Jefferson’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) - Nurse Anesthesia program, fully accredited through 2029, prepares nurses to provide anesthesia care during surgical and obstetrical procedures, and to provide pain relief in hospitals of all sizes.
Students in this integrated 36-month, nine-semester program take 85 credits. Its full-time curriculum integrates didactic coursework with over 2,000 hours of clinical practice hours, ensuring that students will administer more than 650 anesthetics to patients undergoing a wide variety of surgical and/or diagnostic procedures.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a practice doctorate designed to prepare professional nurses for scholarly practice as clinical and health systems experts who will lead and inspire health care improvement and reform.
- Focuses on leadership, systems thinking, reflective practice, health policy, implementation science and evidenced-based clinical practice
- Includes two practica that comprise the doctoral practice inquiry project and provide the opportunity for application of knowledge gained in all the courses
DNP Program Outcomes
- Participate in activities and self-reflection that foster personal and professional wellbeing and resilience, contribute to lifelong learning, and support the development of leadership. (Domain 1)
- Lead and integrate initiatives which drive person-and family-centered care that is culturally responsive, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate. (Domain 2)
- Appraise practice patterns and risk stratification to lead evidence-based initiatives that improve holistic care, collaborating in traditional and non-traditional partnerships for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes. (Domain 3)
- Design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate scholarly inquiries that incorporate evidence appraisal, research translation, and best practices to improve outcomes. (Domain 4)
- Design and lead quality and safety initiatives using established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science to mitigate risk of harm to patients and providers and optimize individual performance and system effectiveness. (Domain 5)
- Lead interprofessional teams to address complex needs of the individual, families, community and population through respectful and effective communication and shared decision making. (Domain 6)
- Analyze complex systems impacting the healthcare industry to generate strategic innovations that enhance value, access to care and cost-effectiveness. (Domain 7)
- Leverage information and communication technologies and informatics processes in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards, to analyze and compare quality metrics, impact clinical decision making, and develop knowledge to improve healthcare delivery. (Domain 8)
- Advance core values that promote professionalism, ethical standards, accountability, integrity, empathy, civility, and a spirit of mentorship into one’s advanced nursing specialty practice/role. (Domain 9)
- Advocate for reflective practices that advance the health and well-being of self and colleagues through engagement in initiatives that support personal health, resilience, life-long learning, and leadership development. (Domain 10)
Curriculum
Our innovative curriculum provides students the opportunity to develop clinical practice skills in one of the most prominent healthcare systems in the country. The coursework below is listed by year and semester; students who entered the program as of fall 2023 can review the Plan of Study for the Class of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Students who entered as of fall 2023 should review the Plan of Study for the Class of 2026.
Plans of Study
Year 1
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 718.7 Introduction to DNP Studies and the Scholarly Project | 1 |
| NU 560.7 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NU 603.7 Research for Advanced Practice Nursing I | 3 |
| NU 717.7 Health and Social Policy | 3 |
| NU 724.7 Chemistry and Physics Related to Anesthesia | 2 |
| NU 673.7 Comprehensive Assessment for Clinical Decision-Making | 3 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 570.7 Pathophysiology of Human Disease/Pathologic Aspects of Disease | 3 |
| NU 700.7 Pharmacokinetics and Dynamics of Anesthesia Agents | 3 |
| NU 748.7 Basic Principles of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 750. 7 Orientation to Clinical Practice | NC |
| NU 605.7 Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse | 3 |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 751.7 Clinical Practice I | 3 |
| NU 758.7 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 775.7 Pathologic Aspects of Disease II | 3 |
| NU 715.7 Leading Strategic Change in an Era of Healthcare Transformation | 3 |
Year 2
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 704.7 Philosophy, Foundations, and Methods for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NU 714.7 Healthcare Systems Safety, Quality, and Improvement Science | 3 |
| NU 752.7 Clinical Practice II | 3 |
| NU 768.7 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 702.7 Practice Inquiry: Designs, Methods, and Analyses | 3 |
| NU 753.7 Clinical Practice III | 3 |
