Program Mission & Model
The primary purpose of the BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing is to educate registered nurses in both the science and art of anesthesia so that they will become efficient and skilled in utilizing various techniques of anesthesia intelligently, scientifically, and safely. Faculty and administration are committed to maintaining a dynamic and progressive doctoral program which allows students to grow personally as well as professionally. Our model emphasizes up-front DNP course attainment combined with a rigorous clinical program.
Mentoring: Assistance with Adjustment to the Program and Socialization to CRNA Role
- Student-to-Student Mentoring Program
- CRNA-to-Student Mentoring Program (Face to Face)
- CRNA-to-Student Mentoring Program (MentorCliq e-mentoring Program)
Other Program-Related Fees/Items of Interest
- Self-Evaluation Examination (SEE): $280
- APEX™: $549 (group rate may be less, other options may apply)
- ExamSoft™: $75 annually
- Textbooks: Most of the textbooks used by the program are available to students at no cost on-line through the University of Pittsburgh Health Science Library System (HSLS). There are a couple of exceptions.
Health Insurance
View information about Pitt's Graduate & Professional Student Health Plan.
Housing
University Office of Housing
Can be placed in contact with current students for advice on where to live
Public Transportation
- Pitt ID provides access to public transportation throughout Allegheny County
- Parking - Oakland/Local Clinical Sites
- Several paid lots are in the campus/local clinical site vicinity
- Street parking through a City of Pittsburgh parking app
- Parking - Distant/Community Sites
- Most outside sites offer free parking to students
Financial Assistance
- Pitt Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA)
- Nurse Anesthesia Traineeship Grant (Possible to receive 1 time during program)
- Federal and/or Private Loans
- Military Scholarships (must be inducted into a service branch)
- Competitive Scholarships
- Stipends/Loan agreements - future employers
- GSA positions in the 1st year (teaching UG courses) - these are competitive positions
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The BSN to DNP program is offered in a full-time format and classes begin each January. The curriculum consists of 84.5 academic and clinical practice credits. During the final two terms, students will take a series of high stakes examinations in preparation for the National Certification Examination. View the curriculum.
Accreditation Status
The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Program BSN to DNP and MSN to DNP programs are currently accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs until 2030. The Program received a 10-year accreditation in June 2020 (this is the maximum accreditation length) and received no citations. This was our 3rd consecutive 10-year citation free accreditation! The Nurse Anesthesia DNP Program is also accredited by the Council on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing until 2024. The CCNE site visit was completed in February 2024 and we are awaiting the accreditation decision. The University of Pittsburgh as a whole is accredited by the Regional Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education until 2030.
Accrediting Organizations
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906
Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
224-275-9130
Council on Collegiate of Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
655 K Street NW
Suite 750
Washington DC 20001
202-887-6791
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West
Philadelphia, PA 19102
267-284-5000
Additional Evidence of Academic Quality at the University of Pittsburgh
Rankings:
US Nurse Anesthesia Program rankings began in 1998 with our program ranked #2. We are very proud that since the rankings began, we have remained in the top ten In 2016 the Pitt BSN to MSN Nurse Anesthesia program was ranked #1. In 2017, the rankings combined MSN and DNP programs and we remain ranked #4. Further, the overall DNP program was ranked #7 for 2023. In the rankings released April 9, 2024 the Pitt Nurse Anesthesia Program was ranked tied for 2nd overall, and is the #1 ranked civilian Nurse Anesthesia Program!
In addition to rankings, evidence for academic quality which correlate positively with National Certification Examination first time pass rates include GPA, SEE performance, Program Comprehensive Examination performance, APEX practice exam performance and Nurse Anesthesia Program developed practice exam performance. We also compete nationally for AANA Foundation Scholarships with Pitt students receiving a high percentage of these scholarships relative to the number of available scholarships.
Attrition
Attrition is the ratio of number of students who failed to graduate divided by the number of students who were originally admitted. Our focus is retention which is the % of students graduated divided by those admitted as our goal is to support successful completion of the program. The most recent class completed the program in December 2023 with a retention rate of 100% (0% attrition). Over the past thirteen graduating cohorts, our attrition has averaged 4-5%. Reasons for attrition vary but include failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA, inability to perform safely in the clinical area and family/ personal illness. Counseling and personalized advising are offered to help address these issues.
