BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Anesthesia
October 16, 2026
August 24, 2027
Your journey to becoming a CRNA starts here
The Ohio State University’s online BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program allows nurses with critical care experience to advance their skills and career toward becoming Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA). In this 36-month program offered by The Ohio State University College of Nursing, students will train in Ohio State’s Clinical Skills Education and Assessment Center, learning how to provide the best care to patients in any setting where anesthesia is provided.
Graduates will be well-positioned to provide skilled anesthesia in both academic healthcare settings and medically underserved rural areas.
Program format and curriculum
The Nurse Anesthesia program combines online didactic delivery with in-person skills sessions and simulation seminars. On campus experiential learning is pre-scheduled throughout the entire curriculum so that students can plan ahead. Students will be required to travel to campus for intermittent skills and simulation intensives during their first year and intermittent simulation days for clinical courses each semester in years 2 and 3. Students are required to complete 2,000 clinical hours during their program, and all clinical sites are currently in Ohio.
What makes our program stand out?
The College of Nursing’s state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Education and Assessment Center (CSEAC) provides an as realistic as possible perioperative environment for students, who are then able to start learning the flow of an anesthetic setting before walking into it for the first time. Students can continue to practice in a low stakes environment and all evidence suggests that simulated experiences save lives, build confidence, and improve competence. The lab is also multidisciplinary, which provides a particularly unique experience for students learning at Ohio State.
Secondly, our program stands out by emphasizing a commitment to exposing students to the excellent anesthesia care in rural Ohio, beyond the reach of large metropolitan centers. Health equity is woven throughout our curriculum as a core principle and every student will complete a clinical rotation in a rural setting. We’re also dedicated to recruiting students from rural backgrounds who aspire to return and make a difference in their communities after graduation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, intermittent in-person seminars, skills sessions, and simulations will occur on campus throughout the program. During years 2 and 3 of the program, in-person clinical experiences are required at clinical sites throughout Ohio.
No. The program leads directly to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, which is the required entry-to-practice degree for nurse anesthetists.
Applicants of the online BSN to DNP – Nurse Anesthesia program must have an active RN license, a BSN or MSN degree, and a minimum of 1-year full-time work experience as a registered nurse in a critical care setting. Explore the Admission Criteria tab on this page for more details.
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Academic Calendar
Ohio State’s online BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program admits students once-per-year for the Autumn semester.
Academic Calendar
Ohio State’s online BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program admits students once-per-year for the Autumn semester.
Admission Criteria
Applications to this online Nurse Anesthesia program will be reviewed using a holistic approach, meaning all aspects of who you are as an applicant will be considered. This assessment will include academic preparedness and formative experiences in your professional background, education and life. Applicants for the online BSN to DNP – Nurse Anesthesia program must have the following:
Applicants must have a completed Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a Master of Science in Nursing. Nursing degrees must be from an institution with a nursing education program accredited through the CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA. If you are currently working toward earning your degree, you must receive the required nursing degree by August 1 prior to beginning enrollment in this online BSN to DNP program.
You must have an active, unencumbered license as a registered nurse in the state where you practice.
GPAs are reviewed by Ohio State’s Graduate and Professional Admissions Office. Applicants whose GPAs fall below 3.0, but show academic growth improvement, may still apply and be considered for admission. For more information on the holistic approach in which we review applicants, scroll to the Who We Are Looking For section.
This work experience must be recent (within two years) and the part-time equivalent of one year of experience will also suffice.
Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g. pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical units may include but are not limited to: surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology (COA, 2021, p. 36).
Applicants must complete a college-level statistics prerequisite course before the posted application deadline, with a grade of B- or higher. Courses that are in progress at the time of the deadline do not meet this requirement, and applicants in this situation will not be considered for admission. The course must have been completed within five years of the application deadline. Credit by examination (such as AP test scores) is not accepted towards the prerequisite requirement. The prereq course should include a review of basic statistical concepts, univariate statistical analysis, bivariate statistical analysis and commonly used statistical tests.
For prerequisite coursework taken at another institution, please visit the Transferology website to see if the courses that you have taken or plan to take at another institution qualify. If you are unable to find results through these tools, then an evaluation of the courses will need to be done by the Office of Graduate & Professional Admissions.
The following Ohio State courses fulfill the prerequisite requirement:
- PSYCH 2220 Data Analysis in Psychology
- PSYCH 3321 Quantitative and Statistical Methods
- PUBHIBO 6210 Applied Biostatistics I
- STATISTICS 1350 Elementary Statistics
- STATISTICS 1450 Introduction to the Practice of Statistics
- STATISTICS 2450 Introduction to Statistical Analysis
To apply, applicants must reside in an authorized state. Please scroll to the State Authorization section of this page for more details.
