Admission Process
Applications for the Nurse Anesthesia Option are accepted annually from May 1st through July 31st. Successful applicants are admitted to the program in the summer of the year following initial application. Applications and all accompanying paperwork should be submitted to our application partner, NursingCAS, no later than July 31st. If you are accepted into the program you will then apply to Youngstown State University College of Graduate Studies. You must meet the admission criteria for both, St Elizabeth Health Center School for Nurse Anesthetists and Youngstown State University College of Graduate Studies, to be admitted into the program.
Admission Requirements
All of the following requirements must be met at time of application.
- Applicants must have Baccalaureate degree in nursing from an institution of higher education that is fully accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and/or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Other BS degrees may be considered.
- At the time of application, a minimum of one (1) year experience (two preferred) as a registered nurse in Adult Critical Care within the last three (3) years. Critical care experience must be obtained within the United States, its territories, or a U.S. military hospital outside of the United States. Examples of Adult Critical Care units may include but are not limited to: Surgical Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care, Coronary Intensive Care, and Medical Intensive Care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable adult patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.
- The applicant must have a current, valid, unrestricted license as a registered nurse in the United States.
- Minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA (calculated from all undergraduate nursing course work) of 3.0.
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all undergraduate science courses.
- Successful completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a grade of B or higher.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) are required upon admission. PALS certification is required prior to the start of the program.
- Adult CCRN required by application deadline (a scheduled date to take the test is not acceptable). Copy of your certificate is required.
- Submit a typed essay (2-4 pages, double-spaced). The essay should describe your understanding of the nurse anesthetist’s role, your professional goals, and how these goals will be achieved in the DNP program. Please indicate how your past experiences have influenced these goals.
Important Note!
For the YSU Nurse Anesthetist option, you should apply, interview and be accepted at SEHC School for Nurse Anesthetists first before you apply to Youngstown State University.
Applicants who meet admission requirements will be considered for a personal interview.
Thank you for considering St Elizabeth Health Center School for Nurse Anesthetists, Inc.
John Underwood, DNAP, APRN-CRNA
Program Director