 600.
Certifications:
BLS (Basic Life Support)
ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
Undergraduate Course Prerequisites
Statistics (including inferential) (3 units)
Chemistry (organic chemistry is not required but definitely helpful) (3 units)
Shadow a CRNA for a day (recommended, not required)
Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly. WFUBMC Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 10/2005. It was given the maximum of 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 10/2015. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.
An average nurse anesthetist salary in North Carolina North Carolina CRNA salaries are in line with the national average and range from $140k to $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.
Can I work as an RN while I’m in the program? There is not an opportunity to work while in school, and at the same time you will be paying tuition and other fees. As you look forward to CRNA school, be frugal with your finances. You don't want to start school with lots of credit card debt and other bills that quickly eat away at your finances.
Few people are fortunate enough to be able to just save up enough to carry them through the 2 years, so if you will be living on loans or a spouse's salary, you want as uncomplicated a financial picture as possible.
