Admission Requirements
Admission to the DNP-Post-Baccalaureate Anesthesia Program requires applying to both the Frank J. Tornetta School of Anesthesia, and to La Salle University. After acceptance by the Tornetta School, an application to La Salle University should be completed. All required documents will be sent directly to La Salle University from the Tornetta School, except for official transcript(s). Official transcript(s) from all institutions previously attended (college, university, evaluation of international credentials) must be sent to both the Tornetta School and La Salle University separately.
Applications for admission to the Frank J. Tornetta School of Anesthesia are processed directly through FJTSA. Please direct all application materials to:
Frank J. Tornetta School of Anesthesia at EMCM
Karabots Professional Building
1330 Powell Street, Suite 608
Norristown, PA 19403
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited program
- Undergraduate coursework must include an introductory statistics course (including inferential and descriptive) and an undergraduate nursing research course
- Minimum cumulative nursing degree GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale
- The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is waived for students with a GPA ≥ 3.2
- Students with an undergraduate BSN GPA of less than 3.2 may take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and submit the exam results to the Admission Committee as part of their application materials
- Current unencumbered United States RN License
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Four letters of recommendation
- Nurse manager
- Physician (M.D. or D.O.) familiar with your critical care nursing skills
- 2 additional healthcare professional (unit charge RN, medical unit director, physician, CRNA etc.) familiar with your professional nursing skills. Please do NOT submit a letter of reference form from a peer nursing colleague.
- Minimum of one year of critical care nursing experience. Please note that students currently enrolled in the nurse anesthesia track critical care experience is 3 – 5 years.
- The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs defines a critical care setting:
- 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.
- ‘Statement of Interest’ detailing the candidates desire to pursue a career in nurse anesthesia practice. Please include why you would like to pursue nurse anesthesia as a career goal along with your long term career goals. (Please limit your statement of interest to 2 pages, double spaced, times new roman, 12 font.)
- A current curriculum vitae detailing professional growth and opportunities experienced since high school graduation.
- Official transcripts of all previous college work forwarded to:
Frank J. Tornetta School of Anesthesia at EMCM
Karabots Professional Building
1330 Powell Street, Suite 608
Norristown, PA 19403
- Completion of the FJTSA Shadowing Form, which is available on our website demonstrating completion of 15 hours of shadowing experience with an anesthesia provider. A qualified anesthesia provider that may submit the ‘Shadowing Form’ must be a:
- CRNA
- Anesthesiologist
- Application Fee = $75.00