Admission – AA-C bridge to DNAP

Alternative Admission Requirements for AA-Cs

Full admission is accomplished in two steps. The first is Conditional Admission; the second is Full Admission.

Conditional Admission:

• AA-C candidates must meet the following requirements:
  • Bachelor of Science (BSN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
  • Unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN)
  • Master’s degree from an accredited school or college in the United States
  • Current certification as an Anesthesiology Assistant (AA-C)
  • Submission of clinical transcript from AA program documenting a minimum of 300 cases and 1,000 clinical hours
  • A minimum of 5 years of experience as an AA-C.
    1. Evidence of experience as an AA-C in a variety of complex cases caring for critically ill patients as documented by:
       • Curriculum Vita
       • Personal essay describing how the AA-C has developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques consistent with the COA’s definition of critical care experience.*
       • Validation of 5 years of experience in a variety of complex cases from a departmental Chief CRNA or an anesthesiologist who has medically directed the AA-C.
       • Submission of a case log from each practice site the AA-C has been employed since graduation.
         • The case log must include:  Type of case and method of anesthesia for each case performed.
    2. OR a minimum of one year current Critical Care experience as an RN
• AA-C candidates will be conditionally admitted to begin the curriculum with the 12 online hours offered each spring and summer semesters.

Full Admission:

Successful  completion of the initial 12 online hours.

*Critical care experience – Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. 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 (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to: surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology.

Tuition and fees for the AA-C Bridge to DNAP program are charged per credit hour.  Tuition charges are dependent on the individual’s progression in the didactic and clinical portions of the program.  For courses successfully tested out, that course is not required to be taken, and tuition will not be charged for that course.  Clinical residency courses are also dependent on the individual’s progression and proficiency.

All AA-C Bridge to DNAP students must meet the 900-case requirement as required by the TCU School of Nurse Anesthesia.  Bridge students may document (by transcript) a total of 300 cases from his/her Anesthesiologist Assistant Master Degree program that may count toward the 900 case requirement.   The number of clinical residency semesters are estimated to be at least 2 semesters, and will be complete at the end of the semester in which at least 900 cases are performed.

Tuition

January 2021 Entry Tuition = $1,214.00 / credit hour

Fees:

1. Housing at clinical site is student’s responsibility
2. University student health insurance (if needed):  $1,082 / semester
   • Eligibility for health insurance occurs once full admission is granted (after the first 8 months)
3. Textbooks:  full complement is approximately $2,000
4. American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) membership fee:  $200
5. Self-Evaluation Exam fee (in the first 8 months of the program):  $250
6. National Certification Exam fee (upon graduation) :  $995

AA-C Bridge to DNAP applicants will apply via the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCas).  An Application fee will be collected by NursingCas.

Applicants meeting the required admission criteria will be considered for admission:

• Bachelor of Science (BSN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN)
• Master’s degree from an accredited school or college in the United States
• Current certification as an Anesthesiology Assistant (AA-C)
• Submission of clinical transcript from AA program documenting a minimum of 300 cases and 1,000 clinical hours
• A minimum of 5 years of experience as an AA-C
• Evidence of experience as an AA-C in a variety of complex cases caring for critically ill patients as documented by:
  • Curriculum Vita
  • Personal essay describing how the AA-C has developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques consistent with the COA’s definition of critical care experience.*
  • Validation of 5 years of experience in a variety of complex cases from a departmental Chief CRNA or an anesthesiologist who has medically directed the AA-C.
  • Submission of a case log from each practice site the AA-C has been employed since graduation.
    • The case log must include:  Type of case and method of anesthesia for each case performed.
• OR a minimum of one year current Critical Care experience as an RN
• Certification in BLS and ACLS
• Three professional recommendations

All documents, transcripts, references, and validations will be submitted to and verified by NursingCas.

The form below is part of the AA-C Bridge to DNAP application. This form will be used by the applicant to verify 5 years of experience in a variety of complex anesthesia cases. Please use one form per facility and upload to Nursing CAS in the Program Requested Materials section. If using more than one form, please upload all the forms as one PDF.

AA-C Work History Verification Form

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.  All applications and required materials including letters of recommendation and the application fee, must be received by January 1, 2021.  This date may change in subsequent years, as the year 2021 is the inaugural year for the AA-C Bridge to DNAP program.