Nurse Anesthesia (MS)

General requirements for admission include a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average, a minimum score on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination of 300 (or a score of 1000 on the GRE prior to September 2011), completion of the university and Program supplemental application, current licensure as a Registered Nurse, a bachelor’s degree in nursing or a related field from an accredited university or college, submission of an essay describing the applicant’s career goals, professional resume and three letters of reference.

Competitive applicants will be interviewed and must demonstrate an acceptable understanding of the role and responsibilities of certified registered nurse anesthetists. Shadowing experience of CRNAs must be demonstrated. Selections are made on the basis of the formal interview and consideration of a variety of factors that include academic record, type and amount of clinical experience and professionalism.

Academic and Scientific Prerequisites

The admission requirements also include appropriate undergraduate course work in biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and statistics (or nursing research). A minimum of one year of experience in critical care nursing as a registered nurse is required. Licensure as an RN in California and current BCLS, ACLS and PALS certifications are required prior to enrollment. Conversational Spanish is strongly recommended.

Computer Skill Requirements

During the program, students must have a personal computer or notebook with Internet. The primary mode of program communication is email. Computer accounts are provided by the university to all students and can be activated online.

Advisement

Prospective students should contact the program’s admission office, (323) 442-2037 or uscnap@usc.edu for evaluation of previous course work and clinical background.

Admission

Admission procedures follow the information in the USC Graduate School section of this catalogue. Admission standards for the USC nurse anesthesia program are established jointly by the Keck School of Medicine, the USC Graduate School and the Department of Anesthesiology. Interested students should apply online at usc.edu/admission/graduate/apply. Additional admissions requirements and the supplemental application must be obtained from the nurse anesthesia program and can be requested through email at uscnap@usc.edu or accessed at keck.usc.edu/nurse-anesthesia.