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Address: Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida
Building 39, 1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224
Contact Email: Graduate Program Director: Dr. Ryan Shores ryan.shores@unf.edu (904) 620-1848
Katherine Meuti: Assistant Director, Nurse Anesthesia | Assistant Professor
Phone: (904) 620-1822 Email: katherine.meuti@unf.edu
All questions for the CRNA program should be directed to napadmissions@unf.edu and admissions questions to graduateschool@unf.edu
The University of North Florida CRNA program is a full time graduate program that will take 36 months or 111 credit hours. This is a very rigorous and challenging academic program that is a 9 semester long continuous program. Admission into this program is usually done in the Spring term and once you graduate from it, you will be able to take both the National Certification Exam and the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). The APRN is a qualification that you’ll need from the Florida Board of Nursing. Once you complete the entire program, you’ll receive a DNP in Nurse Anesthesiology.
If you’re interested in applying for this program in 2025, then applications open from January 12th, 2023 and close on February 1st, 2024. Classes would be set to begin in January, 2025.
The average class size that you can expect is approximately 28 students. To put this into perspective, the average acceptance rate for this university is 35%, which makes it one of the less competitive schools to get into.
The graduation rate for the 2022 class was an impressive 100%. The first time pass rate for this year was 88% and the attrition rate was 4%. The employment within the first 6 months of graduating was 96%.
The University of North Florida’s CRNA program is currently ranked #105 in the US News & World Report (2016). This school is accredited by both the COA (Council on Accreditation) of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs as well as the SACSOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges).
The UNF has its own Tuition calculator where you can input your age, living arrangement, residency (in-state or out of state) and if you’re going to apply for financial aid or not. Based on the factors you specify, the calculator will give you an average yearly fee that you might have to pay. So, for example, if you’re not applying for financial aid, are 35 years old, living on your own and eligible for in state tuition, then you can expect to pay on average, $24,337.00 per year. If you are eligible for out of state tuition with the other example factors remaining the same, then you can expect to pay on average, $38,741.00 per year.
To start with, you’ll need to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. However, this nursing degree must be from a regionally accredited institution and their curriculum must be based on the AACN’s Essentials of Baccalaureate Education.
Next, you will need to have a minimum 3.0 GPA . You will also need to have a minimum of 2 years of experience as a registered nurse in critical care settings. If you’re an out of state applicant, then you’ll need to get Florida licensure as a RN. Alternatively, you can also have a compact state license.
You will need to submit 2 letters of recommendation from two persons who are qualified to do so, given the studies you’re attempting to undertake. These two letters will need to be addressed to the NAP Selection Committee.
Next, you’ll have to write a personal statement that is up to 500 words long. This personal statement should include why you want to start the CRNA program and what you’ve done to prepare for these challenging studies.
If you are applying for Spring 2024 entry or after, you’ll need to complete the Casper: Comprehensive Admissions Assessment. It is an online assessment that consists of many parts where various attributes and competencies will be measured. This is a standardized test and is meant to add an additional element of objectivity and overall fairness when it comes to candidate selection. In order to do this exam, you’ll have to register for Casper for CSP-10101 Professional Health Sciences.
If your application is accepted, then you will be called for an interview. After this interview you will either be accepted or declined entrance to the program.
You will need to have completed the GRE within the last 5 years of your application. You should also receive scores of at least 153 verbal, 150 quantitative and at least a 3.5 out of 6 on the essay.
This school has access to 16 clinical sites as listed below:
If you are accepted into this CRNA program, then the following are required before orientation:
According to past applicants, there is typically a fast turn around on being notified for interviews after sending in an application, (usually a few weeks). Past interviewees indicate that the interview questions are more personal and emotional intelligence based as opposed to clinical. Some of the typical questions you can expect are: why do you want to become a CRNA? Why did you choose this school? etc.
The average pay for a CRNA in Florida is approximately $175,433 per year according to ZipRecruiter and the highest paid CRNAs earn ~$298,171 per year.
Not sure if you want to apply to the UNF CRNA Program? There are many other schools to choose from!