Washington, D.C. Annual Outcomes Report

Anesthesiologist Assistant Certification Exam Results

Second-year students in their last semester at the Washington, D.C. location apply for initial certification from the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants, or NCCAA. The majority of CWRU MSA students sit for the certifying exam in February of each year. Students sit for certification prior to graduation, meaning CWRU MSA students are applying for certification prior to formally completing their program of study.

The program believes sitting for the exam in February gives our students a competitive edge on the job market over peers from other anesthesiologist assistant programs. The first attempt pass rates noted below are an illustration of our students preparedness and the excellence of our curriculum.

Students who may not pass on their first attempt have the opportunity to sit for the exam again in June of the same year, and the benefit of continued education in the classroom and operating room. The program works with these individuals to review their results, identify areas of improvement, and support strong study habits. The cumulative pass rates illustrate the certification success rate of our students at the time of graduation.

Each August, the program publishes the number of students who graduated, the number who passed the exam, and the number who failed. Numbers are reported for both the first attempt and the cumulative rates. The following table shows the Washington location NCCAA exam outcomes since 2014.

Year of Graduation Examinees First Attempt Pass First Attempt Fail Cumulative Pass Cumulative Fail
2023 24 22 2 23 1
2022 26 24 2 26 0
2021 22 21 1 22 0
2020 25 23 2 25 0
2019 21 21 0 21 0
2018 18 17 1 18 0
2017 21 21 0 21 0
2016 18 17 1 18 0
2015 17 17 0 17 0
2014 16 16 0 16 0
Total 208 199 9 207 1
Rates   95.67% 4.33% 99.52% 0.48%

Washington Student Attrition

Attrition refers to the percentage of students in Washington who enrolled but voluntarily withdrew or were separated from the program. The program publishes these numbers each August.

Withdrawal and separation are taken seriously by the MSA Program. In the event a student is considering withdrawing, they are asked to meet with the program director. Each situation is different, and the program strives to accommodate the student whenever possible.

The following table shows the Washington location student attrition rates since 2014.

Year of Graduation  Initial Enrollment Voluntary Withdrawal Separated Other
2023 29 4 0 21
2022 29 3 0 0
2021 26 3 1 0
2020 26 1 0 0
2019 21 0 0 0
2018 22 4 0 0
2017 23 2 0 0
2016 18 0 0 0
2015 18 1 0 0
2014 16 0 0 0
Total 228 18 1 2
Rates   7.89% 0.44% 0.88%

Washington Employment Rates

At the time of commencement, the MSA Program requests employment information from all graduates. The program publishes these numbers within six months of graduation.

The following table shows the Washington location employment rates since 2014.

Year of Graduation  Graduated Employed Seeking Work
2023 24 23 1
2022 26 26 0
2021 22 22 0
2020 25 25 0
2019 21 21 0
2018 18 18 0
2017 21 21 0
2016 18 18 0
2015 17 17 0
2014 16 16 0
Total 208 207 1
Rates   99.52% 0.48%

For an overview of the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program's graduate outcomes, click here.

Review outcomes for our Cleveland location here, Houston location here or Austin location here.


1 Two students took a leave of absence and joined another cohort.