Masters or Doctorate in Anesthesia?

[commonsense]

I have been researching several different nurse anesthesia programs and have come across both the Masters and Doctorate programs in anesthesia. I have a few questions and concerns, I figured who better to ask then a large group or CRNA's. Firstly, I was curious if CRNA's with a Doctorate degree had a substantial advantage over CRNA's with a Master's degree. Do they have that much better of an education, make more money, have an easier time finding a job, etc. I have heard that all CRNA's will have to have a doctorate by 2025 (year could be wrong, but I believe it's somewhere around there), but that CRNA's with Master's degrees will be grandfathered in. To sum up the post, I am really just looking for information on the differences between the degrees and how it effects you once you are a practicing CRNA.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Good morning peeps, so I actually called the COA and the woman I spoke to wasn't sure and said she would need to ask a specialist and get back to me, so I figured I might ask you guys in the meantime and see if anyone knows the validity of this. So while I was interviewing at a school for a masters crna program, the director told me that in order to work OUTSIDE of the state that you are certified in as a crna, you will need your DNP/DNAP. Now I can't recall if she said that applies now as well or ONLY after 2025??? If that applies now, there are so many people that go to school for a masters crna out of state, so I don't know how that would make sense being that you can only work in the state you are certified in, and if you want to leave that state and work elsewhere then u have to have ur doctorate. Has anyone heard this, and if so, can they clarify if it's in effect right now as well or will only limit u after the year 2025. Thanks guys...

That is not true. There is no state legislation that I have heard of that has even started to address that issue as of yet. Any talk on whether a doctorate will be mandated for CRNAs at the state level is pure speculation at this point.

You should send a polite email to the school representative/PD that you talked and ask for clarification and where you can find documentation of this nonexistent regulation.

[firemedic12, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I'm applying next year and there's only 3 DNP programs on my list of schools to apply to. The rest are MSN/MSNA programs and those DNP programs round out the bottom of my list. I don't plan on getting the DNP unless my future employer requires me to go back (on their dime of course). I've spoken with CRNAs of both backgrounds and they say the difference is there's a whole 6-8 more months of fluff and research courses that don't teach you much. I'd much rather a program use those extra hours for clinical time or science classes.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I'm applying next year and there's only 3 DNP programs on my list of schools to apply to. The rest are MSN/MSNA programs and those DNP programs round out the bottom of my list. I don't plan on getting the DNP unless my future employer requires me to go back (on their dime of course). I've spoken with CRNAs of both backgrounds and they say the difference is there's a whole 6-8 more months of fluff and research courses that don't teach you much. I'd much rather a program use those extra hours for clinical time or science classes.

I think the most important things to look at are attrition rates, clinical sites (location and type; there should be a significant amount of time spent at independent CRNA clinical sites), average number of cases/types of cases, average number of PNBs/CVLs, and of course 1st time pass rates on boards.

IMHO the DNP/DNAP is valuable addition and also sets the minimum length of time for all CRNA schools.

[Bluebolt]

I'm in a DNP program. I believe the three years gives you more time to learn anesthesia concepts and marinate on them. The research and leadership aspects can be helpful for CRNAs to be leaders in healthcare. Not to mention when it comes to autonomy and future legislation in favor for CRNAs it's much stronger to show a group of doctorates over a group of masters professionals.