Admission Requirements for the Nurse Anesthesia Track of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Bachelor’s Degree With a Major in Nursing

Present proof of earned baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program accredited by either the Accreditation Commission for Nursing in Education or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or equivalent degree from a comparable foreign institution.

Health Assessment Course

Provide evidence of an academic or an ANCC-COA continuing-education-approved health assessment course.

Basic Statistics Course

Applicants must have completed a course in basic statistics with a letter grade of “C” or better.

Grade-Point Average

Applicants must hold a GPA of 3.00 or above (on a 4-point scale) for admission. GPA will be calculated from the last cumulative 60 hours of nursing undergraduate coursework for applicants with BSN only, or from cumulative graduate coursework for applicants with a graduate degree in nursing. Additionally, a separate GPA measuring achievement in science courses (chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology) of greater than 3.25 is recommended.

Official Transcripts

An official transcript from every institution previously attended or currently attending must be to NursingCAS.

Registered Nurse License

Provide evidence of an unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or an advanced practice registered nurse in the United States or its territories or protectorates. Applicants will be required to submit a registered nurse license from the state in which they are currently working. Once applicants are accepted into the NAP, they must maintain an active Arkansas or compact state license.

Residency Status

Residents from other states who apply, are accepted and attend UAMS may be financially impacted based on residency status. The following policies on residency will apply:

• UAMS Residency Policy — Standards and Processes for Determining Student Residency Status can be found in UAMS Policies & Procedures. Search by title.
• Change in Residency Status — Application for Change in Residency Status form can be found in UAMS Policies & Procedures. Search by title.
• Residency Status of Native Americans — Native American people in other states belonging to tribes which formerly lived in Arkansas before relocation and whose names are on the rolls in tribal headquarters, shall be classified as in-state students of Arkansas for tuition and fee purposes on all campuses of the University of Arkansas. Tribes so identified include the Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Osage, and Quapaw. Non-Resident Tuition for Native Americans Residency Exception can be found in UAMS Policies & Procedures. Search by title.
• Residence status of Military — Active Military Non-Residency Exception can be found in UAMS Policies & Procedures. Search by title. Employment and Spouse/Dependent In-State Residency Exception for Tuition and Fee Purposes can be found in UAMS Policies & Procedures. Search by title.

Minimum Registered Nurse Employment

A minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience is strongly recommended prior to application. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing requires a minimum of 2,000 verified experience hours as a registered nurse prior to the application process for advanced-practice licensure. The College of Nursing requires a minimum of 2,000 verified registered nurse experience hours prior to enrollment in the Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning theory and practicum courses (NURS 53052 [formerly NURS 5305] and NURS 53061 [formerly NURS 5306]).

Critical Care Experience

• A minimum of one year of full-time critical care experience, or its part-time equivalent, is an accreditation requirement for admission to all nurse anesthesia programs. We evaluate each applicant on an individual basis to determine the quality as well as quantity of critical care skill experience. While the one-year minimum is recommended by our accrediting body, we have found that successful graduates of our program will typically have had three to five years of critical care experience.
• A minimum of one year of professional nursing experience in critical care (adult, pediatric, or neonatal) is required within two years prior to application to the nurse anesthesia specialty. Additionally, the applicant must show development as an independent decision-maker capable of using and interpreting advanced monitoring techniques based on knowledge of physiological and pharmacological principles.
• Applicants must show proof of 2000 hours of work experience as an RN before registering for any practicum course. The Verification of Employment Form found on the College of Nursing website must be completed and notarized.

2000 Hours of Work Experience–Required only if an offer of admission is made.

Applicants must show proof of 2,000 hours of work experience as a registered nurse before registering for any practicum course. The Verification of Employment Form found on the UAMS College of Nursing website must be completed and notarized.

Life Support Certifications

Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Basic Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support certifications are required at time of application and must be maintained throughout the program.

CCRN Certification

CCRN certification is highly recommended.

Two letters of recommendation are required from persons with knowledge of the applicant’s work performance and experience.

Referees must address the applicant’s ability to successfully complete a doctoral program and can speak to the applicant’s academic potential, clinical skills, knowledge, and involvement in leadership or professional activities.

Recommendations from the applicant’s most recent supervisor as one of the referees are preferred.

Reference names and email contact information must be provided as part of the application.

An email will then be sent directly to each referee with information and instructions for completion and return of references.

Applicants who meet academic, licensure, nursing experience, and certification qualifications may be invited for on-campus or virtual interview and essay completion. Generally, two to three times the number of applicants for the available spaces in the nurse anesthesia specialty will be invited for the on-campus assessments.

Professional Goals Statement

The purpose of this statement is to provide the nurse anesthesia faculty further insight into the professional goals, motivation, and expectations of the applicant and to evaluate written communication skills. This statement is to be submitted with the application.

Additional Written Responses

Applicants may be asked to provide written responses to a series of questions during their on-campus interview session as a part of the admission process.

Interview

Applicants meeting admission criteria and selected for further admission consideration must participate in an interview for the purpose of evaluating communication and decision-making skills, educational goals and current leadership, scholarship, practice roles and activities. The interview will be in-person, face-to-face unless extraordinary circumstances warrant other arrangements. The director of the Nurse Anesthesia Track is charged with the responsibility for making decisions related to “extraordinary circumstances.”

The CIA official language field listing is used to determine whether the TOEFL exam is required for international applicants who declare English as their first language. If English is listed as the official language of their country of birth on the CIA listing, the student will not be required to complete the TOEFL exam as an admission requirement. If the applicant was not born in the United States or in a country where English is the official language, the applicant may document their English proficiency in one of two ways:

• An official TOEFL score of at least 550 or above on the paper-based exam, or 213 or above on computer-based exam, or a minimum score of 20 in each section of the iBT is required. The test must have been taken within the last two (2) calendar years of admission. Official TOEFL exam score report reflecting successful completion must be received no later than one (1) month past the application deadline date. Only TOEFL test scores received directly from ETS will be accepted as valid. Testing information is available at http://ets.org.
• If the applicant’s entire educational experience has been in the United States, the applicant does not have to take the TOEFL. To document this, the applicant must provide records / transcripts from the time that the applicant entered school in the seventh grade through high school, and college. If the applicant cannot provide this documentation, the applicant may appeal first to the College of Nursing Admissions and Progression Committee, and then to the dean of the UAMS College of Nursing.

Evaluation of Foreign Transcripts

If the degree was earned outside of the United States, the applicant must have all international transcripts evaluated by a credentialing entity that is a member of The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (e.g., World Education Services or Educational Credential Evaluators). The evaluation must include proof of the equivalency of a United States degree and an equivalent GPA that is based on a 4.0 grading system.

Previous Graduate Nursing School Experience

Applicants who have attended a previous graduate nursing school or another health-related profession school must have a letter submitted from that school that includes a statement regarding the student’s standing at the previous school. Applicants who have been previously dismissed from a program or who are not in good standing will not be considered for admission. Admission will not be considered for anyone who earned an incomplete (I), non-complete (NC), or C in any two graduate nursing courses; or a D, F, or withdrew with a failing grade (WD or WF) in any graduate nursing course.

The Nurse Anesthesia Track of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program accepts applicants for fall enrollment only.

Applicants must complete BOTH NursingCAS and OAA supplement applications.

For the Nurse Anesthesia Program FAQ, click here.