| 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. Interviews
of top-rated applicants will be conducted in mid - November, with the
final admissions selection completed shortly thereafter. All applicants
will receive notification of their selection status.
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 applicants must be currently
certified in: Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS), Advanced Cardiac Life
Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) prior to
application and beginning the program. Students are required to maintain
these certifications throughout the program. Certification as a CCRN
is preferred.
Application Process /
Admission Requirements
Applicants are required to meet the
following admission requirements:
-
Formal ON LINE application to Mercer University's School of
Medicine for the nurse anesthesia program.
https://www.applyweb.com/apply/mercerap/
-
Payment of non-refundable application fee of $50.00.
-
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a
minimal cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a
4.0 system. 3.2 or greater
preferred.
-
Bachelor's degree in nursing.
Registered
Nurses with bachelor's degrees in another major
may be considered individually.
Bachelor’s
degree must be completed before application for admission.
-
A
minimum of one (1) year of critical care experience, two or more
years are preferred.
(ER, PACU, Dialysis, do not
meet this criteria.)
Certification as a CCRN is preferred.
-
GPA
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate a level of academic
achievement that would enable them to succeed in the program.
-
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test results (must be
no more than five years old) Official test results from the
Graduate Records Exam (GRE) have been taken for the last
seven years. The codes for the
GRE scores
are
institution
code - 5409 and department code - 0610.
-
Exception
Considered:
Applicants
who hold a master's or higher degree from a regionally
accredited college or university may be exempt from
retaking the GRE but must provide an official copy of a
previously taken GRE exam, (Contact the Program Director for
consideration).
-
Undergraduate physical assessment course.
-
Elementary statistics - 1 semester.
-
Undergraduate chemistry - 1 semester, 2 semesters of general
chemistry and/or organic chemistry preferred.
-
RN
licensure - Georgia license required prior to clinical
rotations.
-
Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced
Life Support (PALS), and Basic Life Support (BLS).
-
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.
-
Successful passing of background check, drug screening, and
other screening required by the Medical Center (must complete
prior to admissions after interview process)
-
All
applicants must not be listed on any of the following:
-
OIG List of Excluded
Individuals
-
GSA Excluded Parties List
-
The Bureau of Industry and
Security Denied Persons Lists
-
Personal interview by MCCG/MUSM faculty prior to acceptance and
enrollment. Interviews are by invitation only.
-
Official transcripts, sent directly from the college or
university, of all college-level work completed to earn a
baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
-
A
two to three page (approximately 750 words),
double-spaced, typewritten essay on the student’s education,
professional, and life goals and motivation to pursuit a career
in anesthesia. Clarity and writing skills displayed in this
essay will be evaluated in the acceptance process.
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
for a non-refundable deposit of $200, 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 $2000 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 20
students per cohort.
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