Who We Are Looking For
Your application will be reviewed using a holistic approach, meaning all aspects of who you are as an applicant will be considered. This assessment will include academic preparedness and formative experiences in your professional background, education and life. We are also looking for candidates that demonstrate a preferred set of attributes, experiences and strengths described in the following list. This list is not all encompassing, but is meant to help guide you in what you may wish to highlight in your written application materials and in your recorded online video interview:
- Clear understanding of the role of a DNP, your goals for the future and an alignment between the two
- Clear understanding of the specialty track to which you are applying
- Experience with evidence-based practice (EBP), quality improvement, research, innovation and scholarship (including publications, presentations or posters)
- Any experience with the relevant populations of your chosen specialty
- Demonstration of leadership, interprofessional collaboration and teamwork
- Evidence of resiliency, the ability to overcome obstacles, to think critically and evidence of growth
- Community engagement, local to global, and a diversity of thought, perspective and experience
- Written and oral communication skills, organization of ideas, emotional intelligence
- Personal attributes such as humility, professionalism, compassion, etc.
- Overall commitment to nursing
How to Apply
Students must complete the following steps outlined below by the application deadline. Most applicants may review the status of their application any time at appstatus.osu.edu. Failure to complete all required steps of this application process by 11:59 pm ET on the day of the posted deadline will result in your application not being considered for admission, with no exceptions.
You can complete an application online for the next available Autumn cohort at The Ohio State University Graduate and Professional Admissions office’s website. A non-refundable $60 application fee is required at the time of submission of the application.
Applicants must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have previously attended at either the undergraduate or graduate level. This includes transcripts for any post-secondary courses taken during high school or coursework that appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Transcripts from The Ohio State University do not need to be submitted. Transcripts should be submitted directly by the sending institution by mail or electronic transfer to be considered official. Please request your transcripts be sent early so they arrive before the deadline. Transcripts can be sent to gpadocs@osu.edu or the following address:
The Ohio State University
Graduate Admissions Office
P.O. Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004
Unofficial transcripts: Applicants may upload a copy of an official transcript at the time of application through the Admissions Uploader. Documents submitted in this manner are considered unofficial but will suffice for the application. Web-based documents, online grade reports, and related materials are not acceptable. If an applicant is admitted, they will be required to supply official transcripts.
For more details regarding these methods of submitting transcripts, please visit The Ohio State University Graduate and Professional Admissions office’s website.
Your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) should be in a similar format to what you would use for a job application. You should include your previous education, professional experiences and any community service, volunteer activities, publications, research and leadership experiences on your resume or CV. You may submit this document at the time of application or after by way of the Admissions Uploader.
Please upload a purpose and goals statement, including a narrative of your professional experience, career goals and match to the goals of DNP education. In this statement, applicants should address the following:
- What advanced practice specialty are you selecting and why? Please include rationale for selecting the specialty and how becoming advanced practice certified in the chosen specialty will assist you in achieving your professional and educational goals.
- What specifically are your academic and career goals for which the DNP program will prepare you best?
- How have your life experiences prepared you for being a doctoral-prepared nurse?
- Why are you seeking education in the DNP program at this time in your career?
The statement should address each of the above questions and will act as a demonstration of your writing skills to the program faculty. The response is not to exceed three single-spaced pages. Consideration will be given to both the quality of your writing and the congruence between the stated goals and those of the program. You may submit this document at the time of application or after by way of the Admissions Uploader.
You are required to complete a recorded online video interview through an online portal called HireVue, during which you will be recorded answering a brief selection of questions regarding your interests and goals in nursing and the DNP program. This interview can be completed at any time during the application window. However, we ask that you do so only after you have completed and submitted your application. Note: You must complete the recorded online video interview before the application deadline. For further details, instructions, and links to the online portal go to the interview.
During the application you will be asked to provide the names and email addresses of three (3) recommenders. Once the application is submitted, an email will be automatically generated and sent to your recommenders with a link and further instruction on how to submit their letters of recommendation. We encourage you to submit your application far in advance of the deadline so that your recommenders have ample time to upload their letters.
Letters of recommendation should be submitted from individuals who are familiar with your academic ability, professional experience and potential to succeed in the highest level of nursing practice. We suggest providing your recommenders with information on the degree and specialty to which you are applying and with a copy of your purpose and goals statement. Ask that they address your potential for success in a rigorous graduate program and what attributes and experiences they feel will allow you to excel as an advanced practice nurse in your chosen specialty. Finally, make them aware of the submission process and the application deadline by which they must submit their letters.
