The Nurse Anesthesia Program is committed to providing equal consideration to all applicants, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual preference, or physical or mental disability. Students are selected for admission competitively, based on their academic record, character and general fitness for the study of anesthesia nursing. 

Prerequisites for admission include:  

• Baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited program (NLNAC, CCNE, or regional accreditation)
• Satisfactory completion of a course in basic health assessment
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 in nursing and supporting course
• Satisfactory completion of undergraduate courses in statistics (including inferential) and chemistry (3 semester hours each)
• Satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (preferred) or the Miller Analogy Test within the past 5 years
• Current licensure as a registered nurse - (NC licensure required for matriculation)
• A minimum of one year (2,080 hours) of full-time experience within the 2 years prior to application in an intensive care or coronary care unit.  Clinical experience must be direct patient care which demonstrates independent decision-making (time in orientation or in managerial positions is not applicable).  Management of vasoactive infusions, invasive monitors, ventilator modalities, sedative and paralytic drugs and blood test interpretation are examples of experiences most applicable to nurse anesthesia study.
• Certification in BLS and ACLS

Following application, candidates' credentials are reviewed, with particular attention to the prerequisites above.  Candidates considered "most qualified" will be invited for a personal interview. Those not meeting the prerequisites above, or who have been denied admission following two interviews, may be declined an invitation to interview.  Due to limited space availability, even some who meet the above requirements may not be invited to interview if their qualifications are not among the most competitive.   

The Executive Committee of the Nurse Anesthesia Program and the Graduate School of UNCG review the credentials of each applicant.  Final selection is based upon many factors; no single criterion has a decisive influence on the applicant’s acceptability.  Selection of candidates for interview or program admission will also be based upon qualities of professionalism and communication with the program during the application and interview process.  Once accepted, the student must progress through the program in a sequential manner.  

UPDATE 2009

As we head into another interview season, we note that we continue to have a very strong applicant pool. Those candidates offered an interview have an average GPA of 3.6, GRE of 1100 (verbal + quantitative), ICU experience of 3 years, and RN experience of 3.9 years.  Those candidates accepted last year had an average GPA of 3.7, GRE of 1170 (verbal + quantitative), ICU experience of 2.5 years, and RN experience of 3.5 years.