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The University of Iowa is the only school in Iowa that offers the CRNA program.
Address: C607 GH, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1079
Phone: 319-384-7354
or 800-553-IOWA ext. 384-7354
Contact: Cormac O’Sullivan – Director, Anesthesia Nursing Program
Email: cormac-osullivan@uiowa.edu
Heather Bair – Associate Director, Anesthesia Nursing Program
Email: heather-bair@uiowa.edu
One of the most notable things about this program is that it was one of the first DNP accredited anesthesia programs within the United States. You can expect exceptional clinical experience if you enroll in this program. The first year is purely academic with the next two years focusing on clinical experience. Within these 2 years, you can expect to complete approximately 1300 mentored anesthetics.
This program will take 36 months to complete and upon completion, you will receive a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – Nurse Anesthesia. In order to apply for this program, you will need to have either a BSN or BAN in nursing. This is a small program and they only accept approximately 16 students per year. This is mainly due to the fact that Iowa has limited clinical experiences so a small class size is necessary to ensure that every student receives sufficient clinical experience.
The attrition rate of this program is also quite low at 3.2% since 2010. Their first time pass rate is 97% and the overall pass rate for the NCE is 100%. Another encouraging statistic is their employment rate which has been 100% since the start of the program.
If you’re curious about the typical stats of students that are admitted into the program, on average, they have 24 to 30 months of critical care experience along with a GPA of 3.5 or more and have done all of the required course work.
The application deadline is typically June 1st with the program starting in May.
This school was ranked #11 in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report, #10 in the 2016 report and is currently ranked #4 in the 2024 Report which shows an upward trend.
The estimated academic cost of this CRNA program for a resident is $80,756. If you’re a non-resident, then the estimated cost would be $154,406. This includes tuition, books and supplies, professional liability and malpractice insurance, AANA student membership, review course fee and certification exam fee.
With that said, you also have to consider the non-academic costs which include living expenses, food, transport, health insurance (which is required).
To start with, you will need either a BSN or BAN in nursing from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program. You will also need to have an unencumbered RN license, particularly an Iowa RN license.
Critical Care Experience Required
The following types of critical care experience are accepted by this university (at least 1 year experience):
Required Certifications
Next, you will need to complete the required statistics course (this must have been done within the last 5 years before applying). Acceptable courses (from the University of Iowa) are as follows: STAT:3510, STAT:4143, BIOS:4120, PSQF:4143. If you have equivalent courses done at a different university, these may also be accepted.
Other recommended courses you should have completed:
College Math, Physics, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, General Biology, Physiology, Microbiology, Inorganic Chemistry, Computer Competency (not necessary if you are already adept at using computers).
In order to apply to this program, there are two steps you need to take. The first thing you need to do is complete the University of Iowa Graduate College Application as well as pay the required fee. Once this is done, the college will email you and give directions for you to upload specific documents. These documents are as follows:
You can submit unofficial transcripts for initial evaluation . However, you will have to provide official transcripts for all your undergraduate and graduate courses before you are fully accepted. That said, if you are a current or past student of the University of Iowa, then you won’t need to submit UI based transcripts.
Next, the admission subcommittee will screen all of the applications that have been submitted. This is typically done in the 2nd week of June since the application deadline is June 1st.
GRE isn’t required. TOEFL is only required if your native language isn’t English. In the case that it isn’t, then you’ll need to have a score of 550 or higher on the paper based exam. However, if you’re doing the internet based version, then you’ll need to get a score of 81 or higher.
This school is fully accredited by the COA which is valid for 10 years. It will be up for re-evaluation in May, 2031.
According to Salary.com, nurse anesthetists in Iowa typically earn between $191,337 and $222,135. According to Indeed.com, they earn on average, $234,460 per year and on ZipRecruiter, they earn $252,191 on average, per year.
There are so many schools to choose from, so if you’re not sure about this one, check out the others here.