Admission Requirements

Application requirements reflect criteria for admission set forth by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and Barry University. Candidates are selected for admission on the basis of high promise for program completion and academic success in graduate education. These include: 

• A bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree granted by a regionally accredited or internationally accredited college or university.  Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended must be submitted directly to Nursing CAS. Instructions can be found at www.nursingcas.org. Satisfactory completion of coursework in nursing, the physical sciences and humanities should be demonstrated.  
• Graduation from an accredited School of Nursing and a current, unrestricted license as a professional registered nurse in the United States. Out-of-state applicants must be eligible for endorsement by the Florida Board of Nursing. An unrestricted Florida license must be received prior to starting the Program and maintained throughout enrollment in the Program. 
• A minimum of one-year, full time clinical experience as a registered nurse in a critical care setting within the last three years. Clinical experience should be direct hands on patient care. The “critical care setting” is not limited to a specific work area. However, the complexity of the patient population’s health problems should be routinely requiring non-invasive and invasive monitoring, continuous pharmacologic infusions, and mechanical ventilation. Other desired skills are outlined in the Program application form. The critical care certification for registered nurses (CCRN) serves as evidence of required knowledge and experience and is required for acceptance. 
• Current certification in Basic Life Support (BCLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). 
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale. Deference is given to the last sixty hours of undergraduate work. Applicants with a master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university will have their graduate GPA included for admission consideration. 
• Official satisfactory scores, as determined by the Admissions Committee, from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within five years of application. GRE scores are evaluated in the context of the overall application package submitted by the applicant. 
• Successful completion (grade B or better) of one college chemistry course with laboratory component. The course (not laboratory component) must have been taken within five years of beginning the Program. Organic chemistry or biochemistry is strongly preferred. In addition, one previous additional science/mathematics course (examples include: anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, physics, genetics, statistics, algebra) is required. 
• Chemistry lab/lecture needs to be completed by an accredited university/college. We will accept the following accreditations to complete the requirement. 

• • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)  
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Higher Learning Commission (HLC) 
  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)  
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)  
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)  
  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) 
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education   

• Two references from health care professionals who are knowledgeable of the applicant’s academic potential and clinical aptitude. 
• Documentation of the understanding of the role of a certified registered nurse anesthetist with an essay submission in the latest edition of APA format. Applicants are required to arrange an observation of and discussion with a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and provide documentation of shadowing experiences. 
• Attendance at a personal interview at the invitation of the Program’s Admission Committee. This interview is required for admission. 
• International applicants must meet all requirements for international applicants listed in the general admissions section of the graduate catalog. 
• Applicants may be required to fulfill specific prerequisites or other conditions of admission prior to an admission decision. 

Optional Requirements  

• Official satisfactory scores, as determined by the Admissions Committee, from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within five years of application. GRE scores are evaluated in the context of the overall application package submitted by the applicant. 

Admissions Criteria 

Admission is on a competitive basis for a limited number of positions. As a result, applicants may meet minimum admission requirements, but may not be selected for a personal interview or admission. At the time of interview, applicants must be prepared to affirm that they have sufficient financial resources and/or planning sufficient to complete the program of study without reliance on outside employment (See Graduate Catalog section for tuition and fees). Applicants are advised to contact the Office of Financial Aid to investigate funding options at the time they are considering submission of their application package. 

All applicants must affirm and attest to sound physical health, emotional stability, and personal integrity that will enable them to successfully complete the educational program, comply with criteria for nursing licensure, and adhere to American Association of Nurse Anesthetists professional codes of conduct and practice. Applicants must affirm and attest that they are free of addiction to substances of abuse, are not restricted in their practice of nursing or under investigation by any Board of Nursing, and are willing to adhere to Drug Free Workplace policies and procedures of affiliate clinical training sites, to include submission to randomized drug testing and/or testing for cause and upon Program demand. 

At the time of application, all applicants will be made aware of the capabilities required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and will be provided with the list of Core Performance Standards for admission, progression, and graduation from the Program. When applying to the Program, all applicants must declare that they are unaware of any deficits which would prevent them from functioning as a CRNA. The Core Performance Standards address the following required capabilities: the ability to observe and communicate, physical capabilities and motor skills, cognitive skills and intellectual capabilities, decision-making skills, and behavioral and social attributes. 

Applicants who wish to defer an invitation for admission or withdraw from the program and desire readmission must submit a written request to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Admissions Office and the Chair of the Program’s Readmissions Committee. Admission to a previous matriculating year does not guarantee admission to a new start term. Those applicants will be considered for admission along with the applicant pool for the requested start term. Additional credentials may be required to update their application. 

Admissions Process 

All application materials must be complete and be received by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Admissions Office by November 1 for admission to the Program for the start of the summer semester in May. Applications received after November 1 will be considered on a space available basis. 

Only those candidates with a completed application package on file, inclusive of all documentation noted above, will be considered for admission. The above criteria are evaluated as a composite package, serving as an indicator of predictive success in the program. The Admissions Committee will rank all applicants as Accepted, Provisionally Accepted, or Not Accepted. Upon the start of the Program, accepted candidates are required to possess a notebook computer with specified software which conforms to criteria established by the Program. Applicants are advised that portions of the didactic coursework are web-based and also provided in conjunction with telecommunications or video teleconferencing instructions. Candidates should possess basic computer literacy skills, including the use of word-processing, Windows operating systems, electronic mail, and navigation of Internet applications. 

TOEFL/IELTS for English proficiency 

Applicants who do not give evidence of being native English speakers, or who have not graduated from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction are required to submit a minimum score 550 on the written version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL may be waived for applicants with a minimum of 24 college level academic units earned from an institution in which English is the basis of instruction and classroom interaction. 

Health and Background/ Drug Screening 

All applicants must affirm and attest to sound physical health, emotional stability, and personal integrity that will enable them to successfully complete the educational program and to comply with criteria for nursing licensure and adherence to American Association of Nurse Anesthetist's professional codes of conduct and practice. Applicants must affirm and attest that they are free of addiction to substances of abuse, are not restricted in their practice of nursing or under investigation by any Board of Nursing, and are willing to adhere to Drug Free Workplace policies and procedures of affiliate clinical training sites, to include submission to randomized drug testing and/or testing for cause and upon Program demand. 

The Post Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice with Specialization in Anesthesiology program meets the educational requirements to apply for professional Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) licensure and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) certification in the state of Florida. Barry University has not determined whether the degree program meets the educational requirements to apply for professional APRN licensure outside of Florida. Prospective students are urged to contact their state’s Board of Nursing agency for the most up-to-date information.