The School of Nursing offers a hybrid Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program in partnership with Allegheny School of Anesthesia. Requirements are fulfilled through online courses, face-to-face classroom learning, extensive laboratory practicums, and direct patient care experiences. This program is an integrated format, enabling you to, early on, apply what you are learning in the classroom to the clinical management of patients.

The Allegheny School of Anesthesia and its clinical sites are all accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

The three-year DNAP program is a partnership between three schools. Didactic and non-anesthesia courses are taught at Duquesne University via both the School of Nursing and Rangos School of Health Sciences. Anesthesia didactic courses are taught at Allegheny School of Anesthesia by faculty and clinical practicums are conducted at their sixteen COA-approved clinical sites.

As a graduate, you will be eligible for national certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). CRNAs work in traditional hospital surgical and delivery suites; critical access hospitals; ambulatory surgical centers; offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists; or in the military.

DNAP Outcomes

  • Demonstrate effective clinical judgment through the synthesis and interpretation of multiple data sources and the efficient use of multidisciplinary collaborative approaches
  • Function as a moral advocate for patients, families and communities, advancing their empowerment in complex situations
  • Model astute awareness of patient and family needs, anticipating their changing requirements and ensuring patient comfort and safety in all care planning
  • Actively seek opportunities to teach, mentor, facilitate the professional development of colleagues
  • Develop, integrate, and foster strategies to address issues within the system to enhance patient care services and outcomes
  • Integrate system-wide responses to health care diversity requirements among patients and staff
  • Develop creative educational programs for the system to address patient needs, staff development, and student achievement
  • Foster the exploration of new knowledge to address issues in the delivery of health care, especially nursing care
  • Advocate for culturally competent environments and systems of care
  • Sponsor and model ethical decision making in all aspects of practice with the self, patient, family, community,and health care delivery systems

DNAP Coursework

Duquesne University requires all DNAP students be in the Pittsburgh region to attend face-to-face classroom learning, extensive laboratory practicums and direct patient care experience. All science classes taught by the Rangos School of Health Sciences will occur on campus. Additionally, all sixteen of Allegheny School of Anesthesia's COA-approved clinical sites are within the Pittsburgh region.

Coursework

The DNAP Program is a three year program comprised of 92 credits (Schools issuing credits: Rangos School of Health Science = 15 credits; Allegheny School of Anesthesia = 23 credits; School of Nursing = 54 credits).

Please note that revisions to courses and coursework are ongoing.

Course #

Course Title

Credits

GPNA 800 Professional Aspects of Anesthesia Practice 3
GPNA 801 Basic Principles of Anesthesia I 3
GPNA 802 Basic Principles of Anesthesia II 3
GPNA 803 Basic Principles of Anesthesia III 3
GPNA 804 Clinical Practicum I 0
GPNA 805 Clinical Practicum II 0
GPNA 806 Clinical Practicum III 0
GPNA 807 Clinical Practicum IV 0
GPNA 808 Clinical Practicum V 0
GPNA 809 Clinical Practicum VI 0
GPNA 810 Clinical Practicum VII 0
GPNA 811 Clinical Practicum VIII 0
GPNA 812 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I 3
GPNA 813 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II 3
GPNA 814 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia III 3
GPNA 815 Seminar in Specialty Anesthesia Practice 2
GPNG 524 Evidence-Based Nursing Practice & Policy Development 3
GPNG 528 Physical Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice 3
GPNG 529 Advanced Pathophysiology 3
GPNG 530 Advanced Pharmacology I 3
GPNS 907 Health Care Policy & Finance 3
GPNS 933 Legal Environment for Nursing & Health Care 3
GPNS 937 Ethical Leadership in Complex Organizations 3
GPNS 954 Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice and Practice Improvement 3
GPNS 956 Nursing Informatics & Data Management 3
GPNS 957 Evidence-Based Practice I 3
GPNS 958 Evidence-Based Practice II 3
GPNS 959 Change Management & Project Analysis 3
GPNS 962 Advanced Pharmacology II 3
GPNS 963 Genetics & Genomics for the CRNA 2
GPNS 964 Anesthesia Role Preparation I 1
GPNS 966 Anesthesia Role Preparation III 2
GPNS 967 DNAP Practicum I 4
GPNS 968 DNAP Practicum II 4
HLTS 517 Anatomy I for the CRNA 2
HLTS 519 Anatomy II for the CRNA 4
HLTS 901 Integration of Biochemistry & Physics Into Clinical Practice 4
PHYA 556 Fundamentals of Surgery for the CRNA 3
PHYA 557 Diagnostic Test Interpretation for the CRNA 1
PHYA 903 Diagnostic & Therapeutic Imaging for the CRNA 1