Q. What do you accept for "Critical Care Experience"?
A.
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
- Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
- Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)
The purpose of this requirement is for the applicant to have experience caring for critically ill patients with multi-system involvement. Students must have independent decision-making skills, be capable of using and interpreting advanced monitoring techniques, and have knowledge of physiological and pharmacological principles. Emergency Room experience is not considered "critical care" due to the relatively short duration of individual patient care, although it is considered helpful in forming a well-rounded practitioner. All nursing experience is valuable. A minimum of one-year full-time critical care experience is required, two or more years is preferred.
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Q. I have my Bachelor's degree in an area other than nursing. Can I apply for admission to the program?
A.
No. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. As our program leads to a Master of Science Degree in Nursing, all applicants must have a Bachelor's degree in the area of nursing. If you are working on attaining your bachelor's degree and will have it completed before the start of the program (i.e. Fall semester), you may apply to the program prior to the deadline of October 1. If you are interested in learning more about the University of North Dakota RN-BSN program, visit the College of Nursing website.
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Q. How many applicants do you have each year?
A.
We receive between 80-90 applications to our program each year. As the job market remains very strong for CRNA’s, we anticipate receiving many applications for each new class of students.
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Q. Are all applicants invited for interviews?
A. No. Admission into our program is competitive. All submitted applications are reviewed by our admissions committee. All aspects of the application are thoroughly evaluated by the committee, including GPA, clinical experience, reference letters, and the personal statement. Interview offers are extended to those applicants the committee feels are most qualified.
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Q. What can I expect during the interview?
A. All interviews are conducted at the University of North Dakota College of Nursing. Interviews are usually held on the first Monday and Tuesday of November. Each interview is approximately 30 minutes, during which the interviewee will meet with several faculty members, clinical coordinators, and program faculty. Along with a description of the program, a lunch will also be provided to meet with some of the current students, to gain their perspective of the program.
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Q. How many students are admitted to the program each year?
A. We currently admit twelve (12) students per academic year to the program.
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Q. If I am admitted, can I start taking classes before the program actually begins?
A. Yes. Once you have been admitted into the program, you may take any of the College of Nursing (non-anesthesia) core courses listed for the first academic year. The program has a 24-month duration regardless of the number of courses taken early, but taking any of these early will lighten your workload during the academic phase. The program begins in late August and is completed late August, 24 months later.
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Q. How do I apply to the nurse anesthesia program?
A. The application for admission to the Graduate Nursing program can be accessed and submitted to the UND Graduate School at http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/ or find the link on our Admission & Application link above. Please note the application deadline is October 1st.
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Q. Who do I contact within the nurse anesthesia program for more information?
A.
Call us toll free at 1-800-CALL-UND (1-800-225-5863). Calls can be transferred to the nurse anesthesia program or you can call us directly by the calling the Program Director at 701-777-4509 or the Nursing Graduate Student Specialist at 701-777-4552.
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Q. How many letters of recommendation are required?
A. Three letters of recommendation are required for admission to the graduate school. At least one of these letters of recommendation should be from your current, direct supervisor.
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Q. Are there specific forms to use for recommendations?
A. Yes. Please find the recommendation forms on the Graduate School's Admission Forms web page where there is an electronic or pdf version. A written letter of reference may be used in place of or in addition to the specified form.
It is highly recommended that the electronic version is used. Applying by paper may delay your application processing.
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Q. How long is the program?
A. Twenty-four (24) months. The program begins in late august and finishes in late August 24 months later.
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Q. Will I have to travel during the program?
A. Yes. The first 9-10 months of the program are largely in the classroom on campus at the College of Nursing. The remaining 14-15 months of the program will require travel to other cities withing North Dakota and Minnesota for clinnical assignments.
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Q. How can I fullfill the College Algebra requirement?
A.
You can fullfill the requirement by taking College Algebra level or higher math course (pending course approval), or if you scored higher than a 26 on the math portion of the ACT exam you may be considered exempt from taking the course. The University also offers a math placement exam that may allow you to waive this requirement. Information on the math placement exam may be found at http://www.und.edu/dept/math//ptpinfo.html.
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Q. What about the Biochemisty requirement?
A. The completion of an upper division (300 level or higher) Biochemistry course at an accredited university or college is required prior to admission to the nurse anesthesia program. The course can be taken in the classroom or on-line. If you are interested in and on-line biochemistry course, we recommend the University of New England course. The on-line course offered through the University of New England in Maine is an excellent option available to applicants seeking a pre-requisite upper division biochemistry course. The focus of this 4-credit course is human medical biochemistry and the information provided fits well with pre-requisite knowledge required for admission to the Nurse Anesthesia Specialization. In addition, this course offers videotaped lectures, textbook readings, and assigned problems with online support. The website is http://distance.une.edu.
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College of Nursing
