FAQ

• Yes. Because our academic housing is within a school of nursing, it is necessary to hold a BSN
• It is necessary to hold an unencumbered RN license in the United States, it’s territories or protectorates
  • You must be eligible for RN licensure in states where your clinical rotations will be located.

Once a year: each year, classes start in early January (winter quarter – DNP NAP academic calendar)

There is no part-time option available for the nurse anesthesia program.

• No, this will NOT be required for the front-loaded didactic portion.
  • There will be mandatory travel required, to Knoxville, TN for on-campus intensive sessions intermittently throughout the program; this allows for face-to-face instruction in complex lecture topics, and skills lab or high fidelity simulation training.
• If you agree to be assigned to a clinical satellite location distant from where you reside, relocation will be required to start clinical study beginning in quarter 6.

• It is allowed to work clinically as a RN in quarters 1-5, but it is recommended that this is part-time, as little as possible.
• There is a “no outside work” policy once clinical rotations start, beginning in quarter 6.

• We will take applications on a rolling basis until each yearly cohort is filled, so there is not a solid admissions deadline.
• If you are a viable candidate at application but the yearly cohort is filled, a deferred admission into the following year’s cohort will be offered.
• Therefore, it is best to apply as soon as requirements for admission are met and available for upload.

• At this stage, there will be a face-to-face interview (or virtual as necessary) with program administrators and/or admissions personnel.
  • At this point, there are also required health screenings and background check.
  •  An admissions screening tool will be used for holistic, objective scoring of the entirety of an applicant’s submissions, skills, experience, scholastic ability and professional development.
  • If all the requirements are within program requirements, the applicant will be offered admission.
  • There is a non-refundable seat deposit to hold a spot in the program that will be applied to tuition and fees once the candidate becomes a student in the program at matriculation.

• Applicants list their clinical satellite placement preferences while working through the application on the NursingCAS, in order of preference, up to three locations.
• If there are more applicants than seats available in a preferred clinical satellite, the top-scoring applicants on our admissions screening tool will be offered the placement choice until the seats are filled.

• No specific coursework is listed as a required prerequisite, but it is suggested that refresher courses in Chemistry and Physics be completed if the time since last taking those has been greater than 5 years.  Courses without labs if available would suffice.
• A refresher in Anatomy & Physiology would be wise as well.
• This can often be done after acceptance but prior to matriculation. If you only have time for one, choose Chemistry.

We do not require the applicants to have taken the GRE.

Yes, but if your overall or science GPA(s) is/are below the minimum standard of 3.0, a letter of explanation and appeal may be addressed to the program administrators. Any such issue will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

No, but you must have all three certifications prior to starting the program if you are accepted.

Yes, the usual graduate student federal financial aid is available for students in our nurse anesthesia program.  The program website has links to dedicated graduate education financial aid specialists at South College.

Students can transfer up to three DNP core courses for credit, as long as the courses are not anesthesia-specific content, and are deemed equivalent in content and work.  Students must submit the course syllabi to the program administrators for faculty review of equivalency. Course title and number must correspond to official transcripts.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with Concentration in Nurse Anesthesia program is pending initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). Students may not be enrolled prior to the achievement of initial accreditation from the COA. The DNP degree program has been approved at South College by SACSCOC, the regional accreditor for the institution. The DNP with Concentration in Nurse Anesthesia program is approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.  Relevant Boards of Nursing approvals in clinical states will be pursued at the appropriate times according to the state’s rules and regulations.