Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP)
- Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice
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Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP)
Saint Vincent College proudly offers a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) entry level degree in collaboration with Excela Health. In order to apply to this program, prospective students must apply first through Excela Health. We enroll approximately 30 students each year for our 36 month program, admission is highly competitive. Students come from a wide variety of settings, including CCU, Level 1 ER, ICU, NICU, PICU, TICU and SICU.
Students work closely with the faculty, as well as with the CRNAs in clinical areas to develop their skills. Faculty advisers are provided, as well as mentors from the second year class to offer a supportive learning environment. Students develop a cohesive and family-like relationship with staff, clinicians and their cohort where cooperation, not competition is the rule, making this program unique to the field.
We currently offer over twenty clinical sites, ranging from small community facilities to large teaching hospitals. The variety of settings allow students to become familiar with multiple ways of administering anesthesia in a wide range of situations. Students are required to perform 600 total cases by graduation, with our graduates averaging well over 750 cases.
Excela Health anesthesia students are well recognized in the field as caring and compassionate professionals who are well-prepared and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow's health care world.
Further information regarding this program may be obtained by contacting the Excela Health School of Anesthesia's program director, Michael DeBroeck, DNP, CRNA, at 724-804-1132 or mdebroeck@excelahealth.org.
Graduate Programs
Outcomes
The Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program is committed to offering professional graduate education for bachelor's degree prepared nursing professionals interested in the practice of nurse anesthesia. The program:
- Develops motivational leaders ready to meet the challenges needed to advance anesthesia practice.
- Develops CRNAs with superior levels of knowledge in anesthesia theory and practice.
- Establishes CRNAs who are proficient in evidence-based practice initiation leading to practice change.
- Prepares CRNA leaders for the future with the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a rapidly changing health care system.
Curriculum Requirements
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DNAP ENTRY PROGRAM CURRICULUM - 91 Credits
Spring Year 1 (17 Credits)
DNAP 721 Advanced Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology I (5)
DNAP 700 Advanced Pharmacology I (3)
DNAP 713 Medical Physics (2)
DNAP 703 Chemistry for Anesthesia Providers (2)
DNAP 820 Research Methods (3)
DNAP 840 Medical Ethics (2)
Summer Year 1 (9 credits)
DNAP 870 Healthcare Informatics (3)
DNAP 800 Evidence-Based Practice (3)
DNAP 830 Risk Management and Patient Safety (3)
Fall Year 1 (15 credits)
DNAP 722 Advanced Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology II (5)
DNAP 701 Advanced Pharmacology II (3)
DNAP 715 Advanced Physical Assessment (2)
DNAP 705 Introduction to Principles of Nurse Anesthesia (3)
DNAP 850 Leadership (2)
Spring Year 2 (10 Credits)
DNAP 731 Basic Anesthesia Principles I (6)
DNAP 880 U.S. Healthcare Systems & Healthcare Economics (3)
DNAP 751 Clinical Practicum I (1)
Summer Year 2 (4 credits)
DNAP 732 Basic Anesthesia Principles II (3)
DNAP 752 Clinical Practicum II (1)
Fall Year 2 (10 credits)
DNAP 733 Basic Anesthesia Principles III (6)
DNAP 755 Selected Topics in Anesthesia (3)
DNAP 753 Clinical Practicum III (1)
Spring Year 3 (10 Credits)
DNAP 831 Advanced Anesthesia Principles I (6)
DNAP 900 Doctoral Project I (2)
DNAP 854 Clinical Practicum IV (2)
Summer Year 3 (6 credits)
DNAP 960 Critical Events in Anesthesia Simulation (3)
DNAP 910 Doctoral Project II (2)
DNAP 855 Clinical Practicum V (1)
Fall Year 3 (10 credits)
DNAP 832 Advanced Anesthesia Principles II (6)
DNAP 920 Doctoral Project III (2)
DNAP 856 Clinical Practicum V (2)
Program Highlights
| Graduation Year | Cohort Size | Degree Type | National NCE Required 1st Attempt Pass Rate | Actual National NCE 1st Attempt Pass Rate | Program NCE 1st Attempt Pass Rate | Program NCE 1st & 2nd Attempt Pass Rate | Program Eventual NCE Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 30 | MHS | 80.0% | 84.4% | 83% | 93% | 100% |
| 2020 | 30 | MHS | 80.0% | 85.2% | 83% | 87% | 100% |
| 2022 | 30 | DNAP | 80.0% | 83.4% | 60% | 77% | 97% |
| 2023 | 31 | DNAP | 80.0% | 83.2% | 90% | 100% | 100% |
Accreditations and Affiliations
The Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs,10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906 Rosemont, IL 60018-5603
Phone: 224-275-9130
Website: https://www.coacrna.org/
Faculty and Staff
Michael A. DeBroeck, CRNA, DNP, Director
Dr. DeBroeck joined the Excela Health School of Anesthesia as the education coordinator in October 2008. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, 1985. In 1996, he was awarded a Master of Health Science (Anesthesia) degree from Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth. Dr. DeBroeck received his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Robert Morris University in 2011. He retired from the Air Force in 2005, where he held many anesthesia positions including director of anesthesia and director of perianesthesia services. His clinical experience includes a large amount of regional anesthesia in independent anesthesia settings as well as anesthesia in austere environments during deployments.