Details regarding what English Proficiency tests are acceptable, the scores required, and how to submit scores may be found on The Ohio State University Graduate and Professional Admissions office’s website.
If you are currently or have been previously enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program at The Ohio State University for any length of time, you would be considered a Graduate Intra-University Transfer Student. Be sure to choose the appropriate application for “current or former” Ohio State students after following the Apply link found here. In addition to that online application, you must complete a Supplemental Application. This separate application must be submitted to the College of Nursing directly at CON-gradrecords@osu.edu.
Admission Timeline
All required materials listed above must be submitted by the posted application deadline to be considered for admission. Please allow up to five business days for the status of materials to be updated on your application status webpage.
You are not able to defer admittance. If you are unable to begin your studies in the term to which you applied, you will be required to reapply in the future.
The Ohio State University participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA).
SARA is a national initiative that increases student access to distance education courses and programs while maintaining compliance with state regulations. Institutions participating in SARA can offer educational opportunities in all 49 SARA member states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico without seeking individual approval in each state.
California is not a SARA member state, however, OSU may offer online courses and programs to students located in California under the California Private Post-Secondary Act of 2009.
The Application Process
Once you understand your program’s admission criteria, please note the application deadline. You’ll need a quiet space and a variety of materials for your application. To learn more, please see our Admissions page for the full process. Ready to Apply? Find your application here.
Career Outlook
While taking the next step in their nursing careers, students in Ohio State’s Nurse Anesthesia program will learn from and collaborate with world-class faculty and peers from across the country. Graduates of the BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia program are eligible to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and step into roles as Nurse Anesthetists.
Nurse Anesthetists are highly skilled, advanced practice registered nurses who provide anesthesia and pain management services across surgical, obstetric, and critical care settings. They assess patients, develop and implement anesthesia care plans, monitor vital functions throughout procedures, and ensure safe recovery. Their specialized graduate training equips them to deliver autonomous, high-stakes care as integral members of the surgical and clinical team.
Top Occupations by Median Income
What They Do
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient’s vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Work Activities
Manage patients’ airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation. Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques. Monitor patients’ responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
Wage Range
- Entry Level: $137,230
- Mid Level: $223,210
- Senior Level:
Job Outlook
Bright
Projected Growth
10.4%
Related Careers
- Anesthesiologist Assistants
- Anesthesiologists
- Critical Care Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Registered Nurses
Job Sectors
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Education and Training
National occupational information in Ohio State Online’s Career Outlook tool is sourced from O*NET Online and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median annual wage displayed to the right of each occupational title above is based on the BLS Employment Projections program. Outlook and percent change indicate projected growth or decline over the next 10 years.
Curriculum
While taking the next step in their nursing careers in this online nurse anesthesia program, students will learn from and collaborate with world-class faculty and peers from across the country. You will complete graduate core courses, DNP core courses, and anesthesia specialty track-specific courses as part of this program. Below is a curriculum sample for this track of Ohio State’s online BSN to DNP nurse anesthesia program.
Required clinical hours: As an accredited program by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, it is a requirement that students complete at least 2,000 clinical hours, comprised of at least 750 anesthetic cases during their 2 years of full-time clinical experience. These 2,000 hours will all be completed during the program.
On-campus requirements: The Nurse Anesthesia program combines online didactic delivery with in-person skills sessions and simulation seminars. Online students will be required to travel to campus for intermittent skills weeks during Intro to Clinical Anesthesia (Year 1, Summer Semester) and one simulator day per clinical course semester (Years 2 and 3). These experiential learning opportunities will be pre-scheduled so that students can make plans to travel to campus.
Courses and clinical sites: Courses will be taught synchronously online and can be taken from any state where the BSN to DNP program is currently authorized—the College of Nursing is an established and innovative national leader in distance education. Courses and credits will be front-loaded in the first two years of the program in order for students to have adequate focus for clinical experiences in the final half of the program. Students are required to complete 2,000 clinical hours during their program. New clinical sites are being evaluated and added all the time to meet the needs of our students and the program. All clinical sites are currently within the state of Ohio; students will work in more than one clinical site per semester to broaden experience and achieve the specialty case mix you will be required to complete. Please visit The College of Nursing’s website for more information on clinical sites, campus requirements, and program delivery format.
