51°µÍø

The mission of the School of Nurse Anesthesia is to provide an academic environment that allows students to master the intellectual and technical skills necessary to become competent in the safe conduct of anesthesia. This is accomplished by providing a select group of experienced, graduate-level critical care nurses with the highest level of didactic, simulation lab, and clinical site experiences. 51°µÍø's graduate nurse anesthetists develop life-long scholarship, critical thinking skills, technical skills, and professionalism needed to become compassionate, patient-centered Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA's) in solo practice or within a collaborative anesthesia environment.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, have been providing anesthesia care in the United States of America for over 150 years. Currently, there are approximately 55,000 CRNAs in the country with more than 2,800 students graduating per year.

CRNA's are anesthesia specialists who safely administer approximately 49 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year. As advanced practice nurses, they can serve in a variety of capacities in daily practice, such as a clinician, educator, administrator, manager, and researcher.  CRNAs work in the administrative positions of hospitals, academic institutions, and other health care facilities. 

• CRNA's administer anesthesia to patients across the lifespan for all types of surgical cases, using all anesthetic techniques and practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, from university-based medical centers to free-standing surgical facilities and offices.
• CRNA's are the primary anesthesia providers in almost 100% of rural hospitals in the United States, affording access to anesthesia care where it would otherwise not be available. CRNAs also provide anesthesia in inner cities as well as urban areas including teaching institutions.
• CRNAs are qualified and permitted by state law or regulations to practice in every state in the nation. They provide anesthesia in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, podiatrists, dentists, and other healthcare professionals.

The School of Nurse Anesthesia at the University of New England has been involved in nurse anesthesia education since 1970, serving as an academic affiliate for hospital-based certificate nurse anesthesia programs. In 1988, we initiated a program leading to the Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia. In 1993, the 51°µÍø MSNA program became the sole authority of the education of nurse anesthesia students when the last hospital-based program in Maine closed.

Two-Phase Program

The University of New England's program is a 27 month two-phase program. 

Phase I is conducted on our historic Westbrook College of Health Professions Campus, situated in the picturesque coastal city of Portland. The first two semesters of study consist of didactic instruction in basic sciences and anesthesia taught by our CRNA and science faculty. During the eight-month didactic curriculum  instruction using state-of-the-art task trainers and simulation labs is utilized to prepare students for the clinical experience.  In the summer of 2017, the Simulation Lab moved to a multi-million dollar, high fidelity center in Innovation Hall on the Portland campus, increasing the quality and number of simulation experiences provided.

Phase II of the curriculum entails clinical training based at our hospital affiliates for a period of 19 months. Didactic instruction continues during the clinical phase through hybrid and on-campus courses in advanced principles of anesthesia, research, and business and leadership in anesthesia practice. Anesthesia crisis resource management is taught in both lecture and simulation modalities.  The School has contractual relationships with over 38 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and offices located in New England and throughout the country, which offer our students a varied and diverse clinical education experience. Our students are trained in collaborative anesthesia environments as well as in non-medically directed, CRNA-only sites. Students gain experience in all facets and types of anesthesia management, including ultrasound guided regional anesthesia, pain management, invasive monitoring, and pre and post-op patient assessment.

With successful completion of the 27-month program, students are awarded a Master of Science degree in Nurse Anesthesia (MSNA). The graduate is then qualified to take the National Certifying Examination. Upon successful completion of the exam, the graduate becomes a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist qualified to practice in all 50 states. To date, 100 percent of our students have passed the certifying examination in their first-year post-graduation and 100 percent have successfully obtained employment.

Transition Plan to the Entry-Level Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program: The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) requires that all students matriculating into a nurse anesthesia educational program on January 1, 2022, or thereafter, be enrolled in a program approved by the COA to award a practice doctoral degree. The University of New England Nurse Anesthesia program plans to submit its application to the COA for approval to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in February of 2021. Pending approval by the COA, the program plans to enroll its first doctoral cohort of students in September of 2022. Further information regarding this transition may be obtained by contacting the Program Director, Cheryl L. Nimmo, DNP, MSHSA, CRNA at (207) 221-4519, or at cnimmo@une.edu.

The School of Nurse Anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. The School of Nurse Anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs through the fall of 2021. The program received the maximum 10-year accreditation length in June 2011. We are scheduled for reaccreditation in the fall of 2021. 

For the first 8 months (two semesters), students attend classes full time on 51°µÍø's Portland campus or online as necessary.  The majority of the basic science and anesthesia didactic courses are offered during this period. The remaining 19 months of the program are clinically-based, with an emphasis on advanced coursework, clinical training, simulation lab experiences, and completion of a senior research project. All students are required to complete the entire curriculum with a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Clinical Training

Upon completion of the didactic portion of the program, the students move on to the 19-month clinical portion of the curriculum. The primary focus is clinical anesthesia experiential education. The clinical experience obtained encompasses all areas for the student to achieve clinical competency in anesthesia. This is accomplished through affiliations at various clinical sites. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs has set minimum standards for clinical experience that each student must achieve prior to graduation from the program to qualify for the National Certifying Examination. Each student is required to administer a specific number of anesthetics including all techniques, agents, and patients across the lifespan. Students complete more than the required minimum case numbers and clinical hours. All of the surgical specialties are included, including hands-on training in regional anesthesia techniques with ultrasound. Specialty experiences (i.e. neurosurgery, open-heart surgery, obstetrics) when not available at primary hospital affiliation sites, will be obtained from rotations at other medical facilities.

All types of anesthesia techniques and the latest agents are available for student learning. Students are able to obtain experience in general anesthetics, intravenous agents, invasive line placement, and regional anesthesia including spinal, epidural, and peripheral nerve blocks including the use of ultrasound. Students also rotate to CRNA-only rural sites for experience in autonomous practice settings.

Clinical Affiliates

Please refer to the clinical education website for a list of clinical sites currently utilized by the School of Nurse Anesthesia.

Graduation Requirements

The following criteria must be met to qu