Hello all, quick (and possibly dumb), question.. At work last night, I overheard some nurses talking (which is ALWAYS the best source of info :wink2:) about anesthesia school, and one mentioned that she heard that ALL CRNA programs are converting to PhD programs. She said that, unless you're accepted to a program before 2010, you will have to complete a 4-year PhD nurse anesthesia program.Is there any truth to this? As someone who hopes to apply to CRNA school in the (not-too-distant) future, this concerns me. Gossip sucks. Any help?Thanks,JP
allnurses Guide wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA 5,111 Posts Specializes in Anesthesia. Apr 25, 2008 Hello all, quick (and possibly dumb), question.. At work last night, I overheard some nurses talking (which is ALWAYS the best source of info :wink2:) about anesthesia school, and one mentioned that she heard that ALL CRNA programs are converting to PhD programs. She said that, unless you're accepted to a program before 2010, you will have to complete a 4-year PhD nurse anesthesia program.Is there any truth to this? As someone who hopes to apply to CRNA school in the (not-too-distant) future, this concerns me. Gossip sucks. Any help?Thanks,JPhttps://allnurses.com/forums/f16/2015-official-296780.htmlTry this thread and you can also do a search of the AANA for more information.
CNAinNeb 152 Posts Apr 26, 2008 I don't see how this is possible, since a PhD is a research degree. Perhaps you mean a clinical doctorate? It seems possible, since that is the direction NP is going.
TNSICU 12 Posts Specializes in SICU. Has 2 years experience. Aug 13, 2008 CRNA's are not moving towards a PhD. They are moving towards a clinical doctorate. There is a HUGE difference. I am currently attending the nation's first clinical doctorate anesthesia program in Charleston, WV. The newspaper posted that it is the nation's first PhD CRNA program; Wow, did that ever stir a ruckus. It is 36 months in length and requires a large research project. My credentials afterwards will be CRNA, DMPNA (Doctor in Management of Practice of Nursing Anesthesia). I believe all programs affiliated with a doctorate providing University must move their program to a doctorate by 2015. All programs, period, must acheive this level of education by 2023. It depends on what your future goals are with your degree. I am receiving a combined buisness degree in this program which will enable me to do anything from being a regular CRNA, to a Hospital Administrator, to a anesthesia group owner. There is a certain degree of beauty in not receiving your degree in something like a Masters in Nursing. I consider that pretty much useless. However, if you simply want to be a CRNA, no strings attatched, then get your degree in whatever. A CRNA is a CRNA and all anesthesia programs have to satisfy a minimum clinical requirement. You also will have to pass the board exam.
loveanesthesia 854 Posts Specializes in CRNA. Aug 16, 2008 AACN which accredits many graduate nursing programs adopted the position statement that all advanced practice nursing programs must grant a clinical doctorate by 2015. About half of nurse anesthesia programs are accredited by AACN, but about half do not grant a graduate degree in nursing, so are not under the purvue of AACN. The accrediting body for nurse anesthesia programs adopted a goal of 2025, that all nurse anesthesia programs would grant a clinical doctorate. One thing to know is that this is not a done deal, AACN also has stated that all RNs will obtain a BSN quite a while ago, and has gotten no where with that. A clinical doctorate is very different than a PhD, as already stated. Some nurse anesthesia programs are already 3 years long, and only giving a masters degree, so in my opinion we would just be taking credit for what we already do. Even so, I don't know if this will happen, there's been a lot of talk but the momentum may be turning. Several colleges of nursing have tried to get the nurse anesthesia programs to go first (in the colleges where there are several advanced practice programs), and the feeling is the deans want nurse anesthesia to fight the battle. The nurse anesthesia programs are not wild about that, and are not wild about the way the curriculum proposed by AACN is shaping up, so we'll see. ... probably more information than you ever wanted:typing
LilQueen CMA 76 Posts Aug 18, 2008 If becoming a CRNA requires a clinical doctorate in the future, does that mean a higher starting salary or will it maintain the same?
jwk 1,102 Posts Has 32 years experience. Aug 18, 2008 If becoming a CRNA requires a clinical doctorate in the future, does that mean a higher starting salary or will it maintain the same?Compensation is based on supply and demand, not degree.
loveanesthesia 854 Posts Specializes in CRNA. Aug 18, 2008 Most don't think the clinical doctorate will make any difference in salary's.
lettyp 1 Post Jan 17, 2012 Hello all, quick (and possibly dumb), question.. At work last night, I overheard some nurses talking (which is ALWAYS the best source of info :wink2:) about anesthesia school, and one mentioned that she heard that ALL CRNA programs are converting to PhD programs. She said that, unless you're accepted to a program before 2010, you will have to complete a 4-year PhD nurse anesthesia program.Is there any truth to this? As someone who hopes to apply to CRNA school in the (not-too-distant) future, this concerns me. Gossip sucks. Any help?Thanks,Well, its not entirely gossip. They are converting to PhD programs but its not 4 yrs, its actually three. the conversion process i heard is gonna take almost three years so if you apply now you might not be sujected to those changes. hope that helps.
allnurses Guide wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA 5,111 Posts Specializes in Anesthesia. Jan 18, 2012 Hello all, quick (and possibly dumb), question.. At work last night, I overheard some nurses talking (which is ALWAYS the best source of info :wink2:) about anesthesia school, and one mentioned that she heard that ALL CRNA programs are converting to PhD programs. She said that, unless you're accepted to a program before 2010, you will have to complete a 4-year PhD nurse anesthesia program.Is there any truth to this? As someone who hopes to apply to CRNA school in the (not-too-distant) future, this concerns me. Gossip sucks. Any help?Thanks,Well, its not entirely gossip. They are converting to PhD programs but its not 4 yrs, its actually three. the conversion process i heard is gonna take almost three years so if you apply now you might not be sujected to those changes. hope that helps.The AANA is not converting to a requirement for a PhD. A PhD is research based degree. The AANA is moving forward to a requiring a clinical doctorate either a DNP or DNAP. The average time will increase program lengths to approximately 3yrs for most programs. The new requirement does not take effect until 2025.
