This page was last updated in 2022.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Nursing Anesthesia Practice
School of Allied Health Professions
Department of Nurse Anesthesia
On the Medical College of Virginia Campus
P.O. Box 980226
Richmond, VA 23298
Contact Information
Suzanne Wright, PhD, CRNA, CPPS, CHSE, Professor and Chair
ph: (804) 828-2824
fax: (804) 828-0581
email: smwright@vcu.edu
Quick Facts
CRNA Degree offered
etpDNAP, Post-master’s clinical doctorate – DNAP
etpDNAP simply means “entry-to-practice DNAP”
Program Length
36 months
Credit Hours
93
Starting Month
January
Application Deadline
March 1st
Cost of the etpDNAP
Cost of In State Tuition: $53,754
Fees and expenses: $18,471
Grand Total: $72,225
Cost of Out of State Tuition: $114,762
Fees and expenses: $21,441
Grand Total: $136,203
Tuition for VCU entry to practice DNAP
Class Size
20 – 24 Richmond site
6 – 8 Abingdon site
5 – 6 Roanoke site
10 Northern Virginia site
CRNA Training
The etpDNAP will give you additional knowledge and application of best evidence to practice. The etpDNAP program is a front-loaded program with clinical experiences starting during the first semester of your second year.
You will build a professional portfolio which will include written case studies of clinical experiences that have significance for nurse anesthesia practice.
CRNA Program Requirements
BSN
Or a baccalaureate degree in nursing or a related science.
RN:
Current RN license. You will need an RN license for the state of Virginia by the completion of the third semester.
Critical Care:
A minimum of one-year recent experience in an area of acute care nursing. This experience must be completed by matriculation not application. Note: ER and PACU may be acceptable depending on the knowledge base from experiences.
Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to Surgical Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic Intensive care, Coronary Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care.
Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence in managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.
ER standards
Operating room and ICU step down do not fulfill the requirement for this program.
GPA:
Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (preferred). For the most recent cohort of admitted entry to practice students, the average GPA was 3.7. They still encourage all to apply and stress that the 3.7 GPA is just the average.
Minimum GRE scores:
The GRE must have been completed within the last 5 years. The average GRE score is 307. Again, they stress 307 is just the average and encourage all to apply.
Certifications
CCRN highly recommended
Virginia Commonwealth University Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice
CRNA School Performance
Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly.
Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia at Virginia Commonwealth University Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 05/2011. It was given 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 10/2021. This shows that the program is very stable.
Pass Rate for CRNA Boards at VCU School Of Nursing
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 2019: 90% (2020)
National average (2020): 85.2% ; (2019): 84.8%
Attrition Rate: 7% (2020)
Employment Rate: 100% (2020)
CRNA Salaries
An average nurse anesthetist salary in Virginia Commonwealth University Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice, Virginia.
Virginia CRNA salaries are lower than the national average with an annual mean wage of $179,180.
An average annual nurse anesthetist salary in the US is $189,190 (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 study)
Salaries pulled from Bureau of Labor Statistics
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