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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, D.C. location three year rolling average between 2022 - 2024.

RetentionPlacementNCCAA First Attempt Passing AverageNCCAA Cumulative Passing AverageGraduates
92.05%98.73%88.60%98.73%79

The following table shows the Washington location NCCAA exam outcomes since 2014.

Year of GraduationExamineesFirst Attempt PassFirst Attempt FailCumulative PassCumulative Fail
202529254272
202428244271
202324222231
202226242260
202122211220
202025232250
201921210210
201818171180
201721210210
201618171180
201517170170
201416160160
Total265248172614
Rates 93.58%6.42%98.49%1.51%

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 EnrollmentVoluntary WithdrawalSeparatedOther
202531200
20243121
2023294021
202229300
202126310
202026100
201921000
201822400
201723200
201618000
201518100
201416000
Total2902213
Rates 7.59%0.34%1.03%

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 GraduatedEmployedSeeking Work
202529281
202428271
202324231
202226260
202122220
202025250
201921210
201818180
201721210
201618180
201517170
201416160
Total2652623
Rates 98.87%1.13%

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.