School of Anesthesia

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

Students who wish to apply for admission to the School of Anesthesia must meet the following requirements without regard to gender, age, race, creed, color, or national origin:
  1. Must be currently licensed as a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree
  2. Be eligible for a registered nurse (R.N.) license by the Wisconsin Department of Nursing
  3. Have 18 months (24 months preferred of nursing experience in critical care of intensive care setting (ICU, CCU, SICU, PICU, NICU)
  4. Be a graduate from an accredited school of nursing and have a minimum of two credits of microbiology, four credits of anatomy/physiology, four credits of chemistry/physics, and two credits of statistics.
  5. Have an undergraduate Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

Admission Procedure

  1. Submit a completed application for admission to the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia.
  2. Submit a completed application for admission to the graduate program of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Biology Department including a $56 non-refundable processing fee. Apply electronically. Acceptance to UW-L’s program does not guarantee acceptance into the School of Anesthesia.
  3. Submit official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores to UW-La Crosse Department of Biology (general exam only, not subject exam).
  4. Submit unofficial GRE scores to the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia.
  5. Submit official transcripts of educational experiences to UW-La Crosse and Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia.
  6. Submit three letters of reference to the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia. One must be from a current supervisor. If you cannot obtain a letter of reference from your current supervisor please contact the Program Director. The others may be from colleagues, physicians, or a professor. The “Confidential Report on Applicant” form may be used.
  7. Submit a copy of your current RN license to the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia.
  8. Submit a typed, double spaced essay less than two pages in length to the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia.  The essay will need to include your:
  • Purpose for pursuing the DNP-CRNA track program
  • Areas of interest/ professional plans as a CRNA
  • Goals after you complete the DNP-CRNA track program
  • Personal/ professional qualities that will contribute to your success in our program
  • Challenges and rewards that you anticipate in our program
  • Rationale for selecting our program
Applications for the program are accepted from July 1 through September 1.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be screened and eligible candidates will be invited to appear for a personal interview before the Franciscan Healthcare School of Anesthesia admissions committee in late October or early November. After acceptance into the SOA students will complete the online application for Viterbo University, Doctorate in Nursing Practice CRNA-Track program.

The information above is reviewed annually and updates are published each February.