The University of Evansville (UE) has received accreditation for the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. UE earned accreditation for five years, which is the maximum amount awarded to new nurse anesthesia programs.

"Achieving this accreditation status is extremely rewarding and exciting for our program," said Melissa Fitch, DNP, CRNA, who serves as program director. "We look forward to welcoming future students to the University and preparing them for successful careers in the field of nurse anesthesia."

The Nurse Anesthesia program at UE is a nine-semester graduate program. Students receive a blend of classroom lecture and lab exercises from faculty members who possess many years of experience as certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs. During the second and third years of the program, students work directly with licensed practitioners in the tri-state region and obtain over 2,000 clinical hours providing anesthesia for many types of procedures, including general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, sedation, and invasive monitoring line placement.

Students in the first cohort of the program began their classes in January. The application for the second cohort with January 2022 entry will be open June 1 through August 31. For more information, visit evansville.edu/crna.

The demand for CRNAs is growing across the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is projected to grow by 31 percent through 2026, which is much faster than the average for other occupations. In 2020, the average salary for a CRNA was $189,190.