Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Anesthesia Completion Program (DNAP)


The Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) completion program prepares the master’s-educated practicing CRNA for health care leadership in keeping with the standards and guidelines set forth by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). Designed to broaden student perspectives, the program encourages further development of the expanding role of the CRNA in the increasingly complex world of health care. Online courses and individual attention foster a flexible, innovative learning environment that supports, promotes and enhances administrative opportunities for CRNA doctoral graduates.

Independent Study

Doctorate-level education requires a high level of independent study. Students must be self-directed problem solvers and autonomous thinkers. They must be able to present ideas in an organized, logical sequence, and provide supporting rationale based on careful scientific investigation.

Distance Education

From across town or across the country, a DNAP completion degree can be earned in just a few years with minimal or no campus visits aside from a one-day program orientation. The online curriculum is facilitated through Blackboard, a communication interface enabling students to receive and submit assignments, participate in discussion boards, interact with live lectures, complete learning modules, access electronic reading material, watch prerecorded videos, take online examinations, and send email to the course instructor and/or students.

Orientation

Students accepted to the DNAP completion program are required to attend a mandatory program orientation on the UM-Flint campus. This one-day session takes place during the week prior to the start of Fall classes.

Dual Program DNAP/MBA

For the CRNA who is also considering a graduate-level business degree, the Anesthesia Practice/Business Administration (Dual DNAP/MBA) program allows students to earn an MBA in conjunction with the DNAP degree. This dual program allows up to 21 approved credits to apply to both programs of study.

 

Admission


Prerequisites

Doctoral education requires extensive independent study. Applicants should be self-directed, capable of discussing ideas in an organized, logical sequence, and able to present a rationale based on careful scientific investigation. To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

  • A master’s degree from a nurse anesthesia program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), or a baccalaureate degree or certificate from an anesthesia program accredited by the COA along with a master’s degree in a related field
  • Minimum overall master’s degree GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale
  • Current, unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse and CRNA in the United States
  • Current NBCRNA certification
  • Completion of a graduate-level research methods course with a grade of B (3.0) or better within three years of program enrollment (or if not, completed as a cognate requirement during the program)

Application


Program enrollment is limited. Admission is very competitive and highly selective. The Anesthesia Program Admissions Committee gives preference to applicants judged best qualified to successfully complete the curriculum.

Application Deadline:  May 1

Applications completed by May 1 will be considered for Fall admission by the Anesthesia Program Admissions Committee. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Students accepted to the program are required to attend a one-day mandatory orientation on the UM-Flint campus the week before Fall classes begin.

Applicants must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Programs:

  • Application for Graduate Admission
  • DNAP Completion Program Supplemental Application (https://www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms/dnap-completion-program-supplemental-application)
  • $55 Nonrefundable application fee
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • Copies of the following:
  • Valid, unrestricted Registered Nursing License
  • Valid, unrestricted CRNA (or ARPN if applicable) license or state specialty certification as appropriate for state of residence or employment
  • Current NBCRNA certification
  • Three letters of recommendation (electronic recommendation requests sent out as a part of the online application process), including one from a supervisor/employer who can speak to the applicant’s practice as a CRNA and one from an individual qualified to comment on the applicant’s academic abilities.

Out-of-State Applicants

Universities are required to comply with the distance education laws of individual states.  Out-of-state students seeking to enroll in an online program, should check the State Authorization for Online Students database for state reciprocity agreements.

International Applicants

International applicants must submit additional documentation.The International Center provides important application information, expense estimates and current scholarship opportunities.  

Transfer Students

Up to nine semester credit hours of previous graduate coursework may be transferred at the discretion of program administration and in accordance with the University’s transfer student policy. Transfer credit requests are initiated by submission of a petition to the Completion Program Coordinator.

Requirements


The program allows up to six consecutive years for program completion. Highly motivated individuals, however, can fulfill degree requirements in as few as two years. A time extension may be granted at the discretion of the program director in consultation with program faculty. The Prospective Student Guide provides examples of two- and three-year completion scenarios.  The DNAP degree is awarded after successful completion of 32 credit hours in three areas of study:  core courses, cognates, and the scholarly project sequence.  A grade of B (3.0) or better in each course.

A. Core Courses (16 credits)


Professional Role/Leadership (3 credits)


One from:

Healthcare Improvement, Public and Social Policy (3 credits)


One from:

Technology and Informatics (2 credits)


One from:

Ethics (2 credits)


B. Cognates (9 credits)


Cognates allow the student to follow an educational path into a healthcare specialty such as administration, higher education, information systems, advanced physiology/pathophysiology, or another approved area. In consultation with a faculty advisor, three 3-credit cognates are selected from areas related to the student’s scholarly project.

Students who have not earned a grade of B (3.0) or better in a graduate-level general research methods course within three years of program enrollment must successfully complete a methods-based graduate-level research course as one of the three required cognates. This course must be completed before beginning the scholarly project sequence and should correlate to the student’s scholarly project.  For example, a student conducting a survey would take a qualitative research methods course; a student developing an educational unit would take a teaching methodology course.

C. Scholarly Project (7 credits)


The program culminates with a three-course sequence encompassing scholarly project design, research and implementation, as well as dissemination and presentation of project results.  The scholarly project reflects acquisition of advanced knowledge in a core or elective area selected by the student.  The nature of the project is determined in consultation with a faculty advisor and is subject to approval of a scholarly project committee. For distance learners, the scholarly project process is easily managed via internet, email and telephone correspondence.

  • ANE 801 Scholarly Project I (3)
  • ANE 802 Scholarly Project II (2)
  • ANE 803 Scholarly Project III (2)