Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (Post Baccalaureate)

Angela Ciuca, PhD-c, DNAP, CRNA, Division Director

The MUSC College of Health Professions Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Program (DNAP) is dedicated to producing competent, compassionate, and knowledgeable Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) who will meet the health care needs of society through clinical practice, education, and research.

Students are educated in all facets of nurse anesthesia practice throughout the perioperative period. The first 18 months are primarily simulation and didactic instruction that supports the students’ acquisition of basic and advanced anesthesia skills necessary for the safe administration of anesthesia. Students practice clinical skills using high-fidelity simulation. During the next 18 months, students are immersed in the clinical area where they administer anesthesia to all types of patients and in all types of practice settings. Students are evaluated on their ability to integrate didactic knowledge with clinical practice, demonstrate critical thinking skills, and provide appropriate interventions in patient management. The development and implementation of a scholarly project as well as courses in leadership, business, and health care policy are incorporated throughout the curriculum. Students are expected to demonstrate professional advocacy through attendance at state and national meetings.

Through our variety of clinical sites, DNAP students have opportunities to administer anesthesia to complicated pediatric and adult patients in a large teaching hospital and to patients of all ages in community hospitals and rural independent CRNA practices. Students obtain extensive hands-on clinical experiences in administering all types of regional anesthesia utilizing the latest in ultrasound technology. Students are instructed on the current use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to diagnose and manage perioperative patients.

The DNAP program offers a diverse selection of course work from managing change in healthcare to crisis simulation in anesthesia.

The objectives of the post-baccalaureate DNAP program are to:

  • Expand the clinical education of students who will become CRNAs with the addition of increased clinical education hours, instruction in advanced technology, and high-fidelity crisis simulation.
  • Prepare CRNAs to provide a clinical practice that is founded on the basis of evidence, research, and outcomes.
  • Produce CRNAs who have the education and skills to assume leadership roles in healthcare.

Accreditation

The Medical University of South Carolina Anesthesia for Nurses Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), 222 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068; (847) 655-1160. The program's next review by the COA is scheduled for May 2030. Additional information regarding the COA can be found at https://www.coacrna.org/Pages/default.aspx.

Logo for the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)

Contact Us: 843-792-3326

Admissions

Learn more about the admission steps and requirements for the program.

Curriculum

Year 1, Summer

AFN 820 Information Systems 3
AFN 823 Research Methods for Nurse Anest 3
AFN 815 Prof Issues Seminar 1
AFN 817 Chemistry and Physics of Anest 2
AFN 811 Princ of Evidence-Based Prac 3
Semester Total 12

Year 1, Fall

AFN 819 Human Anatomy for Nurse Anes 5
AFN 821 Adv Health and Phys Assessment 3
AFN 800 DNAP Seminar I 2
AFN 825 Adv Physiology and Pathophys 5
Semester Total 15

Year 1, Spring

AFN 871 Managing Change in Healthcare 3
AFN 826 Anesthesia Principles I 3
AFN 831 Clinical Simulation I 2
AFN 802 DNAP Seminar II 2
AFN 861 Foundations in Leadership 3
AFN 835 Adv Pharmacology I 3
Semester Total 16

Year 2, Summer

AFN 809 Mgmt Prin for Nurse Anes Prac 3
AFN 832 Clinical Simulation II 2
AFN 836 Advanced Pharmacology II 4
AFN 828 Anesthesia Principles II 5
Semester Total 14

Year 2, Fall

AFN 830 Anesthesia Principles III 3
AFN 841 Anesthesia Practicum I 5
AFN 803 DNAP Seminar III 2
AFN 833 Clinical Simulation III 1
Semester Total 11

Year 2, Spring

AFN 842 Anesthesia Practicum II 10
AFN 806 Foundations in HC Policy 3
Semester Total 13

Year 3, Summer

AFN 843 Anesthesia Practicum III 10
AFN 805 Teaching and Learning 2
Semester Total 12

Year 3, Fall

AFN 844 Anesthesia Practicum IV 10
AFN 807 Principles of Pain Management 2
AFN 813 Clin Sim in Crisis Management 1
Semester Total 13

Year 3, Spring

AFN 845 Anesthesia Practicum V 10
AFN 804 DNAP Seminar IV 2
Semester Total 12
Curriculum Total 118

Detailed information on clinical sites can be found on the Anesthesia for Nurses page.