Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Studies Bulletin 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Studies Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), DNP


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Accepting applications for Fall 2021. 

Michael Greco, Ph.D., D.N.P, CRNA, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Graduate Program Director, 516-463-7475

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Doctorate of Nursing Practice program prepares graduates to provide patient-centered quality care to adult and older adult population. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP applies evidence in practice to improve the quality of care and health outcomes. CRNA’s are anesthesia professionals who safely administer approximately 45 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) 2018 Member Profile Survey (AANA, 2018). CRNAs are advanced practice registered nurses who have been providing anesthesia care for over 150 years. They administer all types of anesthesia in all clinical settings and for all kinds of patients. CRNAs are healthcare professionals trained to deliver high quality, holistic, evidence-based anesthesia, and pain services. They are essential to ensuring that the surgical and obstetrical analgesia needs of patients are met.

National organizations have called for the doctorate of nursing practice to be the entry nursing degree in 2025. The practice-focused doctoral nursing degree prepares nurses to be leaders and prepares them to practice to the highest level (AACN, 2004). Over the past decade, since the AACN recommended a transition to the DNP as an entry-level to practice patients’ acute and chronic needs and the direction of nursing practice has increased in complexity (AACN, 2012). The change to move nursing education to the DNP level is a solution to the increased complexity of patient care, national concerns about quality care, patient safety, as well as the national shortage of doctorally prepared nursing faculty and the increased preparation of the other members of the healthcare team to the doctoral level (AACN, 2019).

Program Goals/Outcomes


  1. Prepare graduates to become competent certified registered nurse anesthetists who integrate critical analysis from the sciences and humanities, improving health outcomes.
  2. Provide a full spectrum of evidence-based anesthesia care throughout populations’ life span to optimize health outcomes.
  3. Apply and translate nurse anesthesia practice theories based on scientific knowledge and clinical expertise while integrating and improving clinical practice.
  4. Demonstrate behaviors that encourage respect for diversity, acknowledge human worth and dignity, impact the ethical, legal, and social factors of global health policy while accepting responsibility and accountability for one’s owns actions as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
  5. Apply technology and scientific health information to coordinate and deliver personalized healthcare across the lifespan.
  6. Demonstrate clinical scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice to improve professional nurse anesthesia practice and health outcomes.
  7. Collaborate effectively as a leader and member of the interprofessional surgical team to maximize communication and coordination of care to achieve the best patient outcomes.
  8. Foster an appreciation for the necessity of life-long learning, critical thinking, and continuing to grow personally and professionally while assuming accountability.
  9. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and ownership while providing patient-centered care that recognizes the diversity and respects consumer preferences. 

Admissions Requirements


The following are prerequisites for admission into the DNP AGACNP/CRNA program and are consistent with the present Hofstra Northwell criteria for admission into graduate nursing programs and the requirements set forth by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

  1. BS in Nursing from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for baccalaureate nursing degree and subsequent graduate work
  2. An unencumbered New York State RN license
  3. A minimum of two years of full-time recent critical care experience is required in an Adult ICU or PICU
  4. Verification of a basic health assessment course
  5. CCRN Certification (Pediatric or Adult)
  6. AHA Certification: For BLS, ACLS, and PALS 
  7. An updated curriculum vitae 
  8. Three letters of recommendation
  • The applicant’s current immediate manager;
  • The director or a faculty member from the most recent academic program attended (if the applicant has been a nursing student in the last five years); and,
  • A person who can attest to the applicant’s professional work
  1. A pre-admission interview
  2. CASPer™, a 90-minute online situational judgment test, serves to further enhance our holistic application review process by assessing non-cognitive skills and identifying personal attributes such as ethics, empathy, cultural sensitivity, collaboration, resiliency, and adaptability. CASPer™ test results are only valid for one admissions cycle. Applicants who have taken the test in previous years will need to re-take the exam
  3. One written essay
  4. Must have completed a shadow experience with a CRNA in the OR
  5. Comprehensive background check

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