Nurse Anesthetists are advanced practice nurses who administer all types of anesthetic for every kind of surgery or procedure. As expert clinicians, they focus on preoperative evaluation, intraoperative management, and postoperative anesthesia care.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) play a fundamental role in ensuring access to safe anesthesia care for patients.
How FPB prepares CRNAs
Clinical courses for Nurse Anesthesia DNP students at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing provide them with the opportunity to give direct patient care, participate in staff education programs, and identify clinical topics for research.
Students work one on one with a clinical preceptor with expertise in nurse anesthesia. They also take part in administering general and regional anesthesia in persons of all ages. The management of emergency operations, obstetrics, pediatrics, and neurosurgery are an integral part of the clinical experience. Graduates will be eligible to take the certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
The School of Nursing offers an accredited program for nurses at the Cleveland Clinic to obtain their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree alongside regular DNP students from Case Western Reserve University. All students go through the same courses, with the same expert faculty, and in the same clinical settings.
Basic program requirements
All applicants must have one or more years of recent critical care experience with specialty certification (i.e. CCRN). A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. In addition, one of the references in the application packet must be from a current nurse manager or assistant nurse manager.
See a sample curriculum plan for the DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program
Over 20 years of program accreditation
Since October 2000, the directors of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) have granted continued accreditation to both nurse anesthesia programs based at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Their decision recognizes both programs for providing graduate level curriculums leading to the award of a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, a Post Master's Certificate or a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP).
The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Program of Nurse Anesthesia, Case Western Reserve University was granted continued accreditation for 10 years and will be scheduled for its next consideration of continued accreditation in Spring 2030.
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation/Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University Nurse Anesthesia Program was granted continued accreditation for 10 years and will be scheduled for its next consideration of continued accreditation in Spring 2033.
| FPB Graduating Class (2023) | Five-Year Program Averages | FPB-CCF Graduating Class (2023 | Five-Year Program Averages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18% attrition rate | 6% attrition rate | 0% attrition rate | 2.4% attrition rate |
| 93% grads pass NCE on 1st attempt | 88% grads passing NCE on 1st attempt | 89% grads pass NEC on 1st attempt | 96.3% grads pass NEC on 1st attempt |
100% graduate employment rate across both programs
Learn more about our nurse anesthesia program accreditation.