Year 1
NURSING 7450 – Pathophysiology of Altered Health States (4 credits)
NURSING 5115 – MINDSTRONG (1 credit)
NRSPRCT 8782 – Foundations of Evidence Based Practice (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8781 – Method/Measurement for the Evaluation for Evidence-Based Nursing (2 credits)
NURSING 7445 – Foundations of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 credits)
NURSING 7475 – Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice (4 credits)
NURSING 7410 – Advanced Health Assessment (4 credits)
NURSING 7470 – Advanced Pharmacology in Nursing (4 credits)
NURSING 7455.02 – Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice I (5 credits)
NURSING 7445 – Foundations of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (3 credits)
NURSING 7415 – Clinical Reasoning with Diagnostic Methods for Advanced Nursing Practice (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8480 – Evidence Based Quality Improvement for the DNP (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8786 – Implementation and Evaluation of Evidence Based Practice (2 credits)
NURSING 7455.02 – Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthesia Practice II (4 credits)
NURSING 7380 – Introduction to Clinical Anesthesia (2 credits)
Year 2
NRSPRCT 8406 – Leadership, Role, and Collaboration for the DNP (3 credits)
NRSPRCT 8500 – Nursing Policy for Doctoral Nursing Practice (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8890 – DNP Professional Seminar: Scholarly Writing I (1 credit)
NURSING 7381.01 – Advanced Principles for Nurse Anesthesia Practice I (4 credits)
NURSING 7382.01 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice I (5 credits)
NRSPRCT 8605 – Healthcare Economics and Finance for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8490 – Health Promotion, Theory, and Population Health (2 credits)
NURSING 7381.02 – Advanced Principles for Nurse Anesthesia Practice II (4 credits)
NURSING 7382.02 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice II (5 credits)
NRSPRCT 8610 – Health Informatics and Technology for the DNP (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8896 – DNP Systems Application I (2 credits- 1 didactic, 1 clinical)
NURSING 7382.03 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice III (5 credits)
Year 3
NRSPRCT 8890 – DNP Professional Seminar: Scholarly Writing II (1 credit)
NRSPRCT 8897 – DNP Systems Application II (2 credits)
NURSING 7382.04 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice IV (5 credits)
Variable credit 1 didactic/1-4 clinical
NRSPRCT 8998.01 – DNP Final Document Project I (1 credit)
NRSPRCT 8898.01 – DNP Systems Application III (2 credits)
NURSING 7382.05 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice V (5 credits)
NRSPRCT 8998.02 – DNP Final Document Project II (1 credit)
NRSPRCT 8898.02 – DNP Systems Application IV (2 credits)
NRSPRCT 8895 – Advanced Practice Nursing: Final Professional Seminar (1 credit)
NURSING 7382.06 – Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Practice VI (5 credits)
Program Faculty
While taking the next step in their nursing careers in this nurse anesthesia program, students will learn from experts in the nurse anesthesia field.
John Welch, DNP, MS, APRN-CRNA
Dr. John Welch has been with the Ohio State College of Nursing since January 2021, teaching in the DNP program and overseeing the design, accreditation and implementation of the Nurse Anesthesia track. He is also a senior nurse anesthetist in the Division of Cardiac Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Welch was the founding director of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Nurse Anesthesia Fellowship, one of the first in the nation.
Kathleen Piotrowski, DNP, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA
Associate Clinical Professor
Nancy Moriber, PhD, APRN-CRNA, FAANA
Associate Clinical Professor
Tina Dalzell, DNP, MSN, APRN-CRNA
Clinical Assistant Professor of Practice
Nate Sellers, DNP, APRN-CRNA
Lecturer
Randee Masciola, DNP, APRN-CNP, WHNP-BC, FAANP
DNP Program Director
Tuition Fee Overview
Investing in your future with a higher education degree is one of the best investments you can make for your future success. At Ohio State, we know understanding your program’s cost is an important part of your decision-making process. Below are the tuition fees you can expect with your program, which are estimates based on an 8-credit hour semester as a full-time student.
| Tuition Fees | Cost per credit hour | Full-Time – Total Cost Per Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Instructional Fee | $972.50 | $7,780.00 |
| General Fee | $32.63 | $261.00 |
| Program Fee | $156.20 | $1,250.00 |
| Specialty Program Fee | $5,000.00 (per semester) | $5,000.00 |
| Nursing Distance Learning Fee | $228.00 (per semester) | $228.00 |
| Distance Learning Fee | $100.00 (per semester) | $100.00 |
| Non-Resident Surcharge (if applicable) | $200.00 (per semester) | $200.00 |
| International Surcharge (if applicable) | $200.00 (per semester) | $200.00 |
Tuition fees are subject to change. The table above serves as a guide and not an official bursar’s bill. Full-Time costs are total tuition costs per semester.
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