School of Nursing
3008 Human Health Building (map)
(248) 370-8733 • Fax (248) 364-8740
www.oakland.edu/nursing

Program Director:
Linda McDonald, DNAP, CRNA
3020 Human Health Building
(248) 364-8715
lamcdonald@oakland.edu

Accreditation

COA Accreditation

On October 12, 2022, the Oakland University-Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia was granted full accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) The program’s next review by the COA is scheduled for Fall, 2032.

Visit the website http://coacrna.org or contact the COA directly at 847-655-1160 or via 222 S. Prospect Ave. Park Ridge, Illinois 60068-4001.

Program Description

The Oakland University-Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia is a collaborative initiative between Oakland University and the nationally renowned Corewell Health System. Working in concert, both institutions are able to provide an exceptional educational environment for educating Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists. The DNP: Nurse Anesthesia program prepares advanced practice nurses (APRNs) with a specialization in nurse anesthesia. The curriculum is an integration of DNP, APRN, and nurse anesthesia specialty courses. In cognate courses, students study advanced physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and gross anatomical dissection. Clinical internships provide the opportunity for students to apply theory to practice, gain experience in all specialty areas, and to become experts capable of providing anesthesia care to patients across the lifespan at all levels of acuity, undergoing procedures of varying complexity. Graduates are prepared in the translation of research and other evidence into clinical practice, measurement of patient outcomes, and transformation of health care systems to ensure quality and safety. The DNP is capable of addressing the critical leadership skills needed to translate evidence-based care into practice, change systems of care, and measure outcomes of groups of patients, populations, and communities.

The DNP-prepared graduate is prepared to take the certification examination offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists leading to the designation Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA).

Program Delivery

The DNP: Nurse Anesthesia program is delivered in hybrid format, which includes face-to-face (in-person) and online courses. Courses that are offered online may include synchronous and in-person activities. Courses offered in-person often include a distance-learning format.

DNP: Nurse Anesthesia Program Objectives

Building on the Bachelor of Science in Nursing foundation, the BSN to DNP: Nurse Anesthesia program will prepare the student for the highest level of clinical nursing practice. The DNP graduate will:

Leads the application, integration, and translation of established and evolving scientific knowledge from nursing and other disciplines as the basis for ethical clinical judgment, decision making, innovation, and diagnostic reasoning.
Lead the design, delivery, coordination, management, and evaluation of comprehensive person-centered care utilizing best evidence at the advanced nursing practice specialty level.
Collaborates with public health, healthcare systems, community, academic community, governmental, and other entities to lead programs that promote health and disease prevention to improve equitable population health outcomes.
Generate, appraise, synthesize, translate, integrate, and disseminate knowledge to improve person-centered health and transform health care.
Lead the application and evaluation of established and emerging principles of translational and improvement science methodologies to enhance quality and minimize risk of harm for providers, patients, populations, and systems.
Lead interprofessional teams to optimize care with patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to enhance healthcare experiences and improve outcomes.
Lead organizational and system-level plans to enhance quality and safety to improve patient, population, and organizational outcomes, and to provide safe, high-quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
Employ data analytic methods, information systems, and technology to evaluate, integrate, and translate data to form information and drive decision-making, and improve programs, outcomes, and standards of care within healthcare systems.
Model and promote a professional identity within a nursing specialty that is accountable, collaborative, and reflects nursing’s disposition, comportment, perspective, and values.
Lead, model, and facilitate activities that foster wellness, resilience, and progression toward growth for self, others, and the profession in the acquisition of nursing expertise and assertion of leadership capacity at the micro, meso, and/or macro levels.

Admission Terms and Application Deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in NursingCAS by the deadline listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

All applications submitted by both deadlines will be considered for Fall 2025 admission. Applicants will only interview once per year. The application deadlines are:

Early application deadline: July 15, 2026
Standard application deadline: December 15, 2026
International application deadline: May 1, 2026 (see additional requirements below)

Application Requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Applicants do not submit an online Oakland University Graduate Application. A completed application and required materials must be submitted through the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS).

Application Requirements:

BSN from an institution accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Undergraduate cumulative Nursing GPA must be a 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale).
Undergraduate science GPA must be a 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale).
Undergraduate required science courses:
1. Anatomy and physiology- 3 credits each course or 5 credits for combined course
2. Pharmacology- 3 credits
3. Biochemistry OR Organic chemistry-3 credits
A minimum of 1 year of Intensive Care experience at the time of application. Applicants must currently be working in an Intensive Care Unit.
Current unrestricted Registered Nurse license. Michigan license is required at the start of the program.
Two satisfactory letters of recommendation are required. One must be a current nurse manager or someone who serves in a legitimate supervisory role.
BLS, ACLS, PALS, and CCRN certification at the time of application

International Students

International students are encouraged to contact The Graduate School (www.oakland.edu/grad) to determine what additional documentation is required for admission eligibility.

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses applicants’ potential for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, professional statements, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Qualified applicants will be selected to attend an interview and complete a brief evaluation of their critical care nursing knowledge and skills

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Nursing Practice: Nurse Anesthesia degree program is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 87 credits in an approved plan of study. The program of study commences in the fall and allows full-time students to complete the requirements in 36 months.

