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 permissible to work clinically as an RN in quarters 1-5 in a PRN capacity, but it is highly discouraged. Each resident must meet progression standards and all scheduled program obligations.
• 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.
• 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 live interview conducted via Zoom on on-campus (applicant preference) with program administrators and/or admissions personnel.

• 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 a refresher course in Chemistry be completed if the time since last taking those has been greater than 5 years.  Courses without labs if available would suffice.
• A Physics course would be another option, if inclined.
• Refresher courses 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 resident federal financial aid is available for residents in our nurse anesthesia program.  The program website has links to dedicated graduate education financial aid specialists at South College.

Residents 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.  Residents 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 was granted initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) in November 2021. 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.