Fall 2012-Fall 2023 Student Retention/Attrition Statistics, University of Pittsburgh
| Term and Year of Graduation | # Students Admitted | # Students Graduated |
Retention % | Attrition % | Degree |
| Fall 2012 / Spring 2013 | 44 | 42 | 95.5% | 4.5% | MSN |
| Fall 2013 / Spring 2014 | 43 | 39 | 90.7% | 9.3% | MSN |
| Fall 2014 / Spring 2015 | 47 | 43 | 91.5% | 8.5% | MSN |
| Fall 2015/ Spring 2016 | 43 | 41 | 95.3% | 4.7% | MSN |
| Fall 2016 / Spring 2017 | 45 | 43 | 95.6% | 4.4% | MSN |
| Fall 2017 / Spring 2018 | 44 | 42 | 95.5% | 4.5% | MSN |
| Fall 2018 (last MSN) | 36 | 36 | 100% | 0.0% | MSN |
| Fall 2019 (first DNP) | 30 | 28 | 93.3% | 6.7% | DNP |
| Fall 2020 (DNP) | 39 | 39 | 100.0% | 0.0% | DNP |
| Fall 2021 (DNP) | 40 | 39 | 97.5 | 2.5% | DNP |
| Fall 2022 (DNP) | 41 | 41 | 100% | 0.0% | DNP |
| Fall 2023 (DNP) | 41 | 41 | 100% | 0.0% | DNP |
| Total | 493 | 474 | 96% | 4% |
Employment at 6 months post-graduation
The historical employment rate of the program since 1991 (successfully employed within 6-months of graduation) is 99.9%. For the class of 2023, 100% of program graduates were employed within 6 months with all students receiving multiple employment offers.
National Certification Exam, Self-Evaluation Examination and Nurse Anesthesia Program Comprehensive Examination
From the beginning of the Pitt BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program, faculty advisors work with students to guide their overall study and their preparation toward sitting for the mandatory Program Comprehensive Examination, the NBCRNA Self-Evaluation Examination and the NBCRNA National Certification Examination. This process includes meetings every term with guided development of individualized study plans, use of the Apex™ study system, a structured continuous review process built into the curriculum and incorporation of the national Self Evaluation Examination into the curriculum with a required score threshold. Data from the NBCRNA indicates that the SEE has a high positive correlation with NCE if students prepare for the SEE rigorously. Further, current data indicates the SEE exam should be taken within 4 months of graduation and that the NCE should be taken as soon as practical after graduation. It is critical that students pass the NCE on the first attempt as this is a publicly reported Program metric, a requirement for employment, a factor in gaining state and local credentials and is discoverable in malpractice litigation. The program requires students to complete a Board Review course in their final term with multiple board like exams incorporated. Students are also required to take an Anesthesia-Specific Comprehensive Examination which has demonstrated a significant positive correlation with the National Certification Examination (NCE).
Pitt National Certification Examination (NCE) 1st Time Pass Rate
All Pitt program graduates are eligible to take the National Certifying Examination (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). The national first-time pass rate over the last 5 years has ranged from 83-85%. The table below demonstrates the University of Pittsburgh success rate with benchmarking against national performance statistics. On average, our 1st time pass rate has exceeded the national 1st time pass rate by 6.2% although in 2023 we exceeded the national average by 16.8%.
Pitt vs. National NCE pass rates 2010-2023
| Term and Year of Graduation | *Admission Year |
#Pitt Graduates |
#Pitt 1st time pass |
Pitt 1st time pass rate |
Pitt Overall Pass Rate |
National 1st time pass rate |
| Fall 2010 / Spring 2011 | 2008 | 43 | 42 | 97.7% | 100% | 88.9% |
| Fall 2011 / Spring 2012 | 2009 | 47 | 44 | 93.6% | 100% | 89.1% |
| Fall 2012 / Spring 2013 | 2010 | 44 | 39 | 88.6% | 100% | 88.5% |
| Fall 2013 / Spring 2014 | 2011 | 39 | 35 | 89.7% | 100% | 88.4% |
| Fall 2014 / Spring 2015 | 2012 | 41 | 36 | 87.8% | 100% | 87.8% |
| Fall 2015 / Spring 2016 | 2013 | 43 | 42 | 97.7% | 100% | 85.0% |
| Fall 2016 / Spring 2017 | 2014 | 44 | 42 | 95.5% | 100% | 84.5% |
| Fall 2017 / Spring 2018 | 2015 | 42 | 41 | 97.6 % | 100% | 82.6% |
| Fall 2018 (last MSN) | 2016 | 37 | 32 | 86.5% | 100% | 84.3% |
| Fall 2019 (first DNP) | 2017 | 28 | 21 | 75.0% | 100% | 84.4% |
| Fall 2020 | 2018 | 38 | 35 | 92.1% | 97.4% | 85.2% |
| Fall 2021 | 2019 | 39 | 34 | 87.2% | 100% | 84.1% |
| Fall 2022 | 2020 | 41 | 37 | 90.2% | 100% | 83.4% |
| Fall 2023 | 2021 | 41 | 41 | 100% | 100% | 83.2% |
| Total | 657 | 521 | 91.1% | 99.8% | 85.7% |
Data on National 1st time pass rates was extracted from the NBCRNA web site at https://www.nbcrna.com/initial-certification/program-administration.