| Timeline for Applications/Admissions
Applications may be submitted any time up
to the November 1 Deadline. All completed applications will be reviewed
by the Admissions Committee of the Nurse Anesthesia Program during
December. Interviews of top-rated applicants will be conducted sometime
in the January timeframe, with the final admissions selection completed
shortly thereafter. All applicants will receive notification of their
selection status. Some applicants may be offered the opportunity to
remain on an alternate list if they are not selected for initial
admission
Use the new online application listed
below.
Deadline for ALL
material being received is: NOVEMBER 1st.
Admissions Information
Degree, Licensure, and
Work Experience
Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in another appropriate major
will be considered individually. A minimum of one year’s work
experience as a registered professional nurse (R.N.) in a critical care
environment is required. A license to practice as a R.N. in Georgia
must be obtained prior to beginning the program as a graduate student
nurse anesthetist and maintained throughout the program.
G.P.A. and G.R.E.
Requirement
Applicants must be able to demonstrate a level of academic achievement
that would enable them to succeed in the program. This includes
demonstration of achievement as evidenced by grade point averages on
official transcripts. Applicants must also submit their scores from the
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Aptitude Test taken within the past five
years. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required, 3.2 preferred.
Prerequisite Courses and
Certifications
All students must have successfully completed an undergraduate physical
assessment course, elementary statistics (1 semester), and undergraduate
chemistry (1 semester) prior to being admitted into the Master of
Science in Anesthesia (MSA) degree program and beginning any of the
graduate courses. All students must be certified in: Basic Cardiac Life
Support (BCLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PALS) prior to beginning the program.
Students are required to maintain these certifications throughout the
program. Certification as a CCRN is preferred (CCRN will be required for
application after Nov. 1, 2009).
Application Process
Each of the following items is required for completion of the
application process:
-
Formal application to Mercer University’s School of Medicine for
MCCG’s nurse anesthesia program
- Payment of a non-refundable application fee of $50.00
- Graduation from an accredited college or university (Official
transcripts are required for every institution attended, whether or not
a degree was obtained.)
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing. Registered nurses with a
bachelor’s degrees in another major will be considered individually.
(Contact the Program Director for consideration). Bachelor’s degree
must be completed before application for admission.
- GPA – Applicants must be able to demonstrate a level of
academic achievement that would enable them to succeed in the
program; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required, 3.2 preferred.
- Graduate Records Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test results (must be no
more than 5 years old). The codes for the GRE scores are institution
code-5409, department code– 0610.
- Undergraduate physical assessment
course
- Elementary statistics – 1 semester
- Undergraduate chemistry – 1 semester, 2 semesters preferred
- RN licensure – Georgia license required prior to beginning the program
- A minimum of one year experience in an adult intensive care
unit. (ER, PACU, Dialysis, Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU do not meet this
criteria)
- Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Current Advanced Pediatric Life Support (PALS)
- Current Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS)
- Three letters of reference from individuals qualified to render
an opinion regarding your qualifications to undertake the study of
anesthesia at the graduate level. One letter must be from a
colleague, one from a physician, and one from your immediate
supervisor. In addition, a minimum of one “shadowing” experience
with a CRNA or Anesthesiologist, and a letter from them attesting to
this experience is required.
- Personal interview by MCCG/MUSM
faculty prior to acceptance and enrollment
- Successful passing of criminal background check, drug screening, and
any other screening tests required by MCCG including the OIG List of
Excluded Individuals and GSA Excluded Parties List
The application deadline is
November 1. Applications to the Nurse Anesthesia Program will be
accepted and compiled by the Mercer School of Medicine Admissions
Office, and reviewed and retained by the Nurse Anesthesia Program.
Applicant interviews, the
final phase in the application process, will be conducted early in
January. Based upon a review of each completed application, the faculty
will invite selected applicants for an interview. The interview will be
conducted by the faculty of the MCCG/MSA program and is required prior
to acceptance and enrollment into any of the MSA courses. Scheduled
interviews are granted by invitation only.
Student Selection
The final admissions selection will be made after the interviews are
completed. All applicants will receive notification of their selection
status. Selected applicants will be notified of provisional acceptance
pending completion of any screening tests required by MCCG. Some
applicants may be offered the opportunity to remain on an alternate list
if they are not selected in the initial admissions process. Meeting the
minimum admission criteria does not guarantee acceptance into the
program.
Individuals selected as
students must also verify that they can perform the essential tasks or
functions of an anesthetist. Skills include verbal and written
communication skills. Physical demands include the ability to hear and
verbally communicate both in person and by telephone, visual acuity, and
manual dexterity to be able to move about freely while assisting
patients.
Individuals selected as
students must also submit to alcohol and/or substance testing prior to
beginning the program. Enrollment in the program is contingent upon
negative test results.
Once admitted, a
non-refundable deposit of $1,500 is required to confirm the individual’s
acceptance of admission. The deposit will be used for selected expenses
throughout the program.
MCCG Requirements
Although nurse anesthesia students are not employees of MCCG, they are
required to abide by MCCG requirements to have access to clinical
experiences. Therefore, final acceptance is contingent upon a negative
urine test for drugs and screening to determine that the applicant is
not included on the OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities, the GSA
Excluded Parties List and the Bureau of Industry and Security Denied
Persons List. Additional drug screening may be initiated after
enrollment as detailed in the program’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse
policy and procedure (see Appendix E of Student Manual). The current screening fee for
drugs is $25.00. The current background security screening fee is
$40.00. Both fees are payable by the applicant and subject to change. In
addition, each student will need to sign an MCCG confidentiality
statement and abide by any other MCCG requirements while enrolled in the
program.
Current class size is (16 -
20) students per year.
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