Danielle Gray, CRNA, DNAP, Assistant Director
Dr. Gray graduated from Carlow University on 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and for the next two years, worked at Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, as a staff RN. She then attended the Excela Health School of Anesthesia, graduating in 2010. Prior to accepting the position of Education Coordinator, Gray worked as a staff CRNA at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital. She will be among the first cohort to graduate from Excela Health School of Anesthesia with a Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice in December 2015.
John M. Borza MBA, CRNA, DNP
The Nurse Anesthesia Director, Dr. Borza is a graduate of Western PA Hospital School of Nursing, Allegheny Valley Hospital School of Anesthesia, LaRoche College, Tiffin University, and Robert Morris University. Dr. Borza began his Doctorate studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. While he was a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, he procured Teaching Strategies in Nursing to teach the University of Pittsburgh School of Nurse Anesthesia students neurology anesthesia. He enjoys teaching the nurse anesthesia students in class and in the clinical setting.
Admissions Information
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Admissions Requirements
- Current licensure as a registered nurse within the United States or its protectorates.
- Minimum of one year full-time nursing experience in critical care setting (CCU, Level 1 ER, ICU, NICU, PICU, TICU and SICU) at a facility within the borders of the United States or its protectorates.
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing or diploma or associate degree in nursing plus a baccalaureate degree other than a BSN in a science-related field as deemed appropriate by the Excela Health Program Director.
In addition to having the above requirements, applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in their undergraduate work. Applicants need only to apply to Excela Health School of Anesthesia; they do not need to apply to Saint Vincent College.
Selection Criteria:As with any school of higher education, to be accepted and successfully complete the program, applicants should have a mature attitude, a pleasant personality and good health. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, gender, color, ethnicity, creed, marital status, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other factor protected by law. After review of the applicants completed file, he/she may be selected for a personal interview with the admissions committee. The Excela Health School of Anesthesia reserves the right to interview only those candidates who show potential to succeed. Selection will be made based on academic and clinical qualifications and recommendations of the admission interviewers.
Further information may be obtained by going to Excela Health School of Anesthesia, or by contacting the Program Director, Michael DeBroeck, DNP, CRNA, at mdebroeck@excelahealth.org or 724-804-1132.
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How to Apply
Application Process:A new class of graduate students will begin in January of each year. Students will be accepted to the program by no later than one week following the final interview date.
Click the links below to download the required application materials:
Application packets must be complete, in one mailing, and mailed to:
Excela Health School of Anesthesia
Latrobe Hospital
One Mellon Way
Latrobe, PA 15650All application packets must be received by 3 p.m. on Jan. 15, the year prior to starting to be eligible for consideration. Documents sent separately will not be accepted unless coordinated directly with the Excela Health School of Anesthesia program director, Michael DeBroeck, DNP, CRNA, at mdebroeck@excelahealth.org.
If you should have questions, please call: 724-537-2638 or Fax 724-539-7608
Admission Requirements:
1. Current licensure as a registered nurse within the United States or its protectorates.
2. Minimum of one year of nursing experience in critical care setting (CCU, Level 1 ER, ICU, NICU, PICU, TICU and SICU) at a facility within the borders of the United States or its protectorates.
3. Baccalaureate degree in nursing or diploma or associate degree in nursing plus a baccalaureate degree other than a BSN in a science-related field as deemed appropriate by the Excela Health Program Director.
In addition to having the above requirements, applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in their undergraduate work. Applicants need only to apply to Excela Health School of Anesthesia; they do not need to apply to Saint Vincent College.
Selection Criteria:
As with any school of higher education, to be accepted and successfully complete the program, applicants should have a mature attitude, a pleasant personality and good health. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, gender, color, ethnicity, creed, marital status, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other factor protected by law. After a review of the applicant's completed file, he/she may be selected for a personal interview with the admissions committee. The Excela Health School of Anesthesia reserves the right to interview only those candidates who show potential to succeed. Selection will be made based on academic and clinical qualifications and recommendations of the admission interviewers.
Further information may be obtained by going to Excela Health School of Anesthesia, or by contacting the Program Director, Michael DeBroeck, DNP, CRNA, at mdebroeck@excelahealth.org or 724-804-1132.