The Oakland University - Beaumont Nurse Anesthesia Program began in 1991 as a collaborative initiative to address the nurse anesthesia shortage and provide an exceptional educational environment for training Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
Authority for the program is shared between Oakland University and Beaumont Health System. It is one of several advanced practice nursing programs offered by the Graduate School of Nursing at Oakland University.
Average class size is 25 students. The Class of 2022 provided anesthesia in an average of 1,039 cases, had an attrition rate of 0% and had a first-time test taker national certification exam (NCE) pass rate of 87%. One hundred percent of graduates gain employment within 3 months of completing the program. Graduates are employed in a variety of settings ranging from rural independent practice to team models in major academic medical centers across the country.
The program is 87-credits encompassing 36 months of full-time study, culminating in a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The nurse anesthesia program includes core courses in nursing, support courses in the sciences and specialty courses in nurse anesthesia. An intensive clinical internship parallels the didactic courses, providing ongoing opportunity to apply theory to practice. The 36-month-program exceeds minimum accreditation standards set forth by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs in both clinical and classroom instruction. In 2012, the program was awarded 10-year reaccreditation status, the highest level extended to a nurse anesthesia program.
The Oakland University - Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia was approved by the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Programs to transition to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) effective fall of 2018.
The application deadlines are August 1, 2023 (early) and January 1, 2024 (standard) for the class that will start in the fall of 2024.