Notes for deans, program administrators and faculty on starting, running and reviewing nurse anesthesia programs.
An institution that decides this fall to pursue a nurse anesthesia program will usually name a target: Fall 2028. It sounds generous. Two full years, plus a bit. Plenty of room.
If your institution is considering a nurse anesthesia program, someone has probably already told you it's a good idea.
A dip in first-time NBCRNA pass rates is one of the most stressful moments a nurse anesthesia program can face. It invites scrutiny from your institution, your accreditor, and prospective students.
There's a version of CRNA program staffing that institutions fall into without ever deciding on it. You post a faculty line written the way every other faculty line on campus is written. You get thin applications.
A COA site visit is not the time to discover gaps in your program's documentation, curriculum alignment, or outcome data.
Most conversations about starting a nurse anesthesia program begin with the cost of building one. That's the wrong first question. The more expensive number, almost always, is what it costs to start late.
