Program Description
Jefferson’s DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program, fully accredited through 2029, prepares nurses to provide anesthesia care during surgical and obstetrical procedures, and to provide pain relief in hospitals of all sizes.
Students in this integrated 36-month, nine-semester program take 85 credits. Its full-time curriculum integrates didactic coursework with over 2,000 hours of clinical practice hours, ensuring that students will administer more than 650 anesthetics to patients undergoing a wide variety of surgical and/or diagnostic procedures.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a practice doctorate designed to prepare professional nurses for scholarly practice as clinical and health systems experts who will lead and inspire health care improvement and reform.
Program Highlights
- Focuses on leadership, systems thinking, reflective practice, health policy, implementation science and evidenced-based clinical practice
- Includes two practica that comprise the doctoral practice inquiry project and provide the opportunity for application of knowledge gained in all the courses.
Locations
Center City Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University – Center City Campus, in the heart of Philadelphia, is home to the Colleges of Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Population Health, Life Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and Sidney Kimmel Medical College. This campus is where doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, researchers, students, leaders and healers work together every day to improve lives.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania As the College of Nursing's offerings grow, our Montgomery County location will be located within Jefferson’s Nicholas & Athena Karabots Medical Building, 1330 Powell Street, Suite 608, Norristown, PA 19401. This future-focused academic space houses a 40’x 30’ main classroom with state-of-the-art teaching facilities, including classroom, faculty and administrative offices as well as a simulation center.
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania The College of Nursing is expanding to the Lehigh Valley area in Summer 2026. This site will be located at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education, 3900 Sierra Circle, Center Valley, PA 18034.
Curriculum: 85 credits, 3 years
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| NU 570 | Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NU 560 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
| NU 603 | Research for Advanced Practice Nursing I | 3 |
| NU 605 | Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse | 3 |
| NU 673 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NU 700 | Pharmacokinetics and Dynamics of Anesthesia Agents | 3 |
| NU 715 | Leading Strategic Change in an Era of Healthcare Transformation | 3 |
| NU 717 | Health and Social Policy | 3 |
| NU 718 | Introduction to DNP Studies and the Scholarly Project | 1 |
| NU 724 | Chemistry and Physics Related to Anesthesia | 2 |
| NU 748 | Basic Principles of Anesthesia | 3 |
| NU 750 | Orientation to Clinical Practice | 0 |
| NU 751 | Clinical Practice I | 3 |
| NU 758 | Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I | 3 |
| NU 775 | Pathologic Aspects of Disease II | 3 |
| Credits | 39 | |
| Second Year | ||
| NU 702 | Practice Inquiry: Designs, Methods and Analyses | 3 |
| NU 704 | Philosophy, Foundations, and Methods for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NU 713 | Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Trends and Opportunities | 3 |
| NU 714 | Healthcare Systems Safety, Quality, and Improvement Science | 3 |
| NU 716 | Perspectives in Community Engagement and Population Health | 3 |
| NU 752 | Clinical Practice II | 3 |
| NU 753 | Clinical Practice III | 3 |
| NU 754 | Clinical Practice IV | 3 |
| NU 768 | Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II | 3 |
| Credits | 27 | |
| Third Year | ||
| NU 719 | DNP Scholarly Project and Practicum Seminar I | 4 |
| NU 720 | DNP Scholarly Project and Practicum Seminar II | 3 |
| NU 755 | Clinical Practice V | 3 |
| NU 756 | Clinical Practice VI | 3 |
| NU 757 | Clinical Practice VII | 3 |
| NU 778 | Crisis Management and Clinical Correlation in Anesthesia | 3 |
| Credits | 19 | |
| Total Credits | 85 | |