Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesia
Advice to Applicants
Thank you for your interest in nurse anesthesia as a profession and our program in particular. I am certain that you will never regret having pursued this extremely challenging and very rewarding advanced practice nursing specialty. If, after reading the information listed here, you have additional questions, please feel free to send me an email message: goldencf@umdnj.edu.
Best of luck,
Clare Golden DNP, APN, CRNA
Achieve the highest possible GPA. Admission is extremely competitive and the GPA is a big factor. Typically our applicants well exceed the 3.0 minimum GPA required by the School of Nursing. If you feel that your GPA is not reflective of your academic capability you might consider demonstrating that in some objective manner, such as taking one or two of the required graduate level MSN core courses (ie: pharmacology and Pathophysiology) obtaining a stellar grade in each. If you take them at other institutions, you will want to be certain the course is equivalent and can be transferred to UMDNJ-SN.
Acquire the most intense ICU experience you can as early as possible. We look for candidates who are accustomed to managing gravely ill patients on ventilators, with invasive monitoring, vasopressor infusions and other resuscitative efforts.
We require a minimum of one complete year of full time critical care experience at the time of the interview and prefer it to be in a dynamic/high acuity unit, preferably one of the following: surgical ICU, cardio thoracic ICU, neurosurgical ICU, pediatric ICU, burn or trauma ICU. We may consider neonatal ICU, and selected PACU experience if the applicant can demonstrate comparable critical thinking skills. However, we do not consider ER or OR experience, as it does not involve the type of experience we find beneficial. When working in your critical care unit, ask questions and read. We expect our candidates to know a good deal of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. We assess this knowledge base during the interview process.
We prefer that the two references all should be from colleagues (RN, CRNA or physician) in the critical care setting familiar with your competence. It is acceptable to submit additional references that attest to your academic prowess, but it is not required.
"Shadow" a CRNA for a day or two in order to fully appreciate the scope of practice. This is rewarding for the applicant and is an excellent way to demonstrate a strong desire to accomplish your career goal.
You must submit a valid RN license with your application. However it need not be from New Jersey. You will be required to obtain both a NJ & NY RN Llicense before matriculation, should you be admitted.
Include a concise, well organized CV or resume in your application. We find this very helpful, particularly in evaluating clinical experience. It is also advisable to include a one-page cover letter explaining any special circumstances or efforts you have undertaken to enhance your candidacy.
