Applicants seeking admission to this program must meet the admission requirements for Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs and for the Doctor of Nurse Practice in Nurse Anesthesiology Program. In addition to University admission requirements, applicants must have: 

• Completed an appropriate baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Degrees must be completed and final transcripts must be submitted by the September 15 deadline. Appropriate degrees include the areas of nursing, biophysical, biological or behavioral sciences.
• Overall GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or higher.
• A calculated Science and Math GPA of 3.0 or higher (this is explained and determined as a part of the application process). * Current unencumbered licensure as a Professional Registered Nurse in the State of Minnesota, or eligible for reciprocity.
• A minimum of one year of experience as a Registered Nurse in a critical care setting at the time of application. Critical care employment must be ongoing until 90 days before the program is started. Critical care as defined by this program includes cardiac ICU, neuro ICU, neonatal ICU, and pediatric ICU. The cardiac cath lab, PACU, long term acute care, and emergency room care do not meet the program definition of critical care. Flight nursing will be considered on a case by case basis.
• A completed application submitted by the September 15 deadline.
• A completed Health Status Form must be submitted prior to matriculation. Documented immunity is required for rubella, rubeola, varicella, Hepatitis B, and mumps. Vaccinations will be required in non-immune students. Proof of receiving the Tdap vaccine (protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) that extends to the date of the student’s graduation from the program is required. 
• Additional annual health-related documents are required later in the program including proof of a negative 2-StepTB TEST test, QuantiFERON®-TB Gold-in-Tube test (QFT-GIT), or a T-SPOT® TB (or completion of the Positive TB Test Protocol) and proof of annual vaccination against influenza. Students that are positive for TB must follow the Nurse Anesthesia Student Protocol. This includes proof of a negative chest x-ray within the last year that must be submitted to the Clinical Director for all students who have positive TB tests. In addition, the student must have an annual exam with their primary care provider indicating that there has been no change in their lung health.
• Documented proof of COVID vaccine(s) is required by most hospitals/ same-day surgery centers. Students must comply with the facility policy and, in most cases, be fully vaccinated. Students must be aware that the school cannot guarantee clinical experiences (e.g. pediatrics, cardiac, major medical anesthesiology) in the event that a student decides to not be vaccinated. This could result in a delay of program completion, or, the inability to complete the program.
• These requirements meet or exceed the Standards and Guidelines set by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

Students with transcripts from universities outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada (except for the Quebec Province) must take and pass English proficiency testing.

Saint Mary’s accepts:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 72
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.0
• Michigan Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) with a minimum score of 74%
• International Test of English Proficiency (ITEP) with a minimum score of 4.0 or Pearson Test of English with a score of 51
• Duolingo with a minimum score of 100.

Your application must include the following items:

• A completed application form
• An official transcript(s) issued to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota from the institution posting the applicant’s completed bachelor degree and other relevant transcripts documenting program prerequisites and potential transfer credits. (An official transcript is one that is sent to the university by the credit-granting institution.  (An official transcript is one that is sent to the university by the credit-granting institution.)
  • Transcripts from countries other than the U.S. must be evaluated on a course by course basis by a university accepted evaluation service, such as World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, Educational Perspectives, or One Earth International Credential Evaluators and be deemed equivalent to accredited U.S. university standards.  
  • Evaluations from an approved member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES.org) will also be accepted.
• A transcript for a college-level chemistry course completed with a letter grade of “B” or better in the last five years. The course should have some element of inorganic, organic, and/ or biochemistry. All prerequisite courses must be taken at an accredited college/ university. Classes may be taken at an accredited two- year college. In progress coursework will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may affect application ranking.
• A personal statement that includes the following:
  • brief description of the applicant’s background, training, and experience; and
  • statement indicating the career goals of the applicant and their reasons for seeking admission to the program; and
  • description of the areas the applicant considers to be their strengths and areas in which the applicant wishes to develop greater strengths and abilities; and
  • personal information the applicant wishes to share. Please do not state any personal identifying information within the essay, as the essays are blinded for the readers to ensure a fair process.
• Two professional references as requested by the program by the admission deadline of September 15;
• A current résumé listing educational background and work experience.

Official Transcripts should be sent to Office of Admission

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
2500 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Or electronically: tcadmission@smumn.edu

Please reach out with any questions about the application process.

Phone: (612) 728-5100

Toll-free: (866) 437-2788

E-mail: tcadmission@smumn.edu

September 15

Fall Semester 

CRNAs in Minnesota are required to be licensed by the Minnesota Board of Nursing as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in order to practice. The Minnesota Board of Nursing has approved the graduate program in Nurse Anesthesiology for the purpose of meeting educational requirements for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse.  

Many other states require CRNAs to obtain designated licensure from their state nursing board in order to practice; students should check with their state to verify requirements. For additional information about Saint Mary’s graduate program in Nurse Anesthesiology and professional licensure, visit our Professional Licensure page.

