FAQs

A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) with a Master’s or Doctoral degree who has graduated from an accredited program and passed the National Qualifying Examination.

CRNAs administer 60% of the anesthetics given in the USA and practice in a variety of settings including small and large hospitals, general and specialty outpatient surgery centers, offices, obstetric units, and military settings.

In rural America, CRNAs provide nearly all anesthesia services.

CRNAs may work with anesthesiologists (physicians with a residency in anesthesia) in a team practice or may be the solo providers of anesthesia services in a facility or community.

Yes, these must be obtained prior to starting the program but are not required prior to applying to the program.

The Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Programs requires all students in a program be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) before beginning clinical activity.

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs defines critical care experience as: "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.

During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques.

A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. 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."

Emergency Room, Cath lab or flight nursing experience is not considered to be critical care experience.

Students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be eligible to graduate.

No, the DNAP program does not accept transfer coursework.

Up to 26 candidates are accepted on a yearly basis.

All residents will attend didactic offerings in person at the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Campus in Spokane Washington, during their first and second semesters.

Residents selecting Western or Central Washington cohorts will primarily attend didactic courses remotely but may choose to attend didactic courses in person at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Residents will be required to travel to Spokane to complete simulation and hands on skills and evaluation one to two times each semester.

See the Clinical Hubs page for more information.

Some courses are offered as a synchronous hybrid option, allowing students to access course materials while they are participating in clinical experiences at their clinical hubs.

The program requires students to graduate with a minimum of 2,800 clinical hours to satisfy program requirements.

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) has set the following minimum requirements for eligibility for the certification exam:

Clinical cases: 700

A full list of case requirements is available on the COA webpage.

The candidate will engage in scholarly inquiry to analyze, evaluate or transform a relevant aspect of clinical practice.

 The project may take on many forms but will be specific to the candidate’s area of professional interest.

Some possibilities include: implementation of evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice, an in-house education and training program that emerges as the best way to implement new knowledge, or a scholarly article submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The last day to have a completed application submitted for the DNAP program is September 1st, with class beginning the following May.

For more details on the application process go to our How to Apply page.

No – we require applicants to obtain their CCRN certification instead.

Proof of shadow experiences is not required.

Yes, you can, but in order for the course to be considered a repeat, it must be taken at the same institution where it was originally completed. If taken at a different institution, we will calculate both grades in the GPA evaluation.

These requirements must be met by the application deadline, September 1st.

The cost is a competitive $1,255* a credit.

*Tuition is subject to change.

Yes, the fees are outlined below.

• Application fee: $50.
• Tuition Deposit: $1,000 payable at the time of acceptance to the program to secure the student’s enrollment in the program. This tuition deposit will be credited to the first semester’s tuition. If the student does not enroll, he/she forfeits the tuition deposit.
• Students bear the cost of the mandatory drug screen upon enrollment; the current cost is $75.
• $2,000 program fee per semester to aid in clinical housing, simulation cost, electronic record keeping, malpractice insurance, AANA registration Fee, SEE and NCE examinations offered by the NBCRNA.

We have a number of resources to help you fund your education.

As a graduate student you qualify for Federal Student Aid. This funding is not need based, follow the link to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Gonzaga also offers payment plan options and other financial resources.

Visit the Financial Aid page for information on funding options or to speak with a staff member.