Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice - Post-Master's

Curriculum

Clinical Simulation

The Division of Anesthesia for Nurses has its own dedicated laboratory space, task trainers for all anesthesia airway and invasive skills and a high-fidelity mannequin within a simulated operating room. Throughout the program students have unlimited access to all task trainers so that they can practice skills at their convenience. Using small group instruction, students are given the opportunity to use their knowledge, develop skills, learn behaviors and work with equipment that is used in daily anesthesia practice.

The program uses clinical simulation to teach hands-on skills and reinforce critical thinking throughout the curriculum. Simulation gives experienced students the opportunity to be trained in a variety of skills and be exposed to multiple patient scenarios.

Throughout the program, simulation curriculum is designed to parallel didactic content. As students advance through the program, the focus of the simulations change from skill performance to critical thinking and the application of anesthesia didactic content. Scenarios and situations faced in simulation become more complex and students are required to work together within the high-fidelity simulator to manage cases and troubleshoot patient’s complications as they arise in real time. Crisis simulation is taught, exclusively using high-fidelity simulators, at the end of the post-master’s programs. The course trains students in situations that are infrequent yet significantly life threatening to patients such as malignant hyperthermia, anaphylaxis and hemorrhage.

Application Process

The following process outlines how and when your materials will be reviewed.

1. Complete the MUSC application.
2. Submit all supplemental materials, if not included within the application.
3. Once all materials have been received and verified, your application will be reviewed. Selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

Application Requirements

1. MUSC Application: All applicants must submit an MUSC application.
   
   • Official transcripts from all institutions attended: Applicants are required to submit official transcripts from each post-secondary school attended even if no degree was earned.
2. Supplemental Materials: In addition to the application itself, the applicant must complete supplemental materials. These forms are sent via email once you submit your application and should be uploaded to the application portal.
   
   • Letters of recommendation: All applicants must have three professional references to complete the MUSC reference form found in the application. The references should be from a supervisor, a colleague and an additional professional reference of your choice.
   • Personal essays: All applicants are required to complete two essays. The first essay will focus on the applicant’s professional goals. The second essay will focus on discussing the applicant’s research area of interest and proposed doctoral scholarly project.
   • Resume: Applicants must provide an updated resume detailing relevant academic and professional experience.

All information above must be received by the deadline to be considered for admission to the program. Without all materials, applicants will be incomplete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to review the progress of their application to ensure that all application materials have been submitted.

International Applicants

MUSC’s DNAP – Post-Master’s program is unable to admit international students requiring an F-1 visa. Applications will only be accepted from U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or those holding other valid nonimmigrant visa classifications that allow participation in lawful study while in the United States.

Cost of Attendance

Disclaimer: The Estimated Total listed above reflects an approximation of educational costs for planning purposes only. Actual expenses may vary based on individual circumstances, program requirements and annual changes in tuition, fees and other costs. The Medical University of South Carolina reserves the right to adjust tuition, fees and other charges at any time without prior notice.

Scholarships

MUSC offers scholarships for which you may be eligible. Some are awarded based on academic achievement; others are awarded based on community service, for example. However, the majority of scholarships awarded at MUSC are based on financial need. This means that these scholarships are only awarded to students who need some financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition and fees. If you would like to be considered for a financial need-based scholarship, you must have an up-to-date Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. Make sure you list the Medical University of South Carolina on your FAFSA form, along with MUSC's code: 003438. We encourage you to submit your FAFSA as early as possible. It is recommended to submit your FAFSA in January if you plan to enroll in the fall.

Click here to visit our scholarship application system to view a complete listing of MUSC scholarships.

Competencies

Upon completion of the DNAP - Post-Master's program, graduates will be able to:

• Design and implement evidence‑based anesthesia strategies by critically appraising and integrating research findings with clinical practice to optimize patient outcomes, particularly in pain management and crisis simulation scenarios
• Exhibit advanced leadership in health care settings, articulating and enacting models of care delivery that reflect interprofessional collaboration, health care policy understanding and ethical stewardship.
• Demonstrate advanced clinical judgment and technical proficiency, including ultrasound‑guided regional anesthesia, within diverse perioperative environments and manage simulated crisis situations with scholarly rigor.
• Conduct scholarly inquiry through a capstone research project, synthesizing clinical practice and academic scholarship to address real‑world challenges in anesthesia care and informing evidence‑driven practice improvement.
• Exercise ethical, culturally competent decision‑making by applying professional advocacy, ethical reasoning and respect for diverse patient populations in anesthesia care delivery.
• Integrate health policy, informatics and teaching principles in anesthesia practice by evaluating system‑level influences and using information systems and pedagogical strategies to advance anesthesia education, practice quality and health care outcomes.

Vision

To be a nationally recognized nurse anesthesia educational program that graduates highly sought after, innovative nurse anesthesia leaders.

Mission

To prepare independent, ethical, culturally aware nurse anesthesia providers ready to lead in the clinical and professional arena. This is accomplished by providing evidence-based, high quality didactic, clinical, health care policy and simulation education.

Values

At the core of our program, we are guided by a commitment to the following values that drive our mission:

• Integrity
• Evidence-Based Education
• Professional Advocacy
• Wellness
• Innovation