To review a complete description of the program, including admission process and requirements, curriculum design, academic and clinical course descriptions and objectives, and policies and procedures, please refer to the following link: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesiology Program Handbook and Administrative Manual (PDF).

• Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Amery Hospital & Clinic, Amery, WI.
• Gunderson St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Wabasha, Minn.
• Aspirus St. Mary’s Hospital, Rhinelander, WI.
• Cambridge Medical Center, Cambridge, Minn.
• CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, Minn.
• CentraCare – Plaza Surgery Center, St. Cloud, Minn.
• Children’s Minnesota Hospital, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, Crosby, Minn.
• Allina District One Hospital, Faribault, Minn.
• Essentia Health-Duluth (Miller-Dwan Building), Duluth, Minn.
• Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center (Duluth), Duluth, Minn.
• Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, Minn.
• Glencoe Regional Health, Glencoe, Minn.
• Hayward Area Memorial Hospital, Hayward, WI.
• HealthPartners Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, Minn.
• HealthPartners Same Day Surgery Center, Saint Paul, Minn.
• Health Partners Lakeview Hospital, Stillwater, Minn.
• Lakewood Health System, Staples, Minn.
• Lakewalk Surgery Center Duluth, Minn.
• M Health Fairview East Bank, Minneapoois, Minn.
• Marshfield ASC Eau Claire Center, WI.
• Marshfield ASC Marshfield Center, WI.
• Marshfield ASC Minocqua Center, WI.
• Marshfield ASC Wausau Center, WI.
• Marshfield Medical Center-Marshfield, Marshfield, WI.
• Marshfield Medical Center-Neillsville, Neillsville, WI.
• Marshfield Medical Center-Rice Lake, Rice Lake, WI.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague, New Prague, Minn.
• Mercy Hospital (Mercy & Unity Campuses), Coon Rapids, Minn.
• Northfield Hospital, Northfield, Minn.
• Owatonna Hospital, Owatonna, Minn.
• Ridgeview Medical Center, Waconia, Minn.
• River Falls Area Hospital, River Falls, WI.
• Riverwood Healthcare Center, Aitkin, Minn.
• St. Croix Regional Medical Center, St. Croix Falls, WI.
• St Cloud Surgical Center, St. Cloud, Minn.
• St. Luke’s Hospital, Duluth, Minn.
• Surgical Specialty Center of Minnesota, St. Louis Park, Minn.
• HSHS St. Vincent’s Hospital, Green Bay, WI.
• Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minn.

Applicants must submit a transcript for a college-level chemistry course completed with a letter grade of “B” or better in the last five years. The course should have some element of inorganic, organic, and/ or biochemistry. All prerequisite courses must be taken at an accredited college/ university. Classes may be taken at an accredited two-year college. In progress coursework will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may affect application ranking.

Applicants must meet the chemistry requirement within five years of the applicant anticipating starting the program. For example, if a student is planning to apply for a fall 2025 start, they must demonstrate they have completed a Chemistry course that meets the stated requirements and ended in summer 2020 or after.

Yes, the course can be in-progress at the time of application, however, it may affect the applicant’s application ranking, meaning a candidate with a completed chemistry course may be selected over someone who has not completed the chemistry requirement for matriculation into the program.

Nurse Anesthesiology curriculum is very science dense. It is important for the program to evaluate the candidate’s recent science experiences as part of the application process. It is also important for students to take a recent science course to confirm they are ready for the rigor of a nurse anesthesiology program.

Yes, the course does meet the chemistry requirement for matriculation into the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesiology. The candidate must contact other nurse anesthesiology programs to determine if they will also accept the course as a chemistry prerequisite. Please share the DNP800 course website if they have questions or concerns. Learn more here.

At this time Saint Mary’s does accept the Barry pre-anesthesia course (ANE 695) as a chemistry prerequisite, in addition to our own pre-anesthesia course (DNP800). Otherwise, Saint Mary’s Nurse Anesthesiology program does require applicants to take a college-level chemistry course as described above. The best thing an applicant can do is KEEP THE COURSE SYLLABUS, just in case Saint Mary’s admissions department should have any questions.

The DNP application process is lengthy, as is the file review process. The deadline for applications each year is September 15. It then takes 5 weeks to ensure all documents are present and ready for the Nurse Anesthesiology department to review the files. All Essays are blinded and evaluated by CRNA instructors and faculty to ensure fairness. The complete file is then taken into consideration, and the most qualified individuals are offered an interview to determine if they are a good fit for Saint Mary’s, and, for the candidate to determine if Saint Mary’s is a good fit for them! Nurse Anesthesiology plans to conduct remote or in-person interviews in December through January. Acceptance letters are sent out in February for a fall start in the program.

Yes, Saint Mary’s does keep a very short wait list. It does not roll over from year to year. For example, if a student was on the waitlist to start the program in fall of 2022, and they did not matriculate into the program, then they must reapply and go through the process again for the fall of 2023 and so-on.

Graduates of this program are eligible to take the certification examination offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. Upon successful completion of the exam, graduates are known as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

For more information, please visit: 

National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)