The Old Dominion University Doctor of Nursing Practice program with specialization in nurse anesthesia is a 36-month, full-time program that begins in May each year. Our program is a hybrid of on-campus and on-line classes. The curriculum is an assimilation of nurse anesthesia specialty and DNP courses. Each student is required to complete a scholarly project that addresses patient care, quality improvement, process improvement, or practice improvement.
Program Data
| Statistics | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree Completion Rate | 100% | 87.5% | 93.3% |
| Certification Pass Rate | 100% | 100% | 85% |
| Employment Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Why Choose the ODU Nurse Anesthesia Program?
- Small Cohort size between 20-30: You have access to committed faculty who know you.
- Leaders in the profession: Our faculty are involved in the state and national anesthesia associations. We believe in professional development of our students and include attending one meeting per year in the program.
- Varied clinical sites: Local and distant locations with exceptional clinical preceptors, including independent CRNA practice sites. Our clinical case numbers are always well above what is required for graduation.
- Supportive simulation program: Led by a certified simulation director to cement key didactic concepts, practice clinical skills, and engage in crisis management scenarios.
- Excellent National Certification pass rates: And a 100 percent employment rate practicing in a variety of settings across the United States.
- Emphasis on student wellness: To help you manage the stress of graduate school.
- Student satisfaction: Comment examples include:
- “Faculty always has my back”
- “Faculty really want me to succeed”
- “We are exposed to much of the political realm of anesthesia which I feel many other programs are lacking”
- “Our variety of sites allows us the ability to see independent CRNA practice and other versions of what CRNAs can do. It’s not a run of the mill program”.
Program Contacts
Nurse Anesthesia Program Director:
Adrienne Hartgerink, DNP, CRNA, FAANA
(757) 368-4172, ahartger@odu.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Stacy Rothwell
(757) 368-4171, srothwel@odu.edu
Program Faculty
Assistant Director/Director of Clinical Education
Karen Gillikin, DNP, CRNA
Director of Technology & Simulation
Howard Goodwin, DNAP, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA
Research Director
Victoria Goode, PhD, CRNA, FAANA
Expand Your Career Today
Learn about the graduate application process and deadlines. Why wait?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Baccalaureate Degree in a related science. Nursing Preferred.
- Current Multistate Licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse. All prospective students must have an unencumbered current licensure as a registered professional nurse or APRN from the United States or its territories.
- GPA Requirements: Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and grades in each required science and nursing course in the undergraduate nursing program of 3.0 or higher.
- GRE Required: Preferred >300 total score (150 on Verbal and 150 on Quantitative Reasoning and 4 or higher on Analytical Writing)
- Undergraduate courses: You must have completed the following courses with a “B” or better:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
- Organic chemistry OR biochemistry courses
- Chemistry and Statistics, successfully completed within 10 years of applying to the program.
- Personal Interview: A personal interview with the interview committee (by invitation).
- Experience: A minimum of two years of full-time nursing experience in a critical care unit at the time of application. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. Clinical care experience must be direct patient care and be within the last two years. Emergency room, recovery room, operating room, labor and delivery, and step-down units do not satisfy the critical care experience.
- Current American Heart Association Certification in BLS, ACLS, and PALS.
- CCRN certification is mandatory.
- References: Three professional references. One must be from immediate supervisor with contact number included.
- English Competency: Score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for a student whose native language is not English; a minimum score of 100 (iBT test) is required.
We require a $2,000.00 fee to hold admission. This fee is non-refundable if you withdraw your application after you have accepted a position. If you matriculate into the program this fee is applied back to your tuition in your second semester.
Acceptable critical care experience includes ICU, SICU, CCU, MICU, or PICU and high acuity surgical ICU experience. Experience in a tertiary medical center is strongly preferred.
Unfortunately, due to the number of applicants the program receives not all applicants will be asked to interview. Interviewees will be notified by e-mail.
The application deadline is July 15th each year.
The Old Dominion University Nurse Anesthesia Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs: www.coacrna.org.
Recently reaccredited for 10 years through Fall 2034.
The COA offices are located at:
10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
Phone: 224-275-9130
Email: accreditation@coacrna.org