Extensive time is required in the clinical setting, beginning gradually toward the end of the second term and culminating in 32 or more hours per week during the final internships. The accrediting body requires a minimum of 700 cases across all specialty areas and 2000 clinical hours.

Course Requirements

After acceptance and prior to starting the program, students are required to provide evidence of successful completion of a graduate-level statistics course. Students may take course - Statistics in Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits) to satisfy this requirement. Prior to taking a graduate-level statistics course other than NRS 5302, students must contact the advising office and supply information needed to determine course equivalency. Equivalency will be reviewed and approved by the DNP-NA program director.

Foundation Courses (15 credits)

course Advanced Nursing Theory (3 credits)
course Health System Policy (3 credits)
course Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 credits)
course Nursing and Healthcare Informatics Leadership (3 credits)
course Theory and Translating Research for Evidenced-based Practice (3 credits)

Research (14 credits)

The purpose of the research sequence is to prepare DNP students to evaluate current evidence-based research and assist in the development of a scholarly project that implements best evidence into practice under the guidance of a DNP Project Chair. The project is a comprehensive, integrative experience that reflects a synthesis of program coursework, and mastery of expert practice knowledge in the translation of current research to improve nursing practice or healthcare outcomes for patients, families, populations, or systems. The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, the DNP Project Handbook, and the policies of Oakland University Graduate School will be used as guides for what constitutes appropriate content and formatting for the final project.

The School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Student Handbook and The Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Handbook provide more specific information and policies related to the project.

course Advanced Scientific Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3 credits)
course Clinical Prevention and Population Health (3 credits)
course DNP Final Project (8 credits)

Specialty courses (58 credits)

The specialty courses consist of didactic and clinical components that prepare students for advanced practice. The specialty courses build upon nursing knowledge and skills learned at the undergraduate level and during foundation and clinical core courses.

Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology (9 credits)

course Gross Anatomical Dissection (3 credits)
course Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology I (3 credits)
course Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology II (3 credits)

Nurse Anesthesia Specialty (17 credits)

Pharmacology (10 credits)

course Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice I (4 credits)
course Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice II (3 credits)
course Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice III (3 credits)

Clinical Internships (12 credits)

course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship I (1 credit)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship II (1 credit)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship III (1 credit)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship IV (1 credit)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship V ( 2 credits)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship VI (2 credits)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship VII (2 credits)
course Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Internship VIII (2 credits)

Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)

course Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Anesthesiology (3 credit)

Seminars and Nurse Anesthesia Topics (7 credits)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good Academic Standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good Academic Standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of B (3.0), as well as a B (3.0) or above in all courses.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a graduate assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards, which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Program requirements: Students must follow the university policies and procedures for graduate students, as described in the Oakland University Graduate Catalog. In addition to the university requirements, the School of Nursing Graduate Student Handbook outlines specific School of Nursing policies and procedures.

Students are expected to earn a grade of B (3.0) or above in each course in the DNP program. In courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), students are expected to earn a satisfactory (S) grade. In courses graded Satisfactory Progress/Unsatisfactory Progress (SP/NP), students are expected to earn a satisfactory grade (SP). Students who are not making satisfactory progress (i.e., <3.0, U, NP) in the program may be placed on probation with conditions imposed for retention, or recommended for dismissal. Students are required to keep their health requirements current and must maintain an RN license that is current and free of any complaints or restrictions throughout the program. See the School of Nursing website for health requirements. Students are also required to meet the requirements of the healthcare facilities where they complete clinical placements.

Graduate students who are not in good standing in the School of Nursing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Continuous Enrollment

The continuous enrollment policy for doctoral students requires continuous registration of graduate students for at least 1 credit each semester in the academic year to maintain an active graduate student status. This includes semesters in which the comprehensive, preliminary, or qualifying examination is taken, defense, and each subsequent term (fall and winter) until the degree requirements are met and the dissertation or project is submitted to Oakland University Graduate School.

Students must submit a leave-of-absence form if extenuating circumstances require them to take time off. Failure to submit this form may result in a loss of admission status.

Some agency and graduate assistantship eligibility may have course-load requirements that exceed the minimum registration requirements of the Continuous Enrollment Policy (e.g., Veterans Affairs, Immigration and Naturalization for International Students, and Federal Financial Aid Programs). Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to register for the appropriate number of credits that are required for funding eligibility and/or compliance as outlined by specific agency regulations under which they are governed.

Related Program Information

Plan of Study

Nurse Anesthesia cohorts follow a specific course of study and do not meet with faculty advisers to formulate a plan of study. The plan of study will be presented to the student upon admission to the program.

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Advising

Students are responsible for requirements and policies stated in the School of Nursing DNP Handbook, the Oakland University-Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia handbook, and in each course syllabus. Every student admitted to the DNP-NA program is assigned both an academic adviser and a faculty adviser who has teaching responsibilities in the graduate program. These advisers are available to discuss coursework, plans of study, concerns regarding progression in the program, and student career goals.

Note: Nurse Anesthesia students will work directly with the Nurse Anesthesia faculty for all clinical and didactic concerns.

Nurse Anesthesia

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