| NU 716.7 Perspectives in Community Engagement and Population Health | 3 |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 713.7 Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Trends and Opportunities | 3 |
| NU 754.7 Clinical Practice IV | 3 |
Year 3
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 755.7 Clinical Practice V | 3 |
| NU 778.7 Crisis Management and Clinical Correlation in Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 719.7 DNP Scholarly Project Seminar I | 4 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 756.7 Clinical Practice VI | 3 |
| NU 720.7 DNP Scholarly Project Seminar II | 3 |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 757.7 Clinical Practice VII | 3 |
| Program Total Credits | 85 |
Year 1
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 560.7 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NU 603.7 Research for Advanced Practice Nursing I | 3 |
| NU 673.7 Comprehensive Assessment for Clinical Decision-Making | 3 |
| NU 709 Current Issues in Health & Social Policy: Planning, Participating, and Policymaking (40 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 724 Chemistry & Physics Related to Anesthesia | 2 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 703 Theoretical Foundations for Organizational Change in Healthcare Systems (40 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 570.7 Pathophysiology of Human Disease | 3 |
| NU 748 Basic Principles of Anesthesia and Advanced Health | 3 |
| NU 700 Pharmacokinetics & Dynamics of Anesthesia Agents | 3 |
| NU 750 Orientation to Clinical Practice | NC |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 775 Pathologic Aspects of Disease II | 3 |
| NU 758 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 751 Clinical Practice I | 3 |
| NU 701 Scientific Underpinnings for Nursing Practice (40 Hours) | 3 |
Year 2
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 768 Advanced Principle of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 752 Clinical Practice II | 3 |
| NU 704 Philosophy, Foundations and Methods for Evidence-Based Practice (40 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 706 Quality Measurement & Outcomes Analysis in Healthcare (40 Hours) | 3 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 708 Clinical Prevention and Popluation Health for Improving the Nation's Health (40 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 753 Clinical Practice III | 3 |
| NU 605.7 Role of Advanced Practice Nurse | 3 |
| NU 702 Practice Inquiry: Designs, Methods, and Analysis (40 Hours) | 3 |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 754 Clinical Practice IV | 3 |
| NU 707 Leadership & Interprofessional Collaboration (40 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 710 Practicum I (60 hours) | 3 |
Year 3
| Fall Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 755 Clinical Practice VI | 3 |
| NU 711 Practicum II (60 Hours) | 3 |
| NU 778 Crisis Management and Clinical Correlation in Anesthesia | 3 |
| Spring Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 756 Clinical Practice VI | 3 |
| NU 705 Advanced Topics in Health Information | 3 |
| NU 712 Practicum III | 3 |
| Summer Semester | Credits |
|---|---|
| NU 757 Clinical Practice VII | 3 |
| Program Total Credits | 92 |
DNP Nurse Anesthesia Accreditation
- Accredited by:
Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
10275 W. Higgens Road, Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
224-275-9130
www.coacrna.org - Accreditation status: Continued Accreditation 2029
- Specific academic program covered by the accreditation status:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (Entry Level)
Tuition & Fees
| Tuition 2025-2026 | General Fee | IT Fee* | Library Fee* | Dept. Fee* |
| $54,244 | $0 | $638 | $459 | $1,054 |
Program Performance Data
|
Graduate Year |
Cohort |
Employment Rate |
NCE First-Time |
NCE Second-Time |
Overall NCE Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3.9% | 96% | 56% | 83% | 100% |
| 2020 | 12% | 96% | 70% | 82% | 100% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | 96% | 72% | 96% | 100% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | 100% | 88% | 96% | 100% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | 100% | 83.3% | 91.7% | 100% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | 100% | 91.7% | 95.7% | 100% |
Locations
Center City
Thomas Jefferson University – Center City Campus, in the heart of Philadelphia, is home to the Colleges of Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Population Health, Life Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and Sidney Kimmel Medical College. This campus is where doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, researchers, students, leaders and healers work together every day to improve lives.
Montgomery Location*
As the College of Nursing's offerings grow, our Montgomery County location will be located within Jefferson’s Nicholas & Athena Karabots Medical Building:
1330 Powell Street, Suite 608
Norristown, PA 19401
This future-focused academic space houses a 40’x 30’ main classroom with state-of-the-art teaching facilities including classroom, faculty and administrative offices as well as a simulation center.
*As of spring 2025, status of programs at our Montgomery County location is "Pending